PRESSURE’S BUILDING
Roar need a win after slow start
WINLESS Brisbane are chasing a fast start in Mudgee as they aim to get their A-League campaign up and running against Western Sydney today.
Last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Perth means the Roar have two draws and a loss from their opening three fixtures.
Coach John Aloisi says there’s no secret to his team’s struggles, with sluggish firsthalf performances leaving his team with too much to do later in the game.
The Roar are the only team in the competition yet to register a shot on target in the first half of a match this season and Aloisi admits boosting intensity has been a focus in training this week.
“The last few games we haven’t started the game particularly well,” Aloisi told reporters yesterday.
“We’ve been working on that this week in training. Not only with the ball but without the ball.
“Working on our kick-offs and how we can pressurise our opposition and start at a high intensity.
“That’s important. If we do that, then normally we’ll have a good game.”
The Wanderers are hardly likely to be Aloisi’s first choice of opponent for his team.
Boosted by last weekend’s convincing 3-0 victory over Wellington, Markus Babbel’s men travel to Glen Willow Regional Sports Stadium knowing they’ve lost to the Roar only once in the past five clashes between the teams.
Brisbane have also failed to keep a clean sheet on the road in their past 10 games away from home.
Should their defence once more be breached, the Roar will look to Adam Taggart’s goalscoring to claim the win.
Despite scoring twice in his three appearances for his new club, Taggart was overlooked by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold in his squad for upcoming friendlies against South Korea and Lebanon.
Aloisi said it was up to the 25year-old’s teammates to make the opportunities for Taggart to keep scoring after he was starved of service against the Glory despite scoring from the penalty spot.
“We know that he’s going to score goals – it’s up to us to keep creating chances for him,” Aloisi said.
“We know what he’s capable of doing and I think Graham Arnold also knows and he wants to see him do it on a regular basis.”