Sydney blunted a spirited challenge by an under-manned Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, beating Kevin Muscat's side 1-0 despite only playing at what Arnold described as "30 per cent of our ability".

Arnold reiterated that view on Tuesday, saying he had watched a tape of Saturday night's win and that had only increased his frustration.

"I am more angry than anything after seeing it again on replay at how sloppy we were at times," he said. "We could have used the ball more effectively and been more efficient, so we have plenty of improvement to come.

"We have got so much more in us. We have a great squad and I believe we will get much better performances as the season progresses."

South Melbourne, the Victorian NPL powerhouses, could be in for a torrid time as the Sky Blues look to complete what would be a calendar-year treble: winning the Premiers Plate, the A-League championship and the FFA Cup.

The only other team to achieve this feat was Victory, when Muscat's men did the premiership/championship double in the 2014-15 season (beating the Sky Blues in the grand final) before winning the FFA Cup in November 2015 when they beat Perth Glory.

Arnold is seeking to infuse Sydney with a thirst for success that is never satisfied. The coach became the first in A-League history to win championships with two different clubs (having taken Central Coast to a grand final triumph in 2013), but neither he, nor his current club, has ever won the FFA Cup.

Sydney came close last season, only losing in the FFA Cup final to Melbourne City 1-0, and the loss still rankles.

"We want to win everything ever can," Arnold said. "We want to win all the trophies and we have not won this one.

"I am taking South Melbourne as seriously as I took Victory. We will be playing a strong team and with all the intensity we would bring to an A-League game. I am confident that if we perform as I expect, we will win this game.

"The four-day turnaround is not a problem. My players are all fit, yes some of them had bumps and bruises after the Victory game but there are no injuries. Zullo will come in and we will look at how we set up defensively as a result."

Arnold said there was no bad blood between him and Muscat over a handshake incident, widely reported as a bust-up between the two after Saturday night's game.

"I shook the hands of people on the Victory bench, but Musky was out in the middle of the field and not there. I went to shake Berisha's [Victory striker Besart Berisha] hand, but he was not interested."

That, Arnold said, wasn't a matter of concern as he doesn't believe his players are obligated to shake opposing coaches hands if they don't want to.