Nix downplay Rudan rivalry
Wellington Phoenix have refused to stoke the fire ahead of tonight’s third showdown with former coach Mark Rudan’s Western United, passing it off as simply another game they want to win.
Rudan was met with a chorus of boos when he returned to Sky Stadium in round one, Phoenix supporters voicing their anger at the coach for joining a rival A-League club and taking three players with him.
But current Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay played down the rivalry between the two clubs when he spoke to media yesterday.
Rudan and Talay were teammates at Sydney FC and remain good friends away from the football pitch. Rudan even endorsed Talay for the job.
‘‘For me it’s not a personal battle, it’s just two teams going out there to give their best,’’ Talay said.
‘‘Everyone has got their goals to reach by the end of the season and we want to finish in the top six, so it’s very important that we get three points at home.
‘‘I haven’t spoken to him [Rudan] in a while to be honest. I’m sure he’ll give me a buzz when he gets into Wellington but I haven’t spoken to him.’’
With plenty riding on tonight’s result, Talay expected his players to get up for the match regardless of any off-field narrative
involving the return of Rudan and former captain Andrew Durante.
‘‘I think it’s good to have rivalries in the competition, he’s an ex-coach of Wellington Phoenix coming back to Wellington. [But] there’s always something to play for at the end of the day and for me the most important is the three points.
‘‘The boys should be up for it anyway, it’s another game, another opportunity for us to become better at what we do and another opportunity to move forward during the season.
‘‘It’s more so the fans this one, with Mark coming back, than anything else.’’
The teams have met on two occasions already this season, Western edging the Phoenix 1-0 in a lacklustre opening fixture decided by Besart Berisha’s lone strike before Talay’s men returned the favour with a dominant 3-1 win in round 12.
But the stakes will be much higher tonight. A win would see the Phoenix move nine points clear of seventh-placed Western, taking them another step closer to achieving the team’s main objective of finishing inside the top six.
Western, on the other hand, are desperate to keep pace with the top six. Scoreless in February, Rudan’s players have tasted victory just once in their past seven matches and arrive in Wellington in the worst form slump of their short existence.
‘‘It’s very important to win your games and for me it’s also very important to keep the teams below us even further away from us,’’ Talay said.
‘‘It’s a very crucial three points because it would give us a nine-point buffer from seventh spot and we can continue on our journey.
‘‘We’ve come a long way, I think the team has grown the more games we have played together and the partnerships the players are creating on the field as well.’’
Boosting the Phoenix’s chances of a second straight win, Talay will have a full-strength squad at his disposal.
Tim Payne is expected to slot back in at right-back after missing last weekend’s 1-0 win over Melbourne City due to suspension, while free-kick specialist Reno Piscopo has shaken off a slight ankle sprain and is poised to retain his spot in the starting 11.