Fresh off a dramatic Sydney Derby victory, the Wanderers are riding a wave of momentum but head coach Alen Stajcic is aiming to keep the squad grounded ahead of the trip to Perth on Friday night.
The victory over their rivals brought confidence and belief back into the group, but Stajcic knows there’s no time to rest.
With a tough trip to Perth Glory looming on Friday night, it’s all about maintaining standards and building consistency.
“Everyone’s happy and content with the game. It put a little bit of momentum and confidence in the group, but we’re certainly not getting carried away,” said Stajcic.
“We know it’s early doors in the league in terms of rhythm and confidence. We just need to keep building and growing and take that form into this week. We know we have to keep improving to maintain our standards and get even better as the competition rolls on.”
While Derby Days can ignite passion and lift players to new heights, Stajcic believes that this mindset must be carried through to every single match.
The Wanderers head coach has called on his men to treat every fixture with the same focus, regardless of the crowd size or the stakes.
“When you see a team or players individually lift for a derby, fans are like, why don’t you do that every week? For me as a coach, no game is more important than the other. Every game is just as important. And we should be taking that mentality every week, whether there’s 2,000 people or 20,000 people,” explained Stajcic.
“That’s what pro athletes do, and that’s what winners do. For us to become winners, we have to have that mentality.”
The Wanderers are set to face another tough challenge on Friday night when they travel West to take on Perth Glory.
The trip is a test in more ways than one. Long-distance travel, time zone changes and Perth’s summer conditions adds extra pressure for both teams.
“People think it’s easy, but it’s probably the most challenging league in the world,” Stajcic said. “In terms of travel, jetlag – it doesn’t matter which team you play for. There’s always 8 to 10 hours of travel, staying away from home, and timezone changes.
“And that all plays a part on your body clock when you’re running around for 90 minutes at maximum. Especially playing in the middle of summer with heat and humidity, it’s a big test for the players.”
Perth Glory have strengthened their squad in the off-season, bringing both experience and confidence into the Friday night fixture.
They recruited really well, and with that comes confidence. Plus the pedigree they’ve got – it’s going to be a tough team to face,” said Stajcic.
Tune into Friday night’s match live and exclusive on Paramount+
