In-form A-League Men's star Joe Lolley says it’s time the star-studded Sydney FC outfit cashed in on their talent to get themselves out of their “mess” and into finals contention.
Riding high after a Lolley hat-trick fired them to a 3-0 win over Perth Glory, the Sky Blues will aim to continue their rise up the table when they host Central Coast Mariners at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
The Sky Blues train is beginning to gather steam after a rocky start to the season, having now extended their undefeated run to four matches.
It was only five rounds ago when coach Ufuk Talay said his players were underperforming following a bitter 4-3 loss to Western United, despite having a side stacked with talent at his disposal after a busy off-season period.
Headlined by former Bayern Munich and Juventus star Douglas Costa on the wing, Sydney had enlisted the services of Polish sharpshooter Patryk Klimala, crafty midfield pair Anas Ouahim and Leo Sena, alongside goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares.
Their off-season recruits are backed by local talents Anthony Caceres, Rhyan Grant, Hayden Matthews and Corey Hollman.
For all their class, the Sky Blues are seventh on 17 points - one point adrift of sixth.
English import Lolley is confident their current line-up is the best he’s seen since joining the club in 2022 - they just need to prove it.
“We knew that as a team and as individuals, we needed to step up (against Perth) and get ourselves out of a mess,” Lolley told AAP.
“It's all well and good saying we've got great talent and great players, but we have to go on the pitch and consistently prove it, week in and week out.
“That's up to us to show that this is the best team we’ve had since I've been here, and you know, I believe in this team and I believe we do.
“We've got to go and dominate games and get up the table and show everyone what we can do.”
Sydney will have little time to bask in their win over Perth Glory, returning to the pitch to take on Central Coast after only two days off the field.
The Mariners have followed a similar path in their title defence, sitting ninth on 14 points after defeating Brisbane Roar for their third win of the season last time out.
Mark Jackson’s charges defeated Sydney 2-1 in their last meeting in round seven, with Alou Kuol scoring a brace.
Costa also remains on the sidelines for at least five weeks after suffering a hamstring injury.
“It's not really been good enough but now that it’s four unbeaten and we had two clean sheets in the last four games, hopefully now is the turning point,” Lolley said.
“We had a very distinct style of play last year. We didn't shy away from that but we probably weren't doing it as well in terms of our pressing and the way we played as we did last year.
“When we're not at 100 per cent, you know, it affects our team. Hopefully, now it's clear what we need to do.”
Melbourne Victory hosts Western United in a top-six clash on Friday to kick off the round.
Also on Saturday, Wellington Phoenix play Adelaide United and top-two teams Auckland FC and Melbourne City play Perth and Brisbane Roar respectively.
Newcastle play Macarthur FC on Sunday and Western Sydney have a bye.
