Western Sydney Wanderers captain Dimas Delgado says the players must take responsibility for their season's fate with the club requiring a minor miracle to progress past the Asian Champions League group stage and salvage their campaign.
Only two big wins in their remaining games against Urawa and Shanghai SIPG will be enough for the Wanderers to finish in the top two of Group F. After being eliminated from the A-League finals series following a dramatic penalty shootout with Brisbane Roar, the players must regroup immediately to face the Red Diamonds in Saitama on Wednesday.
The Wanderers must beat Urawa by more than a four-goal margin to have hope of qualifying for the knockout stage. Anything less will almost certainly extinguish their last hope of silverware this season.
Dimas placed responsibility for a turbulent season in which the Wanderers finished sixth in the A-League, were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the FFA Cup and face falling at the first hurdle in their ACL campaign, squarely on the shoulders of the players.
"We need to change our [mentality] and we need to take responsibility with our club and with everything to make this club proud in Asia," Dimas said. "I think we are still a little bit upset from Friday. We are disappointed with what happened. We have to move on and we have to face this Asian Champions League."
Several members of the squad that faced Brisbane on Friday are in the frame to start against Urawa on Wednesday night having played 120 minutes at Suncorp Stadium, but Dimas believes they will be ready to go despite the short turnaround and gruelling travel.
"I think the boys who played 120 are getting better, they did a good recovery. The coach and all the staff look after them and try on Wednesday to be as good as they can," Dimas said. "We had a very good preseason and I think our training every week is good enough to face every game and of course 120 minutes, it's hard but also on Friday, physically, mentally, everything was very tough. For Wednesday, everyone can be good so we expect a performance."
The 34-year-old has been linked with a departure from the Wanderers at the end of the season when his contract is set to expire but Delgado says he's yet to make a decision on his future. Dimas is understood to be among several players who could head another squad overhaul during the off-season but the midfielder will hold-off any talks until after the Wanderers' final group stage match at home to Shanghai SIPG.
"I'm focused and worried first about being in the eleven. I am focused in training, doing everything properly and looking after myself," he said. "The most important thing now is [the game against] Urawa, I'll have a good game on Wednesday, we'll see what happens against Shanghai, hopefully we can go through in the next round then we will see what happens with my future."
