Head coach Carl Robinson on the Christmas break due to COVID and the Wanderers next battle against City.
The Wanderers will finally be back in action on Sunday night when they travel to Melbourne to face City after a very disrupted Christmas period which saw a number of matches postponed due to COVID-19.
Reflecting on the number of disruptions that ranged from matches being postponed and players in isolation, Robinson and his men have been using the time away from competitive matches as an opportunity to reset.
“We started decent and then we had two difficult games where we haven’t performed at our levels, and we own that, we have to admit that,” said Robinson.
“But sometimes a break can do you good, we’ve got to use it as a positive, we’ve got 20 plus games to go and the next game is always the most important one, so that’s what we’re fully focused on.”
22 days after their last match against Central Coast Mariners, the Wanderers will be taking on 5th placed Melbourne City on Sunday night who will be looking for redemption after being knocked out of the FFA Cup mid-week.
“They’re a good team, they’ve got key players, obviously they won the league last year and deservedly so, they caught fire at the right time and play a really consistent brand of football that everyone talks about,” explained Robinson.
“It’s going to be very difficult for us, but we’ve got plenty of good players as well, we’ve got players that can hurt them.”
The Wanderers will be bolstered by the return of key midfielders Keanu Baccus and Jack Rodwell who have returned from injury as well as a new face on the bench with assistant coach Gary van Egmond joining the club over Christmas.
“We’re delighted to have Gary in. Gary is good coaching on the field, he’s good coaching with the kids, he’s been involved in the international programs for many years, so he knows all of the talented players coming through and knows what they like and dislike,” explained Robinson.
“It’s nice to have another pair of hands to help us on the field and I certainly get on great with him at the moment.”
Isuzu UTE A-League (Paramount+)
Sunday 9 January 2022
Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers
AAMI Park, 6:45pm
