Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli says his squad has “reset and refocused” ahead of Saturday’s trip to face Wellington Phoenix, as the Reds look to convert strong home form into their first away points of the Isuzu UTE A-League season.
United travelled to New Zealand on Wednesday to adapt early to Wellington’s famously windy conditions and time difference, following a dramatic 4–1 victory over Melbourne City last Friday.
On resetting after last week’s dramatic match
“Training has been good. We’ve tried to leave those emotions behind now and refocus for this challenging game against Wellington. We’re here to see if we can get our first win away from home. The focus is purely on the game on Saturday.”
On improving away performances
“As we do every week, we prepare for the opposition we play against. Wellington plays in a certain way – we’ve looked at their strengths and what they try to do as a team. Our job is to counter that and make sure we can get a result tomorrow.”
On arriving early to adapt to conditions
“I think it gives us time to adapt to the conditions, especially being two or two-and-a-half hours ahead of Adelaide. We trained yesterday in windy conditions – which is normal here – so hopefully we’ve given the players the best possible chance to adapt and be ready.”
On United’s league-leading shooting efficiency
“I think that’s credit to the players. We have our finishing exercises, but it’s about the players being clinical and executing well. They’ve been taking that on board in training, and hopefully that can play as an advantage for us again tomorrow.”
On confidence and squad togetherness
“We’re very happy with the training environment. Players are consistently training well – it’s competitive, and you can see they’re enjoying it.
“Winning a game like we did last week, overcoming a red card and playing without our captain, gives us a lot of confidence. Football is about playing the moment and riding that confidence. Hopefully it can translate into our first win away from home.”
