Football: Auckland FC braces for litmus test before toughest stretch of A-League season

Auckland FC coach Steve Corica says he wants to focus on consistency. Photo / Photosport

Auckland FC coach Steve Corica admits the litmus test is coming for his team – and how they respond will define their campaign.

After their fairy-tale start to life, which was beyond all expectations, there was always going to be a flat spell. It was inevitable – it’s how football works – as opposition teams analyse and learn, along with the effects of injuries and wear and tear.

Last month’s 4-0 home defeat to Western United was a shock, though quickly followed by the bounce back on the Central Coast. But Saturday’s 1-0 reverse in Perth would have hurt more, given the number of chances spurned and the ladder position of the two teams. That pain was exacerbated by the loss of captain Hiroki Sakai to concussion, which will mean he misses Saturday’s clash with Melbourne City, with a provisional return for the round 13 match in Adelaide.

“At some stage, we were going to go through a bad period,” said Corica. “We’re sort of going through that now and it’s how we respond to it and how we come out of it [that] I am looking forward to.

“Obviously we started so well, a couple of losses now so people are starting to maybe doubt us. It’s up to us really – how we want to be. I want to be a consistent team each week.”

The next stretch of matches is their toughest of the season so far, with three games in nine days, off the back of the trip to Western Australia. After the clash with top-of-the-table Melbourne City, there’s an away match against second-placed Adelaide, one of the toughest places to play in the A-League, before the meeting with Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney.

Auckland are still very well placed – one point off the top with a game in hand – but the Perth performance amplified some concerns. The first is complacency. Corica said it was an issue in the Western United loss and he again felt the mindset wasn’t right during the first period in Perth.

“For me, it’s about attitude – making sure we play 90 minutes and not 45 minutes,” said Corica. “We’ve been slow starting, let’s say that much. There’s been three or four games that we’ve started slowly in the first half, and then there’s a total difference in the second half. That’s why I’m talking about consistency. We’re still not there in that department.”

The other aspect is their productivity in the final third, after failing to find the net in their past two matches. Being held by Melbourne Victory was acceptable, given their miserly defensive record (the third best in the league), but failing to score against Perth, who have conceded a league-high 35 goals, less so.

“We created probably five or six good chances,” said Corica. “Sometimes that happens that you don’t score goals. Let’s say that we have to be better in front of goal.”

Saturday’s game will offer more opportunities in transition – which probably suits Auckland FC, given their pace and threats on the counterattack – but they will also need to be more composed when chances fall their way.

“It’s about making good decisions,” said Corica. “Being better with the ball, getting the ball into the box and then being calm under pressure.”

Midfielder Cam Howieson was likely to return this week but Scott Galloway is out for three to four weeks with a calf strain. With the absence of Dan Hall, Sakai and scholarship player Adama Coulibaly suspended, that leaves limited defensive cover on the bench, though Corica said it was an opportunity for a young player to step up.

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.