Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli says his side must stay disciplined, stick to the game plan and make Coopers Stadium count when the Reds host Mark Milligan’s Newcastle Jets on Sunday afternoon.
With the Jets arriving in strong form, Andrioli expects an entertaining contest between two sides committed to playing positive football, but stressed Adelaide’s focus remains on consistency, control and delivering a result at home.
Andrioli on the challenge Newcastle pose
“The table doesn’t lie. They’re in form and playing great football, which should make it an entertaining game. We’re a team that also likes to play good football, but we’re fully aware of the momentum they’re going through – winning five matches in a row and the way they play. We looked into the way they do things this week, we’ve got a game plan, and hopefully the players can execute it to our advantage tomorrow.”
Andrioli on what Adelaide must improve after the Macarthur draw
“It’s making sure we’re consistent in the game. There are matches where we have good momentum and then all of a sudden we force things a little bit more. We should stick to our game plan, keep it simple, and keep that momentum going without allowing the opposition to come into the game. We’ve been talking about it constantly and trying to address it with the team. Sometimes it’s psychological, sometimes it’s how the game dictates it. When we control the game the way we want, the momentum stays with us, and that’s what we need to make more consistent.”
Andrioli on focusing on ladder position versus finals habits
“I don’t look at that. We go game to game, week to week. We want to win every football match ahead of us. Every match brings different challenges, and we need to be ready. We don’t want to concentrate on things we can’t control. We just want to keep doing what we’re doing, becoming better and doing the little things, the simple things, well. Sometimes the most difficult thing in football is doing the simple things consistently. That’s what we’re looking to address, and if we can do that well, the rest will take care of itself.”
Andrioli on Luke Duzel’s new long-term deal
“I’m really happy to be able to secure Luke for another three years with us. He’s a player that didn’t play much football previously, and this year he’s come onto the scene and everyone knows the type of footballer he is. With his performances he adds a lot to us, and we’re really happy we could sign him and keep him for longer.”
Andrioli on coming up against Mark Milligan
“It’s nice. We worked together and we know each other quite well. Mark’s a nice guy and I’m happy for him, things are going really well. But ultimately our main focus has to be the game. We’ve got a game to win tomorrow and we want to make sure that playing at home we show authority, use the home advantage, and our supporters want to see us winning football matches. That’s what we’re going to try to do tomorrow.”
Andrioli on the respect he has for Newcastle and their style
“We give everyone the respect they deserve. Every opposition deserves respect and we need to focus on that. They’re in front of us at the moment and they’re playing good football. It’s good to see and we want to do the same. But what matters is that if we can do it the way we want, that’s great – but if the match doesn’t go exactly how we want, can we still get a result? That’s our mentality: to win football matches, and tomorrow is no different.”
Andrioli on having experienced players returning to the fold
“It’s always good to have players available to make decisions. Players with experience – they’ve been playing and they’ve got A-League history, many matches under the belt. It’s important we have a strong team, not just the first 11 but as a squad. It gives us a boost to have those players back, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can bring into the game tomorrow.”