Sydney FC coach Steve Corica cut a less than impressed figure after his first A-League loss in 13 games on Friday night.
Right after the 1-0 defeat to Wanderers, Corica had a feisty confrontation with defender Daniel Georgievski in the tunnel.
The Wanderers' fan favourite was given a red card for kicking at the face of Sydney's Marco Tilio late in the match, after the Sky Blues teenager took down Georgievski in a physical tackle, earning him a yellow card.
That prompted an enraged Corica to lash out at Georgievski at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium. The pair had to be separated by other staff as the ugly situation threatened to escalate.
"I thought he obviously deserved the red card for kicking out at Marco Tilio, so that's the way it goes. That's football," Corica said after the match.
"He's a competitor and he made a mistake as well, kicking out, because you can't have that. Especially in the face."
Caretaker coach Jean-Paul de Marigny described Georgievski's actions as simply a "brain explosion".
After their second defeat of the season - both to arch rivals Western Sydney - Corica was forced to concur the Asian Champions League commitments may take a toll on the squad.
Having not played a game in three weeks, the Sky Blues lost their opening ACL game against Yokohama F Marinos 4-0 less than a fortnight ago.
Since then, they have played another two A-League games in six days.
"I think it did take it's toll, especially the game in Yokohama. Three weeks without a game is not great," he said after their loss to Western Sydney at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Friday.
"You can see the sharpness of the boys over there and their intensity didn't help. We've played three games now so it should be starting to come back."
https://twitter.com/FOXFOOTBALL/status/1233344150742818816A late header from Wanderers captain Mitch Duke ended Sydney FC's 13-game undefeated streak, and handed them their second Sydney derby loss this season.
Corica maintains his team were impressive, but were undone by some bad decision making and a revived Wanderers side under de Marigny.
"It happens sometimes. I think the last time it happened it was against them again which is not great," he said.
"A little bit of fatigue as well, mental fatigue as well from the boys after a tough week last week. I was very happy with the performance. I don't like losing but it happens sometimes.
"I think we're in a good position at the moment, we're still 13 points clear, we just wanted to be 16."
Undefeated from his first four games in charge, de Marigny says he is starting to see signs of a new identity within the club.
It's a surprising turnaround for the Wanderers after the club spiralled out of control until manager Markus Babbel was sacked five weeks ago. Now, they're knocking on the door of the A-League finals after Friday night's Sydney derby victory in Kogarah.
https://twitter.com/wswanderersfc/status/1233348674136051713When asked if he can see signs of an identity forming within the club, de Marigny said: "That's what people from outside the group have recognised, and I think we have.
"I think we've built that on a weekly basis and they believe in the team mantra which creates an identity and I think people can see what the players are doing."
The Wanderers now sit seventh on the A-League ladder, but a swell of confidence is rushing through the club after two draws and two wins.
https://twitter.com/wswanderersfc/status/1233358555132022784It's the first time this season the club has achieved back-to-back wins since their opening three games.
"There's no set ceilings, there's no particular goals. I don't want to be boring because I'm not a boring guy but it's all about one game at a time and getting the boys to believe in each other, which they do, and getting close to each other, which they are," de Marigny said.
"They're ticking all the boxes and it's great to see players expressing themselves and maximising their ability. That's what I enjoy the most."
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