After notching his second home win as Sydney FC Head Coach, you would assume that Ufuk Talay was pleased, but that was far from the case.
A Joe Lolley brace along with goals to Fabio Gomes and Jack Rodwell was enough to outmuscle Western United at Allianz Stadium but the boss believes there is plenty to improve on ahead of Friday’s clash with Wellington Phoenix.
“I’m pleased for the players that they can enjoy the three points but I think the performance side needs to improve.
“The intent is there and for me that is first and foremost very important but, it’s also important that we don’t just beat the opponent but we are the better team and I want to play a certain brand of football,” Talay said.
“I wasn’t happy the way we were playing in the first half and I let the boys know my feelings at half time.
“I think they came out with a different mentality in the second half and there was times when I thought we did it well but there was also times when I thought the backline dropped off and allowed those balls to be played through.
It’s nice to get the three points and it’s nice to win the game but performance wise, not happy at all.
Talay went for a slightly different approach this week with Lolley and Mak switching wings to change the service into the striker and he believed that it didn’t quite hit the straps from the start.
“I think we were a little bit disjointed in the first half but we were better in the second half and we created good moments where we could’ve killed the game off.
“Getting into the opposition box wasn’t a problem but obviously being clinical in that final third was the same as usual,” he said.
“We put Joe [Lolley] on the left and Robbie [Mak] on the right to get some deliveries into the box and I thought we got some good moments in there.”
Lastly, Ufuk Talay took some time to make note of the work that Giancarlo Italiano is doing at his former employee Wellington Phoenix ahead of their meeting on Friday at Allianz Stadium.
“Chiefy [Italiano] is a great human being and he is doing a fantastic job currently with the squad that he has at Wellington.
“We normally catch up during the week on the phone before and sometimes after the game to discuss what happened in our matches but I’m sure that won’t be happening this week,” he joked.
Talay and his Sky Blues will have Christmas Day off before returning to training ahead of Friday’s clash with Wellington Phoenix, part of a Double header at Allianz Stadium.
Match Details
Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix
Isuzu UTE A-League Round 10
Friday 29th December 2023
Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Kick Off: 7:45pm AEDT
Gates Open: 4:30pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Paramount+
Tickets: Click Here
Matchday Partner: Navarra Venues
