Too often this A-League season Sydney have put their foot on their opponent's throat only to step back and allow them back into the game.
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That's the view of veteran forward Alex Brosque, who believes last Friday's defeat to lowly Brisbane was far from the first time this season the Sky Blues have failed to press home their advantage and kill off an opponent.
Brosque says the undermanned Roar, who overcame a 1-0 deficit to pick up just their second win of season through late goals to Tobias Mikkelsen and Dylan Wenzell-Halls, shouldn't have been in the position to come back if Sydney had done their job probably on the night at Suncorp Stadium.
"We've had a few games where we've been winning one-nil or it's close and we've been good enough to hold it out but we need to close out games and that's what we didn't do on the weekend and we got punished, unfortunately, that time for it," Brosque said.
"If you leave a team in the game and allow them to think they've got a chance they'll pounce on it.
"When we go up one-nil, we need to go for two, we need to go for three and we need to kill the game off."
The Sky Blues will get a chance to bounce back to winning ways when they host bottom-placed Central Coast at Leichhardt Oval - Sydney's third 'home' venue of the season.
Brosque scored his first A-League hat-trick in a 5-2 win over the lowly Mariners in round 11 but that too was a game where Sydney trailed early.
With nine games to go and Perth now holding a seven-point lead over Melbourne Victory at the top of the ladder, a third-straight Premiers' Plate looks a distant hope for Sydney.
Brosque however says with finals closing in, the time is now for Sydney to go on a roll.
"Now is when we have to kick into gear," the 35-year-old said.
"Top-two is very important. It's important to have a home advantage when you're playing semi-final and final football. We definitely still know what's at stake."
Australian Associated Press
