Sydney FC Head Coach Graham Arnold has called for his Sky Blues squad to deliver a complete performance in Wednesday night’s top of the table clash against the Jets at Allianz Stadium (kick off 7:50pm AEDT).
After scoring five second half goals in a six nil win over Perth at the weekend, Arnold has called for his squad to deliver the same performance over both halves of football, and he’s confident he’s got the men for the job.
“They gave me 45 good minutes at six nil. I want 95 minutes of a great performance,” Arnold said.
“I’ve asked them the question of the score this week, they need to answer the question, it’s a score they’ve told me and I’ve told them to stick to it.
“We’ve looked at the first half against Perth, it was more they set up more defensively and it took us that bit more time to break them open and when we broke them open then everything else happened.
“The players themselves have this great belief and they’re in such a great headspace, I challenged them again after the game I said to them ‘you’ve given me 45 good minutes out of 95 and I want 95’ and I expect that tomorrow night and I believe it’ll be our greatest performance.
“The boys are fantastic, they’re great, they’re all fit and recovered exceptionally well from the game. The spirits are very high, the belief is very high and we’re excited for the game tomorrow night.”
Arnold said his squad’s mental preparation was spot on ahead of Wednesday night’s top of the table encounter, as laid down the goal of 50 points as the first target in 2018.
“Our biggest challenge is ourselves,” Arnold said.
“I expect a great performance. For me it’s about Sydney FC, what we do every week, and it’s not allowing ourselves at all any respite.
“It’s about making sure mentally we’re ready, the boys headspace is great and I expect a great performance tomorrow night.
“I expected to be around this position. To motivate the boys, it’s all about record, it’s all about history, it’s all about we’ve done nothing this year.
“It’s about performing to the greatest of our ability this year and we’re striving, always the first challenge is to get 50 points as soon as you can,” he continued.
“I know that the messages in their brain are there today. You can see it in their eyes again, the focus in their faces that in the subconscious mind the messages are clear, that they will win the game and they expect to win the game.”
Sydney FC face Newcastle Jets in a Westfield W-League Hyundai A-League double header at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday night (kick off 7:50pm AEDT). KIDS GO FREE, be there to back your Sky Blues at the ‘Fortress’.
AFC Champions League Memberships are now available! Purchase yours and be at Sydney Football Stadium for our three blockbuster Group Stage clashes as we go on our #QuestToBeTheBest! Click here to secure your seats.
