Steve Corica says there'll be no added pressure on Sydney FC when the club commences their FFA Cup title defence against Rockdale City Suns tomorrow night.
The match up against the NSW NPL side will be the first competitive match of the Corica era, who took the reins from ex-Sydney stalwart and incoming Caltex Socceroos boss Graham Arnold in May.
READ: Life after Arnie: Inside Sydney FC’s rebuild under Corica
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“It just comes down to our attitude and what we want out of the game,” Corica told media at Sydney FC’s Macquarie University headquarters early on Tuesday morning.
“Of course, everyone wants to beat us, we're the holders. But that’s every game at Sydney FC.
“There’s always pressure on us to win games. They [players] know that, they expect that."
Corica has spent 14 pre-seasons at the Sky Blues, but his first as Head Coach has been an intriguing one.
Sydney FC have been hit hard by the departures of Golden Boot and Johnny Warren medal winning duo Bobo and Adrian Mierzejewski.
The 45-year-old admits it's been a delicate start to his tenure but is ready to ease concerns with a strong performance against Rockdale.
“It’s been an eye opener, it’s been a lot of work obviously preparing getting the team ready for the way we want to play, but also with new recruits coming in," he said.
“It’s quite a long pre-season so they [players] look forward to good competitive games."
Corica says he’s refusing to panic over the vacant marquee spots in the Sydney FC ranks.
“Of course, we’re going to bring in a marquee," he said.
“We’ve lost a lot of goals between the two of them [Bobo and Mierzejewski] but that’s football. They do well, they move on.
"It’s my job now to replace them with goals and with assists, but it takes time, you can’t rush into decisions.”
One player who might offer Sydney an immediate reprieve is Daniel De Silva, who Corica confirmed will feature tomorrow.
READ: Sydney FC sign De Silva in first-ever Intra-League loan
He’s not the only former Central Coast Mariner looking to make an impact.
Attacker Trent Buhagiar has made a solid impression so far in pre-season with two goals and assist in matches in friendly wins over Dunbar Rovers and Sutherland Sharks.
The 20-year-old made four starts for the Mariners last season, but could give Corica further food for thought with another strong showing tomorrow.
Rockdale City Suns FC (NSW) v Sydney FC
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale, New South Wales
Kick-off: 7.30pm (AEST)
Referee: Ben Abraham
Assistant Referee 1: Owen Goldrick
Assistant Referee 2: Matthew McOrist
Fourth Official: Kurt Ams
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 503 from 7.00pm (AEST) and the My Football Live app from 7.30pm (AEST)
