Phoenix are firmly at the foot of the ladder after the 1-0 loss against Perth Glory with a rapid turnaround to recover and tackle this season's tip for the top team.

But coach Ricki Herbert is convinced his squad can do it - or suffer humiliation if they fail.

“We’ve got to bounce back from this,” Herbert said. “We’re at home to Sydney this weekend and we’ve got to get things back on track because if we play like that against a team like Sydney we’ll get punished.

“But facing a team like that probably just what we need to make sure we’re doing what we have to right across the park and that no one is left in any uncertain terms as to what is required of them.

“We need a big shift in application and commitment and everyone has to lift against Sydney.”

The battle of the cellar dwellers could be the turning point for victors Perth Glory but Phoenix know they're now running out of games to turn their season around.

Herbert added: "It’s disappointing. We had one or two chances but not enough.

"There wasn’t enough decision-making in the front third – we needed to be more direct and we did very little with the ball.”

While things weren’t clicking up front, the Phoenix’s back four was stoic, snuffing out the Glory’s attacks.

“I thought we were very good at the back and were able to shut things down pretty well,” Herbert said. “They put their bodies on the line but unfortunately we gifted them a goal from a mistake.”