Head coach Carl Robinson on the lessons we can take from our first two matches and our first away trip of the season against Wellington.
The Red & Black have had a slow start to the season, having only secured two points in their first two matches of the campaign.
For Robinson and his men, there have been many positives to take and build from ahead of their Round 3 match against Wellington Phoenix.
“There are lots of positives we can take,” explained Robinson.
“The first game we know about, the Derby an intense game. I thought we controlled a lot of that play and obviously showed a lot of character, we didn’t give many chances away.
“Second game against Newcastle started very slowly.
“I think we have to be accountable for that but didn’t go under. At half-time we addressed a few things and in the second half the boys showed great character and were excellent in that.
“We probably should have won the game, missed two golden opportunities which was a little frustrating.”
The Wanderers will this Friday night play in their very first Isuzu UTE A-League away match of the season, traveling down to Wollongong to face Wellington.
Having had a pre-season disrupted by the global COVID pandemic, the trip to Wollongong comes at a great time to build on the camaraderie within the group.
“We’ve had a long pre-season, not being able to get away has been difficult,” said Robinson.
“But what we’ve done is, we’ve tried to keep them fresh and keep their minds fresh as well as their body and now we go on the road.
“We’ve had a short trip up to Broadmeadow magic which was good for the boys and the integration of the new players. We’ve got a lot of new players so it’s important for them.
“The first away game in the league is always an exciting one and we know we’ll have our supporters down there, so we have to turn up and perform.”
Wellington have traditionally been a difficult side for the Red & Black to break down with Robinson aware of what challenges lie ahead on Friday night.
“I think everyone knows their own identity of how they want to play and the way that they want to play,” said Robinson.
“We know that Wellington have a certain profile of what characteristics in their team, they play a certain way.
“We have to be aware of that, we are aware of that and probably and the most dangerous times for them is when we have the ball.
“So we’ve got to be very careful.
“But every game in this league is difficult and we’ve got to make sure we concentrate on ourselves. If we turn up and do our stuff, then we have a good chance of winning the game.”
Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers
Friday 3 December
WIN Stadium, 7:45pm
Watch live on Paramount+
Western Sydney Wanderers FC Squad: 1.Daniel MARGUSH, 2.Ziggy GORDON, 3.Adama TRAORE, 4.Rhys WILLIAMS, 5.Jack RODWELL, 6.Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS, 7.Ramy NAJJARINE, 8.Steven UGARKOVIC, 9.Bernie IBINI, 10.Tomer HEMED, 11.Keijiro OGAWA, 13.Tate RUSSELL, 14. James TROISI, 19.Daniel WILMERING, 20.Tomas MEJIAS, 21.Jordi SWIBEL, 22.Johnny KOUTROUMBIS, 23.Dimi PETRATOS, 25.Philip CANCAR, 29.Terry ANTONIS, 30.Jack WARSHAWSKY (GK), 32.Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 33.Mark NATTA, 35.Nectar TRIANTIS, 36.Alessandro LOPANE, 37.Alex BADOLATO, 39.Thomas AQUILINA.
