Having spent seven games last season on loan to the Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Jacob is excited to have made the move back to the A-League, this time as a Sky Blue.
“I haven’t played a lot of minutes lately, so that was always the main motivator – to get back and play as much as I can. When a club like Sydney FC came up it was a no brainer for me,” he said.
“I just want to focus on the present, just be where I am now and play as much as I can. Don’t look too far into the future or any of that to just play as many games as possible.”
Being a Western Sydney Wanderer for the last Sydney Derby, Farrell looks forward to the upcoming clash on 16th October at Allianz Stadium, only this time as a Sky Blue – the Wanderers arch-rivals.
Drawing on experience of having played for the Wanderers just last year, he explained how they prepared for the Sydney Derby.
“It’s obviously a big game, the Sydney Derby, for both clubs, and I think leading into the game the rivalry is similar, though it’s more focused on getting your tactics right and everything,” he said.
“It’s in the back of everyone’s minds – everyone’s prepared for the Derby, and it’s going to be a tough game. I think it’s natural for both clubs to not really like each other so there’s definitely a bit of envy towards each other.
“I grew up watching it as an A-league fan, so it’ll be good to be a part of it. I didn’t get to play it last year so I’m excited to play for Sydney this year and hopefully have a good, competitive game.”
“Big crowds like that – it’s always fun to play in front of, so it would be a highlight in my career, and it would be great to be a part of,” he said.
With his versatility as a defender, having the abilities to play left back and centre back, Jacob looks forward to seeing where Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo decides to play him.
“He mentioned when I first started talking to him that I can play in a couple of positions along the back lines, something that I’ve kind of adapted to over the last few years of my career,” he said.
“I’m happy that I can play centre back, left back, and he spoke to me about that. So there’s options there for him to play me wherever. It’s definitely a positive.”
Spending the last year training and playing with seasoned professionals at Portsmouth FC in England, Jacob believes that the competitive environment helped improve his game, with the unfortunate injuries he experienced at the beginning of his time there only helped improve the skills and strength that he is ready to display at Sydney FC.
“I went over there and got injured straight away so that didn’t help me off the bat,” he said.
“The injuries just kept coming and then trying to get back into the squad was hard, it’s very competitive over there.
“I think I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym the last two years, not that I wanted to but because of injuries and other things, so that’s definitely helped me, and I think it’s a positive within the bad time at Portsmouth due to injuries. I’ve got my body in a good position to move on now.”
