Kalezic seeks solution as Nix woes continue
Darije Kalezic will target ‘‘quality’’ and ‘‘leadership’’ in the January transfer window in the wake of another disappointing loss.
The Wellington Phoenix coach watched on in anguish as his side let another lead slip in the 2-1 loss to Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Saturday night - their eighth defeat in 13 A-League games this season.
Roy Krishna had put them up 1-0 in the 42nd minute, and he and his team-mates should have extended that lead early in the second half, only for an eight-minute Ross McCormack brace late in the game leaving them with nothing.
Before the match, Kalezic said two to three more players would likely be released from their contracts in the coming days and weeks. After the match, he said the team needed help in many positions.
‘‘I think we can use in every line one player,’’ he said, indicating he needed an attacker, midfielder and defender. ‘‘Some leadership in the group, and also quality. We know exactly internally what is going on and what we have to do.’’
The club already has one player locked in, with Serbian midfielder Matija Ljujic hoping to clear the final administrative transfer hurdles this week. He would be touch-and-go to be able to play any part against Melbourne Victory at Westpac Stadium on Wednesday night.
As for Saturday’s game, Kalezic was happy with how his gameplan worked. He set his side up in a defensive 5-3-2 formation, in which they had just 30 per cent possession, but limited City’s clearcut chances.
‘‘Everybody can see we play [a] different game than the first game here in Melbourne,’’ Kalezic said, in reference to the 1-0 loss at AAMI Park on October 21 when his team kept 60 per cent possession.
‘‘In this game we give ball possession to Melbourne, but we control the game. City only create two big chances and [get] two goals.
‘‘At 1-0, we get a lot of chances to be precise, three 100 per cent chances to score the goal, 2-0 and to close the game. We didn’t do that and that’s why it slipped.’’
Kalezic also wasn’t happy about the defending of the crosses for City’s two goals. ‘‘We defended two crosses very bad and they score two goals.’’
The next week shapes as a big one for the Phoenix. They play Victory on Wednesday, followed by Western Sydney Wanderers, again at home, on Saturday.
If they lose both of those, the gap to the top six will be 13 points with 12 games to play but two wins would see them surge back into contention given the close nature of the league this year.