Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli says winning football matches remains the clear priority as the Reds chase three consecutive victories for the first time this season, ahead of Sunday’s Isuzu UTE A-League clash with Central Coast Mariners at Coopers Stadium.
Andrioli on building consistency…
“We hope so. We hope that we can continue what we started in the last two games by getting results. As we always say, football is about winning. If you can win while playing well, that’s even better, but what really brings confidence to the group is winning matches.”
Andrioli on squad selection and competition for places…
“It’s more of a week-to-week assessment. Obviously, we’ve lost three players away with the national team – players who normally start for us – so again, it creates opportunities for other players to come in and show what they can give us.”
Andrioli on the importance of every match…
“Winning is important. Everything we do at training is about winning as well. Sometimes people talk as if teams play not to win, but winning is something that needs to be embedded into players’ mentality. We want those three points tomorrow.”
Andrioli on defensive scrutiny after last week…
“That game is gone. We’re very happy with the result. People put a lot of emphasis on numbers sometimes, but you have to put things into perspective. We’re just looking forward now to a solid performance tomorrow and another three points.”
Andrioli on Central Coast Mariners…
“They are a very good team. I’ve been impressed with the way they’ve been playing. Sometimes teams don’t get the credit they deserve because people only look at the ladder, but we’ve watched them closely. For us, they are the best team in the league because we’re playing them tomorrow, and we’re giving them the respect they deserve.”
Andrioli on new signing Ajak Riak…
“We’ve been scouting Ajak for quite a while. He gives us a different dimension up front. We don’t have many big players in the box, and he gives us a different perspective. He’s young, fit, physical, good on the ball, and we’re very excited to have him on board.”
Andrioli on Ajak’s readiness…
“He looks very fit. He’s been training with us for a week now, and we’re gradually increasing his loads. As soon as he becomes available [From January 14], we’ll look at how he fits in and how we can use him.”
