Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli praised his side’s resilience, belief, and adaptability after the Reds recorded a dramatic 4–1 victory over reigning champions Melbourne City at Coopers Stadium on Friday night.
Despite a first-half red card that left United with ten men for more than 45 minutes, Andrioli’s team defended with organisation and conviction, striking clinically in transition to secure the biggest result of his tenure so far.
Andrioli on the red card incident…
“I think Shaun Evans is a fantastic referee – maybe he was a bit jet lagged because he came back from a long trip. If you asked him honestly, he’d probably say it wasn’t one of his best games. You could see the frustration from us on the bench and from everyone.
“But the best thing is that we won the game, so we don’t have to spend time talking about those things.”
Andrioli on tactical changes at halftime…
“We had worked on different game scenarios across the 10-day break. Obviously, we didn’t plan to use it with ten men, but we were confident.
“The idea was to go deeper, have two quick players wide with Panashe and Yaya, three across midfield, and force City into crossing. That was the only thing they could really do in the second half.
“I’m so proud of the way the boys handled themselves – doing the small things well and executing the plan.”
Andrioli on whether this is his best win so far…
“It was an exciting game. We were 2–0 up and close to scoring the third, and suddenly we’re down to ten men and concede straight away. That’s extremely difficult mentally.
“The resilience and character the boys showed tonight is something that will go a long way for us this season.”
Andrioli on the team mentality shift…
“We have this every day at training. There’s a lot of competition – players fighting for spots – and young boys knocking on the door.
“Ryan White is an example tonight. The environment is really strong. I’m proud of the boys and their belief.”
Andrioli on Jay Barnett’s first A-League goal…
“I’m extremely happy for him. He’s been going through difficult times off the pitch. I told him this week he’s a very important player for us, even if he hadn’t been starting.
“He was the only one who believed all the way for that goal. He followed in, won the second ball and scored. It was a very good moment for him.”
Andrioli on tactical flexibility…
“The players have taken it really well. For me, the message has to be clear. Whether the plan works or not is on me, but players need clarity and I think we’ve been able to deliver that.
“We planned for this scenario, not with ten men, but with this structure. The boys executed it brilliantly.”
Andrioli on his halftime message…
“The first thing was to stop talking about the referee. That was the past. We got the whiteboard out and made sure the players knew exactly what we wanted to do.
“We gave City possession, but they couldn’t penetrate us. They only had crosses, and we defended them superbly.”
Andrioli on Dylan Pierias’ suspension and squad depth…
“That’s for the club to decide. I don’t want to talk too much about the decision.
“Losing Dylan hurts, but Panashe came on and did a fantastic job. He’s putting his hand up.”
Andrioli on Melbourne City’s second-half performance…
“It’s for Aurelio Vidmar to look at his team. From my side, I just want to back my players.
“We didn’t allow any space in behind or between the lines. We defended very well. I want to give credit to the boys, they were outstanding.”
