Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van’t Schip has identified Wellington Phoenix’s attacking midfielder Carlos Hernandez and the Hyundai A-League’s leading goal-scorer Stein Huysegems as the players to stop on Sunday afternoon
Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van-t Schip has identified Wellington Phoenix’s attacking midfielder Carlos Hernandez and the Hyundai A-League-s leading goal-scorer Stein Huysegems as the players to stop on Sunday afternoon.
Van-t Schip told the media at Heart-s training session in Epping on Friday morning that although his team have been enjoying some good form of their own recently Wellington will be a dangerous opponent.
“We know Wellington is a team in-form, they are playing good football and they have an experienced coach and they have some good players with Hernandez of course being the one who has given the team a little bit extra so we have to prepare ourselves well for that,” van-t Schip said.
“(Stein Huysegems) is a dangerous player, left footer, quick player.
“He is on the right spot I think that the relationship (he has) on the pitch with Carlos is good. Carlos is the one that feeds him and gets him into positions and of course next to that he has his own scoring ability Carlos, but they are dangerous.”
Van’t Schip acknowledged that his team are yet to record their first official away win for the year but said that travel is not something he is worried about.
“The most important thing for us is improving our game and if we do that then all of those things will be a consequence and we will have an away win somewhere on the road,” he said.
“I-m not focused on needing to have this away win, of course if we can win we will grab it but again its working on our game plan and working on our way of playing and we know that its going up and up now but there-s going to be a moment maybe where there is going to be a drop and we will pick up again and go on.”
“I have only been in charge from January so I think if you look at the games we have played except for the game against Perth away, we were close a few times, we were leading that game as well.
“Adelaide we were in front away, Central Coast [Mariners] we played well away, so we have been playing OK away since I have been here and I don-t have any concerns about that.”
The Red and White travelled to Wellington without Captain Harry Kewell who will sit out with a foot injury.
“Harry has a problem with his foot so hopefully he will be back in 10 days, so I don-t think Brisbane will be on the program, but you never know; hopefully he can recover quickly and we will keep him conditionally working hard on the things that he can do,” van-t Schip said.
“It-s a problem that has to rest and we can-t force him onto the pitch it needs to rest and then we can take off again from there.”
Van-t Schip said that he has plenty of in-form players to choose from to replace his star-striker.
“We don-t want to change that much in positions but if players are not available then we will and looking at the squad we have seen players coming in are doing exceptionally well,” he said.
“Benny Garuccio has come in and is doing well, David (Williams) doing well, Nicky Kalmar coming in and doing well, it-s very positive that if we have to replace a player or if a player is not in form we have players like Patrick Gerhardt as well who can step in and give the team a good help.”
