City Head Coach John van’t Schip was pleased with his team’s performance on Thursday night, saying it was good to see his side execute what they worked on during the week.
After a disappointing loss to the Roar, City bounced back in style thanks to a Bruno Fornaroli brace that secured the three points.
The Round 5 loss at Suncorp Stadium saw van’t Schip’s side muster one shot on goal but that was a stark contrast to Thursday’s contest against the Jets where they took eleven shots with five on target.
The Dutchman was delighted with the reaction of his side back in front of a home crowd at AAMI Park, telling the media he felt City had the upper hand in the match.
“Overall we controlled the game,” van’t Schip said.
“In the first half going up 2-1 was deserved. The second half we controlled the game and we could have scored if we were a bit more precise and maybe a bit more eager in the final third – we could have scored one or two more goals.
“It got a bit shaky at the end but I think the boys played well. We had a lot of possession and some other players came on the pitch. Luke [Brattan] was not there today, Anthony [Caceres] and Osama [Malik] did a good job coming into the team.
“It’s a step in the right direction but there is still a lot to work on.”
Unlike Brisbane, Newcastle brought the game to City throughout the whole match, playing an aggressive style many at the ground had not expected but van’t Schip said his side was prepared, making sure of scoring early and ensuring they maintained their lead.
“We controlled the game. When we lost the ball in the first half we got caught but in the second half we didn’t get caught and Newcastle didn’t create anything except at the end.
“It had more to do with the way we were playing, by having a bit more control. In the first half for the neutral person it was better, but for the way we want to play it was a bit shaky. We controlled that a lot better in the second half.
“We have to mix it up and I think we made some good forward runs. We had some good crosses in from both sides. Both goals were from the left and the right. We have to keep on working on those things because opponents are going to look at us and see how we play and we have to make sure we can attack in different ways.
“That’s with crosses, with runs, keeping possession and having shots from outside the box, but also on the break, because you can also score with a lot of space up front. We have the plaeyrs to do that as well with Bruce [Kamau], Bruno, Fernando [Brandan] and Nick [Fitzgerald]; players that are quick and can do that.
With four wins and two losses this season, City will look to string its first back-to-back wins in the league on Friday night against Western Sydney at the new home of the Wanderers this season, Spotless Stadium. Kick-off 7.50pm. See the match on Fox Sports 505 and SBS2.
