(Reuters) – Sydney FC’s Steve Corica said he turned to Australia coach Graham Arnold for advice amid speculation over his future at the helm of the former A-League champions.
Corica led Sydney to the title in 2019 and 2020 but came under pressure after a poor start to the current campaign left them close to the bottom.
That scrutiny prompted him to talk to former Socceroos team mate Arnold, who faced similar pressure in the lead-up to the World Cup before guiding the Socceroos to a place in the knockout rounds in Qatar.
“He was in a very similar situation before the World Cup,” Corica said. “I’ve spoken to him. Family takes the brunt of it. They’re more sensitive to it.
“When you’re the coach you do obviously take the criticism on board and it’s been tough, it hasn’t been easy. But I’m pretty strong and I believe in what I’m doing and what the players are doing.”
A 2-1 win on Thursday over basement side Melbourne Victory has taken Sydney up to seventh and Corica said they were now “on the right track”.
“As bad as the season is, everyone says, we’re not far away. Another win next week and we just keep building from that, that’s all we can do.
“Keep winning each week and … we’ll be up the top.”
(Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, Editing by Peter Rutherford)
