Wellington Phoenix eye return to normality
At a glance
Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay says there is plenty of fuel left in his tank for a fourth shot at an A-League Men title next season after bowing out in the first round of the playoffs for the second time in three years.
The Phoenix brought an end to another challenging season based primarily in Australia when they lost 1-0 to the higher-ranked Western United in the A-League Men elimination final at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Saturday.
The Phoenix exceeded expectations to finish sixth and qualify for the finals series given all the obstacles they have had to overcome in 2021-22.
But there was still a sense of disappointment that they were unable to rise to the occasion against a team they have had a lot of success against.
The loss followed a familiar theme with the Phoenix unable to overturn an early deficit after going behind after just 10 minutes.
They came close to equalising in the 71st minute but Jamie Young pulled off a save of the season contender to deny substitute James McGarry.
The Phoenix have now failed to get past the first round of the playoffs in their last four attempts.
‘‘Right now I’m disappointed but I love this game,’’ Talay said.
‘‘This game has given a lot to me as a player and this club has given me the opportunity to become a head coach and I’m thoroughly enjoying the challenge and I still have plenty of fuel left in that tank.
‘‘I’m disappointed at the end that we don’t continue but I’m very proud of the group.’’
Talay said his passion for* coaching had not wavered despite all of the challenges that have been thrown his way, and he was looking forward to a return to normality in 2022-23 after playing just four games on home soil in the last two years.
‘‘We had that feeling towards the back end of last season as well, that we were going to go home and play this season there.
‘‘So, hopefully, things don’t change too quickly with Covid. [But] I can’t see that happening.
‘‘It’s nice to know we’ll be playing home and away. It will be nice to be able to train in Wellington, sleep in our own beds, get ready for a game at home.’’
A good chunk of the squad is locked in for next season with 15 players contracted for 2022-23 already, giving Talay strong foundations to build on.
Striker Gary Hooper is the only player the Phoenix have confirmed will be leaving while McGarry and Jaushua Sotirio have been strongly linked with a move to Newcastle Jets and goalkeeper Oli Sail and midfielder Reno Piscopo have both attracted interest from clubs in Europe.
At AAMI Park, Melbourne: Western United 1 (Aleksandar Prijovic 10’) Wellington Phoenix 0. HT: 1-0.
Talay said a striker would be top of his shopping list in the offseason as he felt the Phoenix lacked a prolific goalscorer to really challenge for the title.
Hooper was supposed to be that player but his season was hampered by numerous injury setbacks and the Phoenix never saw him at his best.
They will also need to strengthen in the middle of the park with captain Alex Rufer set to miss most of next season with a long-term knee injury.
‘‘We’ve got 14, 15 players signed at the moment and we’ll continue to build,’’ Talay said.
‘‘To get to the next level for us, it’s consistency with the players. We probably lacked a goal-scorer this season. We shared the goals around with a few players but we lacked a real clinical player up front and that’s something we’re looking for.’’