Melbourne City coach John van 't Schip has thrown down the gauntlet to his embattled squad as it prepares for a crucial clash with unbeaten Adelaide United on Friday night: "Toughen up, stop being mentally weak and win ugly if you have to" is the message from the Dutchman as the game looms.
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City has taken two points out of a possible nine in its opening three games, a far lower haul than most pundits expected – and certainly less than the club's Middle Eastern paymasters would be happy with.
The team, bolstered by World Cup winner and former Spanish international David Villa and English Premier League champion and ex-Irish international Damien Duff, has had to come from behind twice to salvage draws against Sydney and Newcastle.
It did take the lead – twice – in the Melbourne derby against Victory last weekend, but collapsed in alarming fashion in the second half as the navy blues piled on three goals without reply to run out 5-2 winners.
It is the lack of commitment and accountability and the failure to play for 90 minutes that rankles with van 't Schip, himself a former Dutch international who played at the highest levels at both club and national team level.
City has now not won in its last nine matches. It lost four of its last six and drew two in the run-in to the last A-League season (when it was known as Heart) in addition to its two draws and a defeat this year. Its last win was when it humbled Victory in the final derby of the 2013-14 season 4-0, but Kevin Muscat's team gained spectacular revenge at Etihad Stadium last Saturday night.
As van 't Schip likes to remind journalists, every game is a pressure game. But the stakes will continue to rise as long as City does not start winning, given the expectation that now lies on his club.
"Is important ... we all know that we have to bounce back after the derby and I expressed that the way we play is not the problem," he says. "But we have to show character, playing good football is not only about having the ball and making nice moves, it's also about being determined and knowing what's needed to get results and win games.
"We have to get more clinical and professional in all kinds of aspects,and that's a process of growing. We have to start getting that quicker into the team."
He was particularly disappointed that City players seemed to lose focus either side of the half-time break, when Victory scored two goals inside a minute. "Everybody was disappointed by the reaction but it's past and we have to learn from it."
He was also quick to point out that there were plenty of positive things that his team was producing. "Don't forget the things that we are doing well. If you look at the three games we play and divide it into six halves then I think we played five good halves," he said.
"The first half against Sydney and Newcastle were good and we should not forget that when you come behind games change, and we chased the game in both matches and came back to get the equaliser, so that's positive. We had a good first half against Victory, but we have to make sure the second half doesn't happen again."
He deflected any blame from his experienced men – Villa and Duff – but agreed that some of the more unheralded players, those who had spent their life in the A-League, might be struggling to come to terms with the new pressures on them.
"In the end it's a team performance, and everybody has to understand what's needed to get to that. It's interesting for us. We don't have to make this a big thing, but it's a growth process for us. We know that, the expectation is already different this year because of the change of name and owners and getting some players in that have a high pedigree. You know that people will look and write differently and they have every right to.
"We have to get used to the expectations of being one of the teams that has to win. That's a different approach to being one of the teams like in the past, the underdog who did well. Opponents are now approaching us differently because of players with big names. Everybody is motivated differently now.
"There's always this extra thing people get out of themselves when they play against a certain opponent. It's certainly the case we had in the first three games and it will continue. We have to have our weapons to deal with that as well."
Makeshift left-back Iain Ramsay had a torrid evening at the hands of Kosta Barbarouses last weekend, but van 't Schip said he had faith in all the players he selected. Nonetheless, left-sided midfielder Ben Garuccio, who has been injured, is available and could be an alternative to Ramsay, if not now then later in the season.
Argentinian utility Jonatan Germano, another to have been out since the beginning of the campaign, played in the youth team last week and is also likely to figure at some point against an Adelaide side which has impressed van 't Schip.
"They are playing good football. Josep [Gombau] has put a team out that has made progress in the year," he said. "In the start it was difficult, they were playing good football but not getting the results they maybe deserve. But sticking to their belief and the way they play now, the results are coming from that philosophy. The way they play is very fluent, attacking and entertaining. We are not far from that."
