Adelaide United Head Coach Carl Veart spoke to the media ahead of the team’s upcoming clash against the Newcastle Jets. He gave an update on the squad, discussed Archie Goodwin’s return to his boyhood club, and emphasised the need to convert possession into goals. Here’s what Veart had to say:
Veart on the squad update:
“There’s no changes to the squad. We’re very fortunate at the moment; everyone is fighting fit and pushing for selection in the team, so the squad is unchanged.”
Veart on Archie Goodwin facing his former club and having a ‘point to prove’:
“No, I don’t think so. Look, I think Archie said himself that it was the right time for him to move on to develop his career. Archie has worked extremely hard with us and has been pushing for a starting berth. Hopefully, he can go there and score some goals against his old team.”
Veart on improving after last week’s game:
“Yeah, look, we keep building on how we want to play football. We had a lot of possession last week, but we just didn’t make the most of it. We’re still working on generating more opportunities so we can score more goals, and we’re also focusing on not getting caught in transition moments. It’s about being more attacking-minded when we’re attacking and stopping the opposition from playing forward.”
Veart on the team’s resilience when going behind:
“I think in a lot of the games, we’ve started well, but we just haven’t scored. It’s important to score early because that changes the game. Credit to the playing group—they don’t change. We stay positive, we stay attacking, and we’ve been rewarded with goals by keeping that approach. It would be nice to get a goal earlier to draw out the opposition and create more space for us to take advantage of.”
Veart on VAR decisions v Perth Glory last week:
“We’ve reached out to the head of referees and had a conversation, but nothing formal yet. We’re just after a clear interpretation of the handball rule. I know it’s difficult, but we need clarity so we can move forward with the players.”
Veart on squad injuries:
“Luke’s [Duzel] back in and will play with the youth team tomorrow to get his first minutes, which is good. Bailey [O’Neil] has a long-term issue with growth problems in his back, and Jordan [Elsey] had a little setback with his leg, so he’ll take a bit longer.”
Veart on SA’s Paul Pezos’ coaching opportunity at Melbourne City:
“Yeah, it’s great. Pez has worked extremely hard. He’s wanted to be a professional coach for a long time, and it’s great he’s getting rewarded for all that work. There aren’t many jobs in this profession, so I’m really pleased for him. He’s had great success in South Australia, and hopefully, he’ll have success with City too.”
