No rest for Sydney FC this week with some hard training sessions and even a beach run at North Bondi. A weekend off for the boys should freshen them up ahead of the big match in Perth against the Glory.
The Hyundai A-League may be taking a week off with the FIFA international break but Sydney FC are training as hard as ever.
After a tough 1-0 loss against Gold Coast United at Skilled Park last Saturday, the Sky Blues are using the break to fine tune their preparations for another road game, this time against the Perth Glory on 22 November.
“Firstly we are going to change the result,” said Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka. “It’s important because we were disappointed by the Gold Coast game, we didn’t score there (and) we didn’t get a good result.”
“This week is a break, some players need to a little bit of extra rest, some players need treatment, some players need to work a little bit more and we are going to use this time effectively to prepare for the game in Perth next week”.
Despite the loss to the Gold Coast, Sydney are still sitting on top of the Hyundai A-League and Lavicka is preaching against overconfidence against the fifth-placed Glory.
“It’s a difficult trip, a long trip and a very good opponent. They’re (Perth) a very good team, (with) skillful players. We expect a tough game but we are going to try and put in a good performance and get a good result for us.”
And with the Melbourne Victory only a point off of Sydney in second place, the Czech is well aware of the importance of ensuring the Sky Blues maintain their fine form with half of the season still left to play.
“We are in first position, but it’s the midpoint of the season,” he said. “We will continue and keep focused and try to improve some of the things we have been doing wrong.”
Midfielder Stuart Musialik shared his coach’s outlook. After missing the opening few weeks of the season due to injury, he has muscled his way back into the starting eleven and says that the break represented a chance for some reflection.
“It was frustrating not to come away with a win (against the Gold Coast). As a team after the loss, it’s good to freshen up and regather,” Musialik said.
Like Lavicka, he is aware of Perth’s quality and says their position on the league ladder disguises their strong form when playing in front of their own fans. The Glory have only lost once this season at home, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Melbourne.
“Even though they’re sitting fifth they have good away form at the moment and we have pretty bad away form,” Musialik said.
The break also means that players who are carrying injuries – like Musialik and captain Steve Corica – will have more time to heal. The former required an injection to tend to an ongoing hip injury while Corica is still recovering from the minor hamstring strain that saw him limp out of the Gold Coast match after only 19 minutes.
