Poor start fails to faze Phoenix coach
WELLINGTON: Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay has ‘‘no worries’’ about his side’s winless start to the ALeague season.
The Phoenix were been beaten 21 by the Newcastle Jets in Wollongong on Sunday to slip to secondtobottom in the 12team competition, with just one point from three matches.
‘‘I have no worries,’’ Talay said after the match.
‘‘You know we’ve been through this previously and it’s just another game and we look forward to our game next week against Central Coast.’’
Wellington lost its first four games last season and did not record its first win until round six.
But it recovered to finish third on the ladder and Talay believes the Phoenix is better off this season.
‘‘Results wise I think we started slowly, but footballing wise I don’t think we have.
‘‘Last season it was a start from scratch, but this year we’ve kept and maintained the core group of players who understand how we want to play, so I’m sure we’ll come out of this pretty quick.’’
He expects the team will start stringing results together once they get their first three points of the season.
‘‘Winning games builds confidence and that’s what we need at this stage — to win one game and I’m sure the run will continue then.’’
After a disrupted start to the season, Wellington has a testing schedule over the next month. It faces the topofthetable Central Coast Mariners twice in a fortnight, either side of a meeting with premier Sydney FC.
The Phoenix is also scheduled to play Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City before the end of February.
Talay is welcoming the run of matches.
‘‘Not worried at all.
‘‘I have belief in the players. We’ve got the players to do it. They showed last year that they can do it [and] we maintained the core of [that squad] this year.’’
But he knows his side needs to be more clinical in front of goal, after failing to convert 23 shots in its 21 loss to Newcastle. — RNZ