Brisbane Roar will be punished if they don't learn quickly from Saturday's 3-2 defeat by Wellington Phoenix, coach John Aloisi says.
Unbeaten in their first two A-League outings, Brisbane couldn't put away a tenacious Wellington outfit at the Cake Tin in Wellington despite scoring first.
Dimitri Petratos showed a lethal left-foot finish in the 26th minute to put Brisbane ahead, but Michael McGlinchey's superb 36th minute free kick kept Wellington on even terms at halftime.
The Phoenix edged ahead four minutes after the restart through Roy Krishna before Roar defender Jade North's 60th minute equaliser pegged back the lead.
Blake Powell secured the win for Wellington with 12 minutes remaining, but Aloisi says the damage was done earlier when Brisbane were vulnerable on the counterattack.
"When we were trying to control the game and lost the ball, Wellington were dangerous and they were catching us out," he said.
"You have to be switched on when you've got the ball in the attacking half, and they end up winning it, (that) you're in good positions to stop them from countering.
"We didn't do that well enough."
Brisbane opened their A-League season with wins over Western Sydney and Central Coast, and were the only unbeaten team until the Phoenix rolled them.
Despite that early promising form, Aloisi said the Roar lacked confidence on the ball early on Saturday, and were guilty of trying to be too precise when they finally started building momentum.
"Instead of putting balls in areas, we were actually trying to pick out a player," he said.
"It should be more put the ball in an area because it's part of our structures that there'll be someone coming onto that ball.
"So that half a second, when you're trying to pick out someone and looking up, that allows them to get back in."
Brisbane will need to learn how to readjust quickly - if they don't, they'll be punished on the counter-attack when they host Adelaide United on Saturday.
Adelaide's pace out wide, through players like Spanish striker Sergio Cirio, is an ever-present danger but Aloisi says there are other options which make them dangerous.
"Marcelo Carrusca is a quick outlet like McGlinchey was tonight, and we have to improve in that area.
"I think that was our biggest worry tonight, and they did hurt us in those areas."
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