Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli praised the grit and togetherness of his side after Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Auckland FC at Coopers Stadium, saying the Reds met the league’s most physical outfit head-on and refused to take a backward step.
While disappointed not to turn late chances into all three points, Andrioli said the performance again showed the group’s growth, hunger, and commitment to playing Adelaide’s brand of football.
Andrioli on the result and why it felt like two points dropped
“Overall if you look at the number of chances and opportunities that we had, especially towards the end of the game, we should have won the game. I’m happy with the performance of the team, but I’m disappointed with not getting the three points tonight. Tonight again, in the final third, we could have been a little bit more clinical. We had chances towards the end… we match probably the most physical side in the league, and our boys match them for every inch of the game. We play the football that we want to play, and any other day, if we take some of those chances or half chances, or the final passes are a little bit better, I think we get the result.”
Andrioli on the physical edge and the group’s desire to win
“I think it just shows a desire to win football matches. That’s what we’ve been asking these young boys – to grow up, stand up and be counted. We knew tonight was going to be a physical game and I think we matched them in that aspect. If you want to compete and win football matches, you have to do the running, the dirty work, and be physical. But ultimately what wins football matches is the football you play. Tonight we were lacking a little bit in the final third… but I saw a team that continued to show hunger and desire to win.”
Andrioli on the VAR check in stoppage time
“I don’t know what they were checking… it looked very confusing. I was really focused on winning the match. I wanted to get the free kick going, get the ball in the box, and see if we could get the result. It’s always talking points when you have to talk about referees… but overall, nothing to talk about — it was just a little bit confusing at times.”
Andrioli on Ethan Alagich’s work ethic and the mentality of the young group
“It does not surprise me at all. That’s how they grew up. We coach these kids from a young age that football is about having that desire, enjoying the match and leaving everything on the pitch. When you see somebody like Ethan doing what he did tonight, it’s a step in the right direction. We were up for the fight, and we also created chances to win the football match.”
Andrioli on playing through pressure and trusting the team’s identity
“It’s part of our philosophy. Especially against teams that want to press you, the best way is to play through them and exploit space. It’s something we work on every day. We ask the players to be brave and do it in the game, and tonight was a good example. A number of times we built play through… I enjoy that type of football. If we had been a little bit better in the final third, the result could have been different.”
Andrioli on matching Auckland physically ‘within the rules’
“We came here to play football tonight. The physical part was a reaction to the way they were playing as well. They are a very physical team and our boys knew that. It was up to the players to stand up and say, ‘We can match you in that aspect of the game, within the rules of the game.’ And that’s what we did tonight.”
Andrioli on being clinical and why it’s not a simple fix
“You can only do certain things. You create the chances, you prepare the team, you play in a certain way. In the final third, the final pass — deciding when to shoot, when to play the pass, the weight of the pass — that comes down to the individual. That’s why people overseas spend millions to get players who have that ability. We’ve got a lot of young players learning the trade. But we scored four in the last match away, and tonight we could have taken one of those chances to win the game.”
Andrioli on substitutions and the game dictating decisions
“The opposition, the game and the individual players will give you that answer, depending on the moment of the game. You can be ready to take someone off, then you see momentum shifting. For example, Muniz… you think he can pick up a pass and create something special. The game dictates the substitutions. The idea of bringing someone like Duzel late is because he can find a final pass… and pushing Ryan forward. The subs had an impact, but ultimately we just couldn’t get it over the line tonight.”
