Fox Football expert Mark Bosnich says the Western Sydney Wanderers are out of touch with their identity as an A-League club.

Melbourne Victory’s demolition job on the Wanderers showed just how much work boss Markus Babbel needs to do if his side stand any chance of clinching success this season.

But Bosnich thinks the problems at the club stems from something much deeper than just overall quality and even squad fitness levels.

Speaking on the A-League Hour, Bozza questioned the belief of the players, not just of themselves but of their new German head coach.

“I’m a little bit concerned,” said former Socceroos keeper Bosnich.

“When that club was first made up and we used to go to all those meetings around the west of Sydney, the one thing that came shining through was that those supporters wanted a club that encapsulated what the area was in terms of the people and the character. I think they got that spot on.

“Three Grand Final’s and an Asian trophy, but then we’ve had a bit of a lull.

“That’s for the people upstairs to take a look at to say are they losing their way a little bit in terms of their identity? Their identity is hard to really sum up in one sentence.”

A small batch of Western Syndey fans have even called for Babbel to get the sack, but Bosnich says the issue lies with the players, not the coaching staff.

“There’s a lot of people talking about spending money — there’s a salary cap,” explained Bozza.

“Now I will say this in terms of the players, you’ve got a manager who was a serial winner as a player, an outstanding player who won pretty much everything in the game. He knows what it takes to win.

“Look inside yourself and ask yourself are you truly listening to him? Because he does know and he does have the runs on the board to know what it is to win.

46-year-old Babbel helped Hertha Berlin seal promotion to the German top flight by winning the second division title in the 2010/11 season.

But the former Euro 96 winner has had limited success since migrating to western Sydney, winning just once in his opening six A-League games.

“For Markus Babbel, it’s going to take him time, and he’s never had to manage in circumstances like what he’s got now with a salary cap, not being at a home ground, the ground that he saw last Friday,” said Bosnich.

“He has to be given time, he’s only six games in.

“The most important thing is those players crossing that white line every week, they’ve got to ask themselves that question — are we truly listening and believing in our manager and are we truly believing in ourselves? Because right at this moment in time I think the answer to that question is no.

“The first thing when you put a Western Sydney Wanderers shirt on is that you give absolutely 110 per cent effort and enthusiasm.

“The way they lost on the weekend was not acceptable.”