Melbourne Victory interim coach Arthur Diles is urging his players to bottle up their frustrations and use it to their advantage.
Victory will be looking to snap a six-game winless streak when they travel to Allianz Stadium and go toe-to-toe with Sydney FC on Friday night.
They have slipped down to seventh (19 points) on the ladder under Diles, who assumed his post after predecessor Patrick Kisnorbo joined J1 League club Yokohama F. Marinos in December.
Victory were sitting third on the table with five wins, one draw and one loss under Kisnorbo.
Diles’s side coughed up an early lead last time out to lose 3-2 away to league-leaders Adelaide United.
“We’re disappointed with the results. Absolutely, we’re not happy with that,” Diles said on Thursday.
“We’re always in a position in each match where we can take out the points and at the moment, it hasn’t landed.
“That doesn’t stop the belief that we have in this group. They’re definitely not short of confidence.
“That’s good that they’re frustrated.
“For me, that means that they care. We’ve got to bottle that up and use that to our advantage.”
Despite the pressure mounting on his shoulders, Diles brushed away concern about his future at the helm of Victory.
“I’m not looking for security. I’m here to do a job,” Diles said.
“I’ll do the best that I can every day that I’m in this position.
“In the end, the pressure is the same here at this club – if you won two in a row here, there’d be pressure to win three in a row.”
Sydney FC will be looking to rebound quickly after a dismal performance handed Brisbane Roar their first win of the season.
The fifth-placed Sky Blues lost 4-3, fumbling a chance to move into the top two.
Coach Ufuk Talay will be without hard-running midfielder Anthony Caceres (concussion) and Hayden Matthews, the Socceroo currently overseas in a bid to finalise a club transfer.
On Saturday in the ALM, Wellington Phoenix play Central Coast, Newcastle Jets host Perth Glory, and Macarthur take on Melbourne City.
Western Sydney go up against Auckland FC in the only game on Sunday.
Western United have a bye, while Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United will face off in their round-16 match on April 22.
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