Dejected Auckland FC players after their first A-League loss.
Auckland FC will face a novel situation on Saturday against the Central Coast Mariners.
After an extraordinary beginning to life – beyond all expectations – the balloon was well and truly popped last week, with the 4-0 home humbling at the hands of Western United. That ended their unbeaten run and exposed vulnerabilities – at both ends of the field – that hadn’t really been apparent.
Was it a blip on the radar, the kind of weird occurrence that can happen to any team, or the start of a flat period?
It feels like the former but the Black Knights will need to show their mettle in Gosford (7pm) and demonstrate that they can bounce back from their first defeat. While a result is important, it’s also about the performance, as a template for the next third of their A-League campaign.
Up until last week, Auckland FC had passed every test. Deal with expectations and pressure of inaugural match. Check. Come down from that high to achieve follow-up success. Check. Smash and grab mission in the capital. Check. First transtasman assignment. Check. Put out the Wellington Phoenix fire again, in front of the biggest crowd of the season? Check. Then handle adversity — and come from behind twice in Melbourne — to stay unbeaten. Check.
Western United’s visit was their first big stumble, the first time they didn’t turn up either physically or mentally. Coach Steve Corica hinted at complacency — a strong word — and it certainly looked like the mindset wasn’t right during the limp first half.
On that note, Saturday will be a major examination. Auckland FC need to make sure there are no ongoing scars and restore their belief and confidence. The first priority is to shore up the defence. It’s not just about the back four — as Corica always emphasises that the work without the ball is a teamwide responsibility — but the defensive unit has struggled without the injured Dan Hall and there is no easy solution.
Using captain Hiroki Sakai centrally is a possibility again but they lose his presence and creativity on the right. Tommy Smith is an option but it remains to be seen whether Corica sees the veteran as a starter in a back four, or only as a second-half closer in a back five, given his perceived vulnerability to raw pace. With his skillset, Francis de Vries appeals as a possibility to take over Hall’s spot, though that would mean two left-footed centre backs, which coaches generally like to avoid.
That’s a puzzle for Corica to solve, though holding midfielder Louis Verstraete will be better for last week’s run, after being sidelined with a back complaint, which will help. The Belgian has been a brilliant shield for Auckland FC, a key reason for their miserly defensive record across the first six games.
“It was just a little setback,” said Verstrate. “[The medical team] managed me really well. I hope this won’t be an issue but I feel really good now.”
Verstraete and the other foreign players had a Christmas celebration together in Takapuna on Wednesday, ahead of the trip to Australia on Boxing Day. Corica, who was joined by wife Sandra and youngest child Jake for Christmas Day, said the team were primed to bounce back after the shock of last Saturday. After a review session — which would have been a tough watch — they had trained well.
“We spoke about the defeat,” said Corica. “We want to respond on a positive note against Central Coast and we have been working towards that. They have been great. They are upbeat, they are ready to go.”
The Mariners have had a mixed start to the season and sit in 10th place, with a 2-4-2 record (10 points). That was always likely given the roster turnover in the offseason, as they lost a number of key players, including Hall and Johnny Warren Medallist Josh Nisbet.
They’ve also had to deal with the extra burden of Asian Champions League football. But Central Coast will target Saturday’s match as a chance to relaunch their campaign and they still have a squad full of experience and plenty of attacking weapons.
“We need to make sure we are on our game, we want to perform a lot better than last week,” said Corica. “They are a good team. [There has been] a bit of change in their squad but we really have to take care of business. They have some dangerous threats up front with their pace, so we have to perform really.”
Auckland FC (19 points, 6-1-1) remain well placed after their remarkable start to the season, but they can’t afford to let things slip away ahead of a tough run of games in January.
“We weren’t sure what to expect [ahead of this season] but we obviously wanted to be challenging,” said Corica. “We are in a fantastic position at the moment and we want to stay there.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.