Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli has reflected on the Reds’ 4-0 defeat to Perth Glory, highlighting the importance of young players gaining valuable experience, learning from mistakes and embracing the challenges of competing across two competitions.
Andrioli on the match…
“Football is always about minimising the mistakes in the game, so you don’t get punished for the mistakes that you make, and scoring goals. In that aspect, we let ourselves down in the first half.
“I believe the three goals we conceded [in the first half] were avoidable from our perspective, and it’s a bit of an impact on the team when you’re three goals down so quickly in the game. It changes the confidence and belief of the players.
“But I didn’t think we were playing a bad football match. In two moments, particularly the first two goals, there was a little bit of a lapse in concentration and experience, and we got punished. It becomes difficult when you’re chasing the game from that perspective.”
Andrioli on giving young players opportunities and Feyzo Kasumovic’s first start…
“I said to the boys, especially the young boys, at half-time that I take full responsibility for playing those young players.
“I think Feyzo has tremendous potential. He’s obviously young and made a mistake, but I told him to stay in the game and finish it because he’s going to grow from it and learn from it.
“We’re a Club that likes to give opportunities to young players, and we’re in a situation now where we’re playing two competitions. I think that’s great because it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to grow as a Club and for players to develop.
“People will talk a lot about the result. We conceded four goals, but I saw lots of other things that people don’t see that are positive, and in the long term, I think they’re going to pay dividends for us.”
Andrioli on managing two competitions and squad rotation…
“It’s a joy to work with these kids. From a football perspective, I think we’re still an exciting team that plays good football.
“Yes, we’re going to make mistakes and struggle a little bit in this phase because we’re playing in two different competitions. We need to rotate the squad, and that brings a little bit of inconsistency with players moving in and out.
“But I’d rather be in this position, playing in Asia and playing in the A-League. It’s not the best at the moment, and I’m obviously not happy with the result, but in the long term, I think we’re going to come out of this situation stronger and better, and hopefully things will turn.”
Andrioli on Thursday’s AFC Champions League Two clash against Lion City Sailors…
“We just have to pack our bags now and regroup. We’re travelling tomorrow, and I think we leave here at one o’clock.
“We’re still in a good position in Asia. We won the first two matches and had a negative result last Thursday, but hopefully we can go back there and get a result away from home. That’s our objective.
“We’ll reassess the players, look at the game plan for this match and hopefully get a positive result in Singapore.”
Andrioli on managing the physical and mental fatigue of the schedule…
“That’s part of growing. We might be struggling a bit to deal with those situations, but we can grow so much from it.
“How do you manage that? It’s a matter of going through it, learning from the experience and understanding that if you go to Europe, it’s normal. Everybody plays a game every three days. In Australia, you’ve got the luxury of having a full week between football matches.
“As funny as it might sound, we’ve obviously lost the first two games in the A-League, but I’m really excited about this moment that we’re in and being able to be in this situation.
“In the long term, there are lots of positive things that can come out of it, including young players learning, developing and having exposure to different styles of football, like we do in Asia.
“It’s difficult and challenging, but I’m sure we’ll regroup, continue to manage the players and grow from it.”
Andrioli on the importance of the schedule for young players with aspirations of playing overseas…
“If anybody has aspirations to play in Europe, that’s what you need to learn. You need to learn to deal with football matches every three or four days, travelling and all the pressure that comes with it.
“For us and for those players, I think it’s a blessing to be in a situation like this.
“People might watch the game when we’re 4-0 down, but I saw lots of good things from our players. I saw some performances from young boys who haven’t had many minutes in the A-League, and even Faisal, who arguably made thatmistake in his first start, showed me lots of positives.
“I believe in the players. I take full responsibility for putting the young players out there, and this is what they need to do if they have ambitions or aspirations to play football overseas.”
Andrioli on Joey Garuccio’s performance…
“I think he was outstanding for the full match. It’s not an easy game to play because Perth came into the second half 3-0 up, so the game becomes very difficult.
“But Joey had an outstanding game. He’s just another player who needs minutes and opportunities to play at this level.
“Potential-wise, like many of the other young boys, he has a lot. They just need time to grow, mature and get better.”
Andrioli on the benefits of competing in Asia for Australian football…
“I think it’s great. That’s why I’m so excited and happy to be in this situation, even with the struggles we might have.
“For Australian football, we need to understand that the game in Asia is completely different. There aren’t many young players playing in those teams. They’re experienced players who have been everywhere, and they have good coaching staff. It’s a massive challenge.
“That’s why I’m so happy we have the opportunity to be here. We have a responsibility to do well in the A-League, but also to compete in Asia.
“We want to do everything we can to continue to be in this position next year. It’s a great challenge, but the opportunity is worth so much.”
