Graham Arnold is hoping star striker Marc Janko hasn’t joined Sydney FC’s crippling injury list as the Sky Blues limp towards the A-League’s Asian Cup break.
A 3-0 loss to Adelaide United, their third straight home defeat, added to Sydney FC’s Christmas woes with Arnold’s slumping side collecting just one point from a possible 12 so far in December.
They’ve fallen from title contenders to mid-table fodder in three weeks and now face the grim prospect of being without Janko for Tuesday’s trip north to take on A-League champions Brisbane Roar.
The big Austrian was replaced early in the second half with a quad strain before Adelaide piled on goals through Bruce Djite, Pablo Sanchez and Awer Mabil to soar to second spot on the ladder.
With Ali Abbas, Nicky Carle, Corey Gameiro and Sasa Ognenovski already ruled out for the season, others sidelined short term and skipper Alex Brosque struggling, Arnold had hoped for some much-needed luck on the injury front.
But with Janko under a cloud, the three-week break in January can’t come fast enough for the Sky Blues.
Before then, though, Sydney FC also “host” the Newcastle Jets in a home game at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium next Saturday.
“We’ve got to try and pick up as many points as we can out of those two games and then look forward from there hopefully with some new players,” Arnold said.
“All we can do is work hard and forget about the loss and move forward for the next one.
“We had a very good start to the season and we’ve fallen away the last few weeks.”
The veteran coach admits having so many senior players sidelined had rattled the side and shaken their confidence.
“It’s a new position for me to be in personally but obviously I really look forward to the challenge ahead,” Arnold said.
“We’ve done a lot of work off the field to build a culture at this club and we have to move on with it on the field.
“Everyone knows we’re down on bodies but you can’t use that as an excuse.”
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