Football: Frustrated Phoenix getting angry

Andrew Durante
Andrew Durante
Skipper Andrew Durante admits there are some angry players in the Wellington Phoenix squad.

Being winless since early December and sitting eighth on the A-League ladder doesn't do a lot for a team's good nature.

Durante himself cut a frustrated figure last week, sitting out Wellington's 3-1 loss to Central Coast Mariners in Christchurch as he served out a one-week suspension for accumulating five yellow cards.

But the key central defender is back for Sunday's 18th-round clash against Perth Glory, just the fifth time this season the Phoenix have played at Westpac Stadium.

"I don't like missing games, and having to watch last week was difficult," Durante said.

"No-one wants to be where we are at this moment, no-one wants to be in this rut, so there's a few angry people.

"But it's angry in the right way, making sure everyone's accountable for their mistakes.

"We kind of need a few more leaders out on the field instead of just one or two guys barking instructions.

"We want the young boys, we want everyone involved in making sure we're pushing each other."

Despite Durante's return, Wellington still won't be at full strength.

Midfielders Vince Lia and Albert Reira are sitting out a one-match suspension, while injured defender Ben Sigmund is close to a return but not quite there.

Wellington's biggest problem has been scoring goals. They've found the net just six times in their last eight games, and have amassed only 20 goals since the season began - the second lowest in the league behind ninth-placed Newcastle Jets on 13.

But Durante is reluctant to point the finger at his strikers for the plethora of missed chances, pointing out that Wellington's defence has leaked 18 goals in the last eight games.

"It's frustrating, but in saying that I don't just like to blame the front guys for these losses," he said.

"We've done a lot of video over the last two days and had a lot of truths in there. We've got take a lot of the rap.

"There was a lot of honesty in the room the other day - I've been at fault, the senior boys have been at fault.

"You can't just blame any one player."

STATS THAT MATTER

- The score line in each of the last four A-League clashes between Perth and Wellington has been 2-1, with each team registering two wins over that period.

- After scoring nine goals on their way to wins in their last two A-League matches, Perth will be looking for a third straight win for the first time since December 2014.

- Wellington have conceded more goals in the opening 15 minutes of A-League games this season than any other team (6).

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