Sydney FC keen to get back on the horse

Sydney FC goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic said preparing for the club's back-to-back games against English Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea had provided the players with a welcome distraction from trying to cope with the pain of their grand final loss to Melbourne Victory.

Vedran Janjetovic

Vedran Janjetovic in action for Sydney FC during the A-League grand final. (AAP) Source: AAP

Janjetovic was philosophical about the 3-0 defeat in the A-League decider last Sunday week, but readily admits it still hurts.

"It's something that happened and you'll never forget it - at least not until you get another chance to win one," Janjetovic said.

"But it's football - there has to be a winner and a loser, so you've got to take the good with the bad.

"We had a good season and I don't think many people expected us to be where we were at the of it, so that's a major plus for the club going forward."

Janjetovic said the players didn't give the games against Tottenham at ANZ Stadium on Saturday and EPL champion Chelsea at the same venue on Tuesday any thought until after the grand final.



"No, we didn't think about them at all," he said. "We knew they were there, we knew they were going to be something we had to face, but we were taking it game by game heading into the grand final.

"In the week of the grand final there is so much hype and build-up going into that game that you don't really think about anything else."

But, Janjetovic added, once the team regathered after a post-grand final break the idea of playing against top-class overseas opposition before huge crowds had been enthusiastically embraced.

Players generally prefer to play again as soon as possible after a devastating loss and it is a long off-season in the A-League.

Janjetovic agreed that it was going to be good for the team to get back on the horse only two weeks after the grand final.

"Yeah, exactly right," he said. "Obviously, to go out that way in the grand final after working hard all season to get to that position was disappointing.

"The games against Tottenham and Chelsea are a good distraction from thinking about that. Having these two solid games against top overseas opposition to wrap up our season is great. Then we can go away and refresh and come back ready to start again.

"We had a week off after the grand final and came back to training this week to prepare for the games.

"We've had a good week at training - not as intense as we normally do, but we've got two games in a few days so we're trying to save the legs as well and make sure there are no injuries going into the off-season."

Janjetovic said he expected the two games to be played in a great spirit.

"To get the feel of the crowd again - and they're going to be big crowds, bigger than anything we've faced during the season, including the grand final - will be great," he said.

"I think we're going to have a bit of fun and get some joy out of these games. I think it will be a great experience and that it will propel us into something good for next season.

"The talk from the coach is that everyone in the squad will get a run at some stage of the two games and I think that shows the depth that we have, because the coach is willing to use everyone and be confident they will do a good job.

"I think it will be played in a good mood and it will be entertaining football. There will be a lot of fans for both of the English clubs and we'll have our fans there as well, so we're just going to try to play our part and put on a showcase for everyone and play some attractive football.

"If we can show how good we are and the potential we have in Australia, with the A-League growing every year, it will be good for football here.

"It will be a fantastic experience - to get a chance to play in games like this, especially against the champions of England, you've got to embrace it and make the most of it.

"I think the whole experience will send us into the off-season in a good frame of mind."

Janjetovic said he followed the EPL more than any other overseas league. Asked if he had a favourite team, he replied: "I don't follow Tottenham or Chelsea. Manchester United is my preferred team."


Share
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service. Read more about Sport
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Sport
4 min read
Published 29 May 2015 10:45am
Updated 29 May 2015 12:20pm
By Greg Prichard
Source: SBS

Share this with family and friends