Patrick Kisnorbo, head coach of Melbourne City, celebrates the A-League Premiers Plate victory during the A-League match between Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park, on 22 May, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Getty Images / Kelly Defina
Superstitious Wellington Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano feels the A-League Premiers Plate being on display for their match against Macarthur on Saturday is bad luck.
"It's almost like Kryptonite on us,'' Italiano said as ahead of the Phoenix's biggest game so far in their 17-year history.
The A-League has flown the men's minor premiership trophy from Australia to Wellington and it will be presented to the Phoenix if they beat the Bulls and the Central Coast Mariners lose their match to the Newcastle Jets.
It is a big if, and Italiano would prefer if the trophy was not there.
"I don't want to see it, I don't want to know about it, I don't want my players to see it. I think it is bad luck. Look it's great, if we get crowned champions we have to have it there, but I don't like tempting fate.''
Italiano said his players haven't been talking about winning the silverware and are concentrating on beating Macarthur rather than being distracted by the other scenarios at play. They include the Mariners winning the minor premiership if they beat or draw with the Jets and the Phoenix lose to the Bulls. If both the Phoenix and Mariners win on Saturday, the premiership will be decided by the Mariners' rescheduled match against Adelaide United on Wednesday.
"I don't think there is any chance of the players getting carried away,'' Italiano said.
Giancarlo Italiano does want the Premiers Plate to be at Saturday's match. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Even the Phoenix's most loyal fans would not have picked them to make the top six, he said. But he confessed players have used some of the team's biggest doubters as a performance spur.
"There is a picture of a certain person on YouTube who tipped us to be last. It's up in our changing room. It's stays up there and is a constant reminder of what people think of us.
"[The players] want to prove to all the people that picked us to be last and show them what we are made of.''
Italiano is hoping for a big crowd for Saturday's game and the finals matches for which they have already qualified.
"If we could get anywhere close to 20,000 for tomorrow's game ... it would be an unbelievable experience for the fans themselves just to come out and be part of the atmosphere.
"But more importantly, I think the semifinal needs to be sold out. That's going to be epic and if the cards fall where they fall and we get a home final another full stadium would be great."
Phoenix captain Alex Rufer is not as superstitious as his coach and is not bothered by the minor premiership trophy's presence. Indeed, he sees it as a spur.
"It's only added motivation. We want to make sure we are walking into the changing room afterwards with it."
Rufer, who missed a late penalty against the Jets which would have given them a valuable win last weekend, said he would step up again in a similar situation this weekend though that decision would ultimately ''depend on who was confident."'
He said the players were buzzing about the Macarthur match.
"We want to win the league, you don't play to be in a competition to come second, to come third, to be in the finals. You play to win and we have got that in our dressing room."
The Phoenix match against Macarthur and the Mariners-Jets fixture both start at 7.15pm on Saturday.