Tarek Elrich is once again eligible for selection coming into Adelaide United’s vital match against Brisbane Roar this week.
The defender served out the last match of his suspension against Sydney FC on the weekend, after arriving back in Australia from international duty with the Socceroos.
Elrich played a full game in Australia’s 0-0 draw against Macedonia as he made his full international debut thanks to his scintillating Hyundai A-League form.
Speaking of the experience, he said that he was assured to continue what he has been doing so well in the league thus far.
“It was an amazing feeling to be involved in the Socceroos environment because you’re representing your country at the highest level,” he said.
“Along with the professionalism, that experience is something I will never forget and it has made me hungry for more success.”
Elrich also said that it has helped him grow even more as a player.
“Being selected was obviously a big mental help to be getting some recognition for the work that I have been doing. It gives me a lot of confidence and Ange (Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou) has told me to keep doing what I’m doing and not to overthink or over do anything out there.”
He will no doubt be a valuable inclusion for a Reds squad that has been depleted over recent weeks due to injuries as the season begins to wind down.
Elrich was left frustrated with his absence against Sydney FC due to his suspension carrying over for the week that he was away, but he concedes that there is nothing he can do and that he was proud of his team for securing the three valuable points.
“The Sydney and Newcastle game have been very critical for us at this stage of the season, especially considering we’ve had players out,” he said.
“We also had players coming in and playing out of position against Sydney and while some people might say we had a bad game, if you look at our possession it was still greater and we’ve gained a lot of confidence and numbers heading into Brisbane at home this week.”
And Elrich knows that it will be a tough match against the champions this week, commenting that their experienced squad is always a challenge to play against.
“They (Brisbane) defeated us 1-0 the last time they came here so we’ll be very cautious of the challenge they’ll bring to us.
“Everyone saw their performance against Central Coast (defeating them 6-1) so they’ll be flying on confidence but we’re just going to have to focus on ourselves to hopefully get a positive result.”
Elrich concluded his team will need to stay extremely focused for the final three games of the season and knows that they can’t afford to rely on the results of other teams to finish as high as possible on the table.
Adelaide United next host Brisbane Roar in Round 25 of the Hyundai 2014/15 A-League season on Saturday, 11 April at Coopers Stadium. Kick off at 4:30pm ACST. To purchase tickets, click here.
