After seeing off Perth Glory in a lightning-affected first home win as Sydney FC boss, Ufuk Talay says he'll continue to use a two-pronged frontline as the Sky Blues seek to give further spark to their A-League Men campaign.
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Talay's men had to overcome a thunderstorm and a resurgent Glory side to claim a 3-2 win on Saturday.
And the Sydney boss gave a glimpse into how they can continue their upward trajectory when he opted to start Brazilian import Fabio Gomes alongside academy product Patrick Wood for the first time.
The pair looked comfortable operating alongside each other and linked up well with wingers Joe Lolley and Robert Mak, who both scored for the home side.
Talay's predecessor Steve Corica preferred to rely on a single striker with Wood often acting as back-up, but the new Sydney coach says he wants the two to build on their combination.
"The way we play now, we want to get the left side to come in and create two No. 9s," Talay said.
"Patty's a No.9 anyway, and he does that well.
"It's good when they're closer together and not as a sole striker trying to deal with two central defenders on their own.
"Fab had a good game, especially in the second half and pressed really well."
With his frontline settled, Talay is also set to be boosted by the return of Anthony Caceres and Jaiden Kucharski next week against Macarthur, one of three home fixtures before the end of December.
Barring an away trip to Melbourne Victory, the Sky Blues face the Bulls, Western United and Talay's old club, Wellington, at Allianz Stadium before the start of 2024.
"I think it's great to get a win at home," Talay said.
"I think if you look at how we pressed when we did it well, we pinned them in and that's something that we're definitely going to get better at
"It's going to be great at training because there's going to be competition for places."
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Australian Associated Press
