Wellington Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano has urged the Australian Professional Leagues not to schedule A-League Men games so early in the day during future editions of Unite Round.
The Phoenix stunned previously unbeaten Melbourne Victory with a 1-0 win on Sunday afternoon but were made to contend with hot Sydney conditions and a slippery pitch at Allianz Stadium.
The mercury read 26C at the 1.30pm kick-off, which was shifted slightly from the 2pm Sunday timeslot scheduled in the season's opening rounds.
"I didn't realise how hot it was. Even though it was 26, 27, it zaps you inside," Italiano said.
AAP understands the shift was made to help accommodate fans travelling internationally from New Zealand for Unite Round, and to ensure an earlier finish for families wishing to attend the league's new showpiece event.
Cooling breaks were introduced in both halves to combat the conditions, with the heat particularly evident in the first half before shadows began to appear over the pitch.
Italiano said it was difficult for players to find their groove on the playing surface, less because of wear from four previous games, and more the knock-on effects of the early afternoon heat.
"Obviously there's been a bunch of games on it and I think it's very hard to maintain it from the next day but I think the heat basically zapped the water out of the pitch very quickly," Italiano said.
"I probably counted about 10 people falling over in the first 15-20 minutes. I've never seen so many uncharacteristic turnovers from both teams."
Italiano felt the conditions had an impact on the game; Kosta Barbarouses' match winner was the Phoenix's only shot on target all afternoon.
"It affected us in terms of what we wanted to do with the ball and it also affected them," he said.
"They're a very good transition team and they looked gassed after their second or third counterattack, and I could see this game was going to be a bit of a grind."
Italiano felt football in parts of Europe provided evidence that when it came to reusing the same pitch on the one day, it was better to schedule games later in the day.
"In Spain, when they have the derbies, the derby is at 11 o'clock and there's two lead-in games at seven and nine," he said.
"The quality of the football in the lead-up is great because heat and the pitch never become an issue.
"I'm not saying to start at 11pm but I'm just saying that maybe we can start at a later timeslot.
"If we had a game yesterday at six and the derby was at eight, I know the turnaround is too quick, but maybe the quality of the game is at a higher intensity and people that watch enjoy that."
