Halfway through the A-League season, Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick isn’t interested in a long-term perspective.
The Phoenix, ninth last season, sit comfortably inside the top four and look to be gathering momentum with every game.
Their 3-0 win over defending champions Brisbane Roar on Sunday gives them 28 points from 14 games, the same number they accumulated over 28 games last season.
Striker Nathan Burns tops the golden boot standings with 10 goals from 12 games, with Roy Krishna (five) and Michael McGlinchey (four) also inside the top 10.
Currently second on the ladder, Phoenix have scored 28 goals to date, two more than the next closest team, third-placed Melbourne Victory.
But Merrick isn’t interested in talking about a league-winning performance.
“I just don’t focus on those sorts of outcomes,” he said.
“It’s not just the result, it’s the way we’re playing. And we’re playing good football.”
The Phoenix came through three challenging games in eight days with victories over Western Sydney Wanderers, Adelaide United and the Roar to continue their inexorable climb up the standings.
They scored seven goals and conceded just one in that time, extending their unbeaten streak to seven matches, and haven’t been beaten since they were edged 2-1 by league leaders Perth Glory in mid-November.
While that’s pleasing, Merrick was at pains to emphasise there was more at stake than racking up wins.
“It’s not just the points, it’s about how we play and the performance.”
So while Sunday’s comprehensive win over Brisbane left a boisterous 10,000-plus crowd filling Westpac Stadium with chants of “we’re going to win the league”, Merrick was determined not to get too carried away.
“The fans have got to be excited about having a go at the league for sure, it’s just that the players can’t focus on that,” he explained.
“We’re really going to focus on the things we can control – getting in the finals by playing a brand of football that works for us, getting into the box and scoring goals.”
For the moment, however, Merrick says his players are going to enjoy a three-week break while Australia hosts the Asian Cup.
“It’s not only important to have a physical recovery period but mental as well.”
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