Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli is backing his squad to carry its confidence from Asia into the A-League Men campaign, as the Reds prepare to face Sydney FC away in Matchweek Two.
Following victory in Thailand, Andrioli believes United is ready for the different demands of domestic competition, with collective strength and trust in the players at the heart of his approach.
Speaking ahead of the Sydney clash, Andrioli discussed building on last season, opportunities within the squad and the importance of delivering United’s game plan.
On the challenge posed by Sydney…
“They’re a good side. Obviously, they’ve got good players. Sydney always have a strong team.
“But for us, it’s more focusing on what we do as a team and building on the belief and the confidence that we always try to instil into our players.
“Stick to our plan, stick to what we do best, and play to get a result.”
On collective strength…
“For me, it’s more about building that collective unity amongst the players. Everybody understands that football is a collective game.
“We don’t rely necessarily on individuals, but if the collective is good and strong, then individuals can flourish.
“We just want to have a strong, cohesive squad that plays together as a team and maximise that, and then let the individuals flourish as they come through.”
On taking the next step…
“We’re extremely happy with what we achieved last year, but we need to put that behind us.
“To maintain that or go to another level is another thing. We know the challenge ahead of us. The A-League is very competitive.
“Whatever was done last year, we have to learn from it, get better and stronger in order to repeat that and maybe go one step further.”
On opportunities within the squad…
“I have plenty of confidence in the players we have in the squad. We have players that can fill that gap.
“We tend to focus on the players that have left. For me, I’m focused on the players that are here, and they’re the ones I have to give the belief that they can come in and do the job for us.
“We’re hoping that some of those boys will take the opportunity.”
On building from the win in Thailand…
“I was very happy with the way the trip went to Thailand. We know that when we play in Asia, the biggest challenge is travelling distances and conditions as well.
“We went there, played against a very good side and put in a very good performance. We played really well and got the result.
“But now we have to shift our focus to the A-League because it’s a completely different competition. Teams play in different ways, and I think we’re ready for it.
“We want to use the confidence of winning that match and go into this match full of confidence and believing in what we do as a team.”
On making a strong start…
“It’s obviously important, but it’s a long season as well.
“We just want to make sure that we do the things we want to do as a team, that we play the way we want to play and are able to execute the game plan that we put together for every match.
“We want to focus on the processes, make sure that we understand what we need to do as a team, as a collective.
“I believe if we do that, more often than not, you end up getting the results that you’re after.”
