Western Sydney boss Marko Rudan has fuelled the animosity between his club and Sydney FC by taking a swipe at the game plan implemented by rival manager Steve Corica.
The Sky Blues claimed a hotly-contested 1-0 derby win on Saturday to move up to fifth on the A-League Men ladder, one point behind the Wanderers.
Yeni Ngbakoto's sending-off for slapping Sydney's Paulo Retre was the biggest talking point of the night until Rudan and Corica were involved in a heated post-match spat on the sidelines.
Corica branded his old Sydney teammate a "sore loser" in his post-match press conference and took umbrage with how fervently the Wanderers had celebrated November's derby win.
Rudan then set the scene for the third derby of the season - which takes place at Allianz Stadium on March 18 - by questioning Sydney's style.
"They certainly weren't the team that everyone spoke about them being," Rudan said.
Sydney have won plaudits for their revamped attack this season, while the Wanderers have been criticised at times for playing too conservatively.
"It's interesting how we're labelled a certain team and yet you go and see a team that apparently is an attacking team and is full of flair and open, expansive - I didn't see that tonight," Rudan added.
"I saw one team that was trying to [play]. They got a goal, a strike from the edge of the box and that's what it takes to beat us. After that it was one-way traffic."
The Wanderers had 58 per cent of the ball on Saturday but it was a Max Burgess goal in the first half which got Sydney the win.
Told of Rudan's criticism, Corica sarcastically responded "that's a shock, isn't it?", before adding: "I can't remember them having any clear-cut chances. All the possession doesn't get you wins.
"It's about putting the ball in the back of the net."
While winger Ngbakoto is certainly likely to miss the next couple of weeks, Rudan's side could face a nervous wait on skipper Marcelo after the Brazilian limped off with a groin injury.
Corica's side also lost Adam Le Fondre to a recurrence of a hamstring issue.
