Adelaide United’s surge up the Hyundai A-League table has come as no surprise to Head Coach, Guillermo Amor.
The Reds moved into the top six on Saturday night after overcoming a spirited Perth Glory 3-1 at nib Stadium, just six weeks after sitting in last place on the 10-team ladder.
Adelaide is now unbeaten in their last six outings – four wins and two draws – and firmly in the race for the finals.
Amor said confidence was high among his players and revealed he never lost faith in them despite their indifferent start to the season which yielded just three draws from the opening eight rounds.
“Results help to build confidence and the last (six) games we have been getting the results,” Amor said.
“I keep saying that even at the beginning (of the season) when the team was not winning and getting the results, we were happy with the team performance and the team was playing well.
“I’m happy with the performance after (Saturday’s) game and also the previous games. The win is reflective of the work that we’ve been doing during the week.”
Central to Adelaide’s resurgence has been the performances of key playmaker Marcelo Carrusca. The Argentine has been in scintillating form since he was relegated to starting on the bench for three matches late last year.
Carrusca put in another eye-catching performance on Saturday night, dominating the midfield and scoring a sublime goal with his non-preferred right foot from the corner of the 18-yard box to break the game open early in the second half.
“Of course when players are in good form they are always helping the team to perform better,” Amor said.
“In this case for example, Carrusca is performing well because he is in good form. Marcelo is performing well, but there are also other players performing well at the moment.
“Even players that are not having many minutes or are not in the team, they are in good form as well.”
Amor will also look to integrate former Melbourne Heart forward Eli Babalj into his starting line-up over the coming weeks after the promising 23-year-old made a successful comeback from injury.
Babalj played the final 20 minutes against Glory in what was his first appearance since October when he was sidelined with a serious foot injury.
“It was good for him to have these minutes,” Amor said.
“He’s been out for a long time and it’s hard for a player that has been out for a long time (to impress).”
Adelaide’s win over Glory was also the club’s first away victory of the season and Amor said it had been a long time coming.
“It is always good to get points away, but for us we always say we play away the same as we play at home, so it’s no difference,” he said.
“We try to get points and play the same home and away.”
Adelaide United will face Central Coast Mariners in Round 15 of the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season on Saturday, 16 January at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 4.45pm ACDT.
