They might have failed to land the killer blow against Melbourne City on Saturday night but Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold believes it won't be long before his attack is menacing A-League defences.

Sydney should have emerged with all three points from the encounter against the league's richest club after a dominant second half at Allianz Stadium but couldn't convert a series of half chances, with Filip Holosko's goal just before half-time cancelling out Wade Dekker's opener.

Head to head: Sydney FC’s George Blackwood deflects the ball against Melbourne City on Saturday.

Yet while their possession dominance did not yield three points, Arnold had no qualms with how his attack is shaping up, even without last season's Golden Boot winner Marc Janko and pacy winger Bernie Ibini. "It's an exciting front line. Defending is easy but the fluency with the ball will take time.

"In my history as a coach, we start slow-ish and we build into the competition. By December, January we hit our straps and come home with a wet sail," he said.