Ufuk Talay has assured Pat Wood’s controversial red card appeal drama against Melbourne Victory will not phase the Sky Blues’ game plan moving into this weekend’s match against Western United.
Sydney FC went down to 10 men last week in the 35th minute after the striker’s foot met the leg of Adama Traore in an air tackle.
Talay said, “I wasn’t surprised by the suspension.
“I think [the rule] was designed to protect the other side, so obviously, we were to appeal it as we saw it as an obvious error, but nothing changed, so we’ll move on.”
The red card will mean Pat Wood will not play against Western this Saturday.
However, Talay exclaimed that Sydney FC has an array of options due to the depth of their squad, which will make up for his loss.
“We have an option of Fabio [Gomes] and an option of Mitch [Glasson] as well to play up [front], and previously we played a game without no nine, so you know there a lot of ways we can play the game
“There’s something to continue to build on, and I thought that game we started off the game quite well, but we conceded a soft goal with Melbourne equaliser, but look overall, happy with the performance”, Talay explained.
Talay also provided an update on Robert Mak after he was substituted in the final minute of the game after he experienced groin issues against Brisbane Roar three weeks ago.
“In that last game, we were looking to get 20-30 minutes out of Robbie, but obviously, because of the change (red card), we were unable to utilise him.
“He’s been training fully with the group this week, and hopefully we can get more minutes out of him this weekend.”
Sydney FC and Ufuk Talay will now look ahead when they play Western United on Saturday evening, and the Sky Blues will be looking to remain undefeated for a third consecutive round.
Match Details:
Western United v Sydney FC
Izuzu UTE A-League Round 15
Saturday 3rd Feburary, 2024
North Hobart Oval, Hobart, TAS
Kick Off: 5:00pm AEDT
Gates Open: 4:00pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Paramount+
Tickets: Click Here