"I feel the same as everyone. I feel confident," Sydney FC captain Alex Brosque says.
He is talking about the Saturday night's derby against Western Sydney, a fixture that has been almost completely one-sided for the past five years. Of the last 16 clashes between the Sky Blues and the Wanderers, Sydney have won 11 and lost only once and their captain may have uncovered the reason for his team's dominance.
Derby dominance: Brosque scores against Western Sydney Wanderers last season.Credit:AAP
Their incredible run began in March 2014, a 3-1 win over the Wanderers at Allianz Stadium in the last derby under the tenure of former coach Frank Farina. However, it was at the start of the Graham Arnold era where the Sky Blues truly stamped their authority over their rivals.
Clinching and then consolidating bragging rights was one of his first objectives upon signing for the club in 2014. Immediately after arriving at Sydney's training base in Macquarie Park, "Arnie" had his sights on winning the derby. It became an obsession for the club from top to bottom. The barbs Arnold would throw at the Wanderers in front of the cameras were but a glimpse of what was said by the staff and players behind closed doors.
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"I think these boys over the last few years have grown to learn exactly what a derby is. When Arnie was here, he drilled it into us what it meant to win for our half of Sydney so to speak and our fans and our club … calling them all sorts of names, firing us up and it is no different this year, [current coach] Stevie [Corica] is the same," Brosque said.
"He knows its the biggest game for our set of fans, we know it as players, it's the biggest game for us as well and we dont want to let anyone down when we go out and play these games."
Arnold's rallying may have delivered initial success but it was through stability that Sydney FC tightened their stranglehold over their rivals. In the five seasons of Sydney's dominant run, the Sky Blues have used 64 players and two head coaches, with former assistant Corica promoted to head coach this year. By contrast, the Wanderers have churned through 89 under the guidance of four head coaches, one of which being an interim role.
Since their last major clean-out three seasons ago, 10 players remain at Sydney FC while only four have been in the Wanderers' A-League team over that same period, two of which youth players that made only cameos at the end of the 2016-17 season. AcRead More – Source
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