Sydney FC Head Coach Graham Arnold believes the other teams in the league should be fearful of his squad’s strike power as the Sky Blues prepare for the third instalment of the Sydney Derby on Saturday.
Arnold said he was looking forward to travelling to Parramatta, with the Sky Blues not having contested a Sydney Derby since November 2014, as he stressed the need for defensive solidarity following victory over the Central Coast Mariners at the weekend.
“We had 2 derbies very quickly in the first 6 or 7 rounds and it’s been a while since we’ve had one so we’re looking forward to it,” Arnold said.
“It’s a beautiful little stadium out there and we’re looking forward to going out there again.
“We’re in great form and we’re scoring a lot of goals and no doubt a lot of the other teams will be fearing our attack,” he continued.
“I was happy with our fight and attacking side of things against the Mariners but we were too loose in defence. There’s a lot of twists and turns to go in the league over the nine games so we’ll strive for the highest position we can get.”
With plenty of flash points in the previous two Sydney Derbies this season, Arnold has called for his squad to focus on the footballing side of the spectacle and expunge all emotion from the contest as he said the Wanderers won’t be fazed by their midweek ACL commitments.
“The derby is for the fans, to give bragging rights, and we’ve got to make sure we remove the emotion and we focus on the game plan,” he said.
“We need to focus on how to win the game and go out with the greatest respect for them because they’re the Asian Champions at this moment and whatever their position on the table is doesn’t matter to us because we have to just go out and worry about ourselves.
“Form goes out the window when it comes to a derby. It’s great for the fans, it’s great for the game, but for us we have to go out there and play our own game, remove all emotion and play to our strengths.
“[The Wanderers win] shows the ACL is a much a slower game than the A-League. The A-League is a lot more about transition,” Arnold continued.
“Tony left five players behind and five very good players at that [for the Champions League game], so we’re expecting a very tough game as normal.”
Sydney FC travel to Pirtek Stadium on Saturday for the third #SydneyDerby of the year looking to continue their unbeaten start to 2015. Follow @SydneyFC on Twitter for LIVE match updates or catch the match on Fox Sports 4 (kick off 7:30pm).
Sydney FC’s next home game is against Brisbane Roar on Sunday 15th March at Allianz Stadium (kick off 5pm). Purchase tickets today or become a Member and ensure you don’t miss a moment of Hyundai A-League action by heading to www.ticketek.com.au/sydneyfc
