Adelaide United defender Nick Ansell says the mood within the Reds camp is still positive, despite a difficult run of results.
Ansell is confident the Reds are ready to bounce back after a string of disappointing results, having suffered three straight defeats in the League.
Adelaide United currently sit seventh on the Isuzu Ute A-League table.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday morning, Ansell discussed Adelaide’s recent defensive issues, his partnership with Alexandar Popović and the physical and mental battle he endured while overcoming his Achilles injury.
Ansell on the team’s recent performances:
“It’s been a difficult couple of weeks, I think all we can do is go back to the training pitch work hard and stay together. The mood overall has been really good, you know, still positive.”
Ansell on the team’s lack of consistency and supporting the younger players:
“Consistency in professional football is the hardest thing, you know, to perform, week in week out at your maximum level. I’d say consistency has probably been what’s let us down.
As a younger player, it is hard to come out every week in professional football and consistently perform. I think that is the biggest challenge.
That’s where we have to come in, as older players, and help guide them. The younger players in our team are full of confidence. As your older players, we definitely have to help them in this situation, because it is tough. Probably a little bit tougher for them, as some of them wouldn’t have experienced this before.”
Ansell on the team’s recent defensive record:
“We are such an attacking team, sometimes we do leave ourselves open. It is frustrating. conceding goals. And this year, we have conceded too many. But I think in the League, it hasn’t been too bad compared to other teams.
But because we are such an attacking team, sometimes we are left open at the back. We’re working on that. Transition moments are really important for us as defenders, pushing up high on the strikers when we are attacking. And I think that’s a big one that we can improve on going forward.”
Ansell on his defensive partnership with Alexandar Popović:
“Popa has been really good. It’s been good to play alongside him. He is a great young talent and is coming through and I think his Western Sydney game he played on the weekend was probably his best one of the year. He won a lot of challenges. And yeah, the partnership has been good, and I’m enjoying playing next to him.”
Ansell on this week’s opponents, the Newcastle Jets:
“Every game in this league is tough. No week is easy. It’ll be another tough game, we just have to focus on what we need to do. And if we do that, then we should come away with three points.”
Ansell on overcoming his Achilles injury:
“Coming back from the Achilles injury was tough for me, physically and a little bit mentally, to be honest. But the club has really supported me and I’ve played seven or eight games this year so far, and really enjoying it. My body’s feeling really good, backing up each week. I’m really happy with how it’s all going at the moment.”
Ansell on becoming a father:
“It’s been great. And it definitely changes your perspective on life. She (his wife, Nadene) definitely takes a lot more of the workload than me. She’s definitely doing more at night, so I’m very lucky to have her.”
Adelaide United take on the Newcastle Jets this Friday night at Coopers Stadium at 7:15pm. Tickets are available here.
