KEY POINTS:
Wellington Phoenix are running out of time to get their defensive structures right and their intensity back if they are to make a big impression in their first season in soccer's A-League, leftback Tony Lochhead feels.
Although second best in the league at scoring goals with a total
of 13 from nine matches, the club are leading, by a long way, the goals conceded column with 16.
And on Sunday, they take on Adelaide United who are second in the table, and top the goals scored column with 14.
Key central defender, Karl Dodd, is unavailable for the match because of a one-game suspension after picking up his fourth yellow card of the season in last week's 1-2 loss to top of the table Central Coast Mariners.
Brazilian defender Cleberson is also an unlikely starter because of a hamstring injury, leaving coach Ricki Herbert few options but to use All White Steven Old, 21, and Australian Steven O'Dor, 20, in the heart of his defence.
Wing backs and fellow All Whites, Lochhead, 25, on the left and Jeremy Christie, 24, on right, will be expected to use their experience to back up Old and O'Dor although Herbert may also opt for two defensive midfielders in skipper Ross Aloisi and All Whites captain Tim Brown as an extra protective layer.
The job of scoring goals will likely be handed to a fit again Felipe and fellow Brazilian Daniel, with Shane Smeltz and Ahmad Elrich ahead of them.
It is a selection tightrope for Herbert who conceded he needed to get the balance right against a team with whom they staged a come-from-behind 2-2 draw in the third round in Wellington.
Adelaide's Socceroo striker Bruce Djite, the league's joint top scorer with four goals, is out with an ankle injury but Herbert rated the dangers posed by striker Nathan Burns and midfielder Lucas Pantellis who have two goals each.
"We may not go for all out attack and perhaps shore things up (defensively) and make it tough for them," Herbert said.
"We might have to be more defensive orientated (playing away) but we are a good attacking side too.
"If we don't get them on the back foot and give them all the momentum, we will be constantly under pressure so we just need to get the balance right."
Lochhead said the defence had to stop conceding easy goals.
"I think the goals given away ... were from our mistakes rather than the other teams creating them."
He agreed that many goals had come after their opposition exploited gaps created by diagonal crosses over the defence.
"It's a big problem - we have been working on that all week.
"The back four and midfield have to take responsibility - the mistakes we have made have given strikers a point-blank shot which are tough for a keeper to save.
"It's going to be tough without Karl Dodd ... and we are going to have a new person there.
"It's a pretty young back four and maybe we need more experience back there but I think we have the ability to do well - we just have to concentrate for the full 90 minutes.
"In the pre-season, we were buzzing a bit more and had a higher intensity - I think we need to bring that back and put everything on the line."
- NZPA