A tough task awaits the Phonenix tonight in the form of the unbeaten Macarthur. Photo: Photosport
Wellington Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano said learning to deal with losses is a crucial part of success.
The Phoenix suffered their first defeat of the season last weekend, going down 3-0 to the Newcastle Jets to be knocked off the top of the A-League table.
The team enjoyed an extended break ahead of their round eight clash on tonight however, things wont get much easier as they meet the unbeaten Macarthur in Sydney.
"It's unrealistic to think that you're not going to lose games. For us, it's about getting back to the hard work and sticking with the process and making sure that the messaging is still consistent," Italiano said.
Despite the heavy loss and Italiano will not look to make wholesale changes, though he could play some new faces.
Giancarlo Italiano (C). Photo: photosport
"I like to keep things consistent but now with a more congested fixture list, we're probably looking at turning over some players just to keep the freshness in the squad."
He said the fickle nature of football means you can often play poorly and be rewarded.
"And there are going to be games where you play really well and lose, it's just making sure that the performance is polished."
Italiano said they could have played for two hours and not scored such was their performance last week.
"We addressed those things at training this week and it's been really positive, we have been going back to what we know best."
Italiano said his side was lacking energy against Newcastle.
"Part of any learning process is going through the ups and more importantly how you deal with losing, the downs. It's important that the group takes as much as they can from that game."
The Phoenix will not shy away from the challenge that awaits them in Sydney.
"We are going to go there with the mentality that we want to win against a good opponent."
Kick off in Campbelltown is 9pm.