Roar still finding their feet

Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou expects his players to improve with every AFC Champions League match after their 2-0 loss to FC Tokyo.

In their debut in the Asian competition on Tuesday night, Postecoglou admitted his side were ‘nervous’ and ‘tentative’ against Japan’s Emperor’s Cup winners, who had Tatsuya Yazawa and Aria Hasegawa score either side of half-time.

“You’re obviously disappointed with the result, but as expected it was a tough game and they were a tough side,” Postecoglou said.

“I thought we were a little bit nervous to start with, which was understandable; it was the first experience for a lot of the players at this level.”

“I always felt that the first game would probably be the one where we’d get really tested, because it’s a new experience for the boys.”

Despite the defeat, Postecoglou remains optimistic of a revival and was not ready to let his club be thought of as simply there to make up the numbers.

The coach said his men were now aware of the standard needed and predicted improvement in each match to come.

“You can take heart from it; it’s an experience. I’m sure the players now know the level we’re playing at and what’s required,” said Postecoglou.

“We’ve just got to play more like ourselves. It’s not something that you just walk into and expect to feel comfortable in straight away.”

“Whenever it is a new experience, it takes a while for people to find their feet. I think tonight will be good for us, the experience will keep us in good stead for the next games.”

“We’ve taken a first step in this competition; it’s a tentative one at best, but it’s still a first step, there’s still five games to go and I’ve got a feeling we’ll get better and better as the tournament goes along.”

Brisbane will take on Chinese side Beijing Guoan on March 20 before playing South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai on April 4.