Sydney FC got back to winning ways in the Isuzu UTE A-League on the weekend after defeating Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium to climb off the foot of the table.
The Sky Blues first half rampage saw the team score four first half goals for the first time in over 10 years and concluding the mayhem with one more in the second half, winning the game 5-1 after conceding seven in the previous three fixtures.
Additionally, this game saw Sydney FC have 14 shots in the box which was an increase compared to games between Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City while shooting accuracy was up at 50 percent and shooting accuracy of blocked shots was 83.3 percent which was a bump from the previous weeks, highlighting the attacking intent of football.
Newly appointed Sydney FC manager, Ufuk Talay stated during his post-match press conference that he was surprised with result considering that he’d been in the role for a few days but believes his team has the capabilities to get to next level when they focus on their performances and not the results.
“What we spoke about before the game with the players [that we should focus on] the performance not the result,” he said.
“I just wanted a good performance and I always believe that if we focus on the performance, eight to nine times out out of ten you get a good result.
“That’s something they definitely did and at the same time they were rewarded with the opportunities they created.”
Defensive solidity enabled the Sky Blues to produce a dominate team performance while attacking flare and capabilities saw the team constantly test Adelaide United goalkeeper, Joe Gauci by peppering his goal with 20 shots while 10 of them were on target which was also an increase on previous weeks.
More recently, opposition teams have been physical when they played against Sydney FC but this time with their dominance, Sydney FC gave away less fouls against the Reds. Only 7 across the 90 minutes, while they gave away 10 against Melbourne City and 13 against Victory.
The manager reiterated that the team looked at what the opponents had done against other teams in previous fixtures, however the bedrock of the weekend’s result was down to what they could do on and off the ball to hurt the opposition.
“The main focus was on us [and] what we’re going to do and how we’re going to play and obviously understand what Adelaide does as well, but [the] focus was solely [on] what [we] needed to do with the ball and without the ball”, he said.
“If we went too far on the analysis of the opposition, we would have lost track on how we can improve the current squad and the playing style.
“There are moments where we think about what Adelaide does, but Adelaide is always a tough game in Adelaide, so there are no easy games when you come here.
“Am very happy [and] am very excited with the group at the moment, especially after this 90 minute they have played and there’s still a lot to work on [and] I think there’s room for improvement.”
Looking ahead, Sydney FC will be battling against their fiercest rival, Western Sydney Wanderers after the international break, a game that draws eyeballs from across the country and one not to be missed.
Match Details:
Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Isuzu UTE A-League Round Five
Saturday, 25th November 2023
Allianz Stadium, Sydney NSW
Kick-off: 7:45pm AEDT
Gates Open: 6:15pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Paramount + and 10BOLD
Tickets: Click Here
