December 9 is a date we still remember at the Wanderers.
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When you get beaten in any game 5-0 like we did that night, it’s hard to forget quickly.
To lose by that scoreline to our cross-town rivals Sydney FC makes that all the more difficult.
It’s a result that will remain in the back of our minds when we finally get the chance to atone against the Sky Blues this weekend.
There is no doubt that winning will put that result to bed.
But, we know it’s not going to be an easy task.
It goes without saying that Sydney FC have been the benchmark of the entire competition for the past two years and they’ve continued in the same vein in 2018.
They’ve got a bucket load of firepower and happen to boast the best defence in the league as well. If chances come our way, we have to take them because you can’t be certain when the next one is coming.
They will be without regular left back Michael Zullo, who pulled his hamstring in the Asian Champions League during the week.
Other than that, I don’t expect their squad will be impacted too much by the mid-week game.
They’ll have enough time between then and Sunday to be ready to fire.
It is disappointing that the match will take place at such an awkward time slot on Sunday evening.
With school on the next day and ticket prices ridiculously high for some sections, there is big chance the game will not get the crowd it deserves.
- VAR NIGHTMARE
Enough is enough.
The time has come to bite the bullet and get rid of the VAR once and for all.
Last week in our match with the Wellington Phoenix play was brought to a standstill far too often. It overshadowed what was a really good game of football and kept disrupting the flow of the match.
People come to games to watch the football, not to be stuck watching and waiting on replays.
The last thing we need is for it to continue into the final series and overshadow our marquee fixtures at the business end of the season.
Using it for goal line decisions is fine.
But for all other purposes it needs to be scrapped.
- BATTLE IN ASIA
Two rounds in and both A-League clubs have already learned some tough lessons in the Asian Champions League.
This week it was the Melbourne Victory who suffered a heavy defeat away from home.
The Victory simply couldn’t match it with the might of Shanghai.
It should come as no real surprise given the enormous budget of the Chinese Super League club.
With guys like Hulk and Oscar at their disposal, it is going to be an uphill battle.
That’s part of the luxury of operating without a salary cap and until we get rid of ours, it is going to continue to be hard to compete in Asia.
