Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli has reflected on his side’s late fightback to secure a point in Sunday’s Original Rivalry, while highlighting the importance of learning from costly mistakes and continuing to develop his young squad.
Goals from Brody Burkitt and substitute Joey Garuccio either side of half-time helped the Reds secure a 2-2 draw with Melbourne Victory at Coopers Stadium, with Garuccio finding the equaliser deep into stoppage time.
Airton Andrioli on the overall performance…
I think the first half was a bit of a cagey game, not the nicest game of football. We’re happy that we were able to go ahead from a set piece just before half-time.
In the second half, I think we were in control of the match. Something that has been recurring for us is that when we’re in control and having good moments and periods in the game, we end up being our own worst enemy by committing mistakes. Before we know it, we’ve made another mistake.
I don’t know how it happened so quickly that we found ourselves 2-1 down, but credit to the boys for continuing to fight until the end and getting the equaliser. I think, in the end, maybe it was the right result for this match.
Airton Andrioli on the importance of taking points…
I can’t do anything about the past. We have to look forward. We learn the lessons from what has happened and address those things, but for us, it’s about moving forward.
This was our first point in the A-League, so it was a big game. Obviously, it was a difficult match to play. Both teams were in the same situation in terms of travelling and playing extra matches, but there are no excuses.
We’re happy with the draw in the end, but we were hoping we could reward our supporters who came in big numbers today. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but we take the point and move on.
Airton Andrioli on the development of his young players…
I’m happy for the kids, but I think we need to start talking a little bit more about us as a team and as a collective, and getting results. At this level, it’s all about getting the right results.
These kids are young and have a lot to learn, but I’m looking at them and saying they have to stand up and be men. This is a man’s game, and we’ve been talking a lot about that.
We need to be better in our decision-making and become more consistent. That’s a challenge for those young kids. They have to grow, they have to learn, and they have to learn quicker because we need to get going in the season and start picking up points.
We still have a lot to play for in Asia, and we’re hoping we can continue in that competition. We need to learn from those mistakes and rectify the errors that keep happening when we’re in good moments of matches.
If you look back at some of the goals we’ve conceded, even in Perth, they’re self-inflicted. You can analyse those goals and see that it’s something we need to improve. The young boys need to grow up and stand up as men now.
Airton Andrioli on the team’s attacking performance and injury situation…
Mitch [Smith] did really well today. We’ve had a few injuries and still have some key players out of the team. That’s not an excuse, it’s just a fact.
We’ve got players like Bart [Vriends] out, Ryan White out and [Jacob] Brazete out. Mitch was one of those players who I had to take off. We played him longer than he probably should have played.
Football is a collective sport. When we concede goals, it’s not just because of the backline. It’s about what the whole team does as a collective. We always look at it in that context.
As I said, we need to become better in those moments and keep moving forward.
Airton Andrioli on the upcoming international break…
Definitely, it’s going to be important. Especially when you look at the schedule over the last 10 days, with quite a bit of travelling and everything that comes with it.
Hopefully, some of those players are close to coming back into the squad. They’re already training, so hopefully we can get a few more players back into the team. That’s going to be better for us in the long term.
We’re hoping this break will help us refresh. We need to recover mentally and physically. The last 10 days have been tough, but good tough, because I’m always happy to be in this situation where we’re playing in the A-League and in Asia.
I think it’s a great opportunity for us, and hopefully the players can recover and be better for the next match when we return.
Airton Andrioli on the character and commitment of the group…
I know sometimes people start looking for excuses, and the first thing that comes up is that we’re not working hard enough. We don’t have a problem with that. These kids are prepared to give everything for this club.
It’s just a matter of having a little bit more feeling for the game in those tough moments when things aren’t going well. You can’t expect a young player to have that already innate inside of them. It takes a bit of time, and I know we pay the price for that, but it’s a natural progression they have to go through.
I can assure you that those players are prepared to give everything for the club. It’s just a matter of becoming better, being a bit more clinical and more consistent in what we do.
We’ve also been chopping and changing the squad every week because we have to, and that makes it difficult to find consistency.
But I have a lot of belief and confidence in this group of players that we can continue to push forward. Let’s see where we end up this season.
