English defenders Tom Aldred and Macaulay Gillesphey haven’t escaped the ire of their Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler following the 2-1 loss to Wellington.
Irate coach Robbie Fowler has singled out Brisbane Roar players for defensive blunders against Wellington Phoenix he says fell short of a professional standard.
Fowler was upset a lack of finishing prowess returned to infect his team in Saturday’s 2-1 loss in Wellington, a week after they’d seemingly broken the shackles in a 4-3 defeat of Melbourne City.
The former Liverpool and England marksman said goal conversion is Brisbane’s biggest problem but that didn’t excuse a slackening off in all departments against a Phoenix side who were able to claim a first season win.
Fowler said both Wellington goals, to Steven Taylor and Ulises Davila, were both eminently stoppable, singling out English defenders Tom Aldred and Macaulay Gillesphey respectively for their poor concentration.
English centre back Gillesphey inexplicably backed away after he’d been tracking Davila in the leadup to the Mexican’s goal soon after halftime.
“We’ve got the player (Davila) running off our defender, who stops and allows him to get the shot away. It shouldn’t really happen, especially in professional football,” Fowler said.
“If you’re running with a player outside the box, it’s important that you put your body on the line.”
Captain Aldred unnecessarily conceded the corner that led to Taylor’s goal, the Scotsman knocking the ball over the goal line when under only modest pressure.
“Any other time, he gets control of the ball and plays out or plays the ball to our midfielder,” Fowler said.
“It’s just a mis-control, he’s not meant to do it obviously. Most goals can be stopped if you work that little bit more or concentrate that little bit more.”
Fowler wants to see an immediate response when they host Central Coast next week.
His first step will be addressing the mood of his players, who were struggling for positives aside from Stefan Mauk’s late goal.
“I think there’s a few players who will probably sit in that dressing room now disappointed with their performances,” Fowler said.
“To win games, you’ve got to put chances away. We’ve had a lot this year.
“The type of team we are, we’ll continue to create good chances… I’ll start worrying when we’re not.”
© AAP
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