Lowe in awe of Sydney

IF anyone is painfully aware of Sydney FC’s unstoppable force, it’s the man whose ALeague side fell victim to the reigning champions’ most complete performance yet.

And from what Perth coach Kenny Lowe saw of Saturday night’s 6-0 clobbering, the Sky Blues may as well have their second successive Premiers’ Plate wrapped up. The Glory were on top for the first 20 minutes at Allianz Stadium until Brandon O’Neill opened the hosts’ account.

Five second-half goals later — including another hat-trick to Bobo — and Lowe was left in no doubt as to where Sydney were heading.

“In the last three games they’ve scored four, three and five but they weren’t awfully impressive, yet they won the games comfortably,” Lowe said.

“They were very impressive tonight and won the game comfortably.

“So if they’re not impressive and they win, and they are impressive and they win, they’re going to be a tough team to stop.”

Sydney’s victory, coupled with Newcastle’s loss to Melbourne Victory on Friday, lifts Graham Arnold’s team eight points clear atop the ALeague table.

If the Sky Blues beat the Jets at home on Wednesday night, the lead will extend to 11 points at the season’s halfway mark.

As it stands, the team has finished 2017 having won 29 A-League games from 35 to amass 91 points from a possible 105 in the calendar year, scoring 61 goals in the process.

Lowe said Sydney are “without a doubt” one of the best teams he’s seen in the competition, and even weighed into the debate about how they compare to Ange Postecoglou’s allconquering Brisbane Roar.

“Brisbane were superb in their day,” he said.

“Brisbane probably passed you to death, but these guys on transition, they sit in, they’re so disciplined.

“They’re just a bloody good side.”

Lowe’s counterpart Arnold, who was angry at the shortcomings of last week’s 4-1 away win to Wellington, was finally content but not the least bit surprised.

“Not being arrogant or anything, but I challenged the boys this week,” Arnold said.