The 25-year-old has been on enormous money on China, earning $800,000 per season in the Chinese Super League, where his most recent boss has been former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. He would have to take a sizeable pay cut to slot into Sydney FC's salary cap, though he would only be contracted for a few months. It would also give him great visibility in the lead-in to the World Cup, where he could be in contention for a defensive midfield role. In the wake of the Sky Blues' crushing 5-2 defeat by Brisbane at Allianz Stadium on Boxing Day, a scoreline that probably flattered the hosts, Farina admitted the match showed changes were required. "I think it's a clear indicator of the areas which we have to improve in terms of the squad, [specifically] players," he said. "It was a good lesson and sometimes out of adversity you learn a lot more than when things bounce your way or go well." Farina said he had already dedicated much time to thinking about how he wanted to execute the January rebuild and to liven up those players who had recently fallen flat. "Without going into detail, we've been looking at what we want to do," he said. "I think priority for us now, and for me as the manager, is to get the players back on track."

The defeat for the Sky Blues was their third in four games, with the only win being a dreadful 2-1 result over winless Melbourne Heart at home. However, the shellacking at the hands of the Roar was arguably the lowest point Sydney have hit this season after a good stretch of form last month. "A loss, like this at home, always hurts. Everyone from supporters to coaches to players," Farina said. "No one goes out deliberately to play poorly but we did and it's really important how we bounce back. You never want to have a loss like that, particularly at home." The Sky Blues have a longer break than most teams before their next match, an away game against Adelaide United at Hindmarsh on January 3. If they can win that, it should provide a handy buffer zone between themselves and teams outside the top six. "The message to the players has been that it's not the end of the world and everyone gets knocked down but it's how you react. That's the most important thing," Farina said. "I've been around a long time and it happens in your career as a player and coach – these things happen.

"You can either sulk, take your bat and ball and go home or stand up and fight and be determined to show everyone that we're better than that." Meanwhile, star forward Alessandro Del Piero is a 50-50 chance to make the trip to face the Reds as he battles an ongoing back complaint. After opening the scoring against Brisbane, the Italian superstar aggravated the condition, which once again saw him substituted at half-time. If he misses the Adelaide match, the next game he would be available for would be the Sydney derby against the Wanderers at Pirtek Stadium on January 11. Twitter @sebth