Adelaide United defender, Nigel Boogaard, has said the Reds’ current unbeaten streak is not something the team is focussing on ahead of our clash with Central Coast Mariners and instead the squad is pin-pointing each individual performance as the key aspect to our current form.
“I don’t think (our unbeaten streak) is too much to focus on, to be honest,” Boogaard said.
“As long as we maintain our performances and keep hitting the markers that we want on the field then the results will look after themselves.
“We just have to concentrate on making sure we maintain our style and playing the way we want to (and) get rid of a few of the silly mistakes that have cost us a few goals from the start of this season and even the end of last.”
Boogaard continued by stating that this season the team has had to work out new tactics to counter the way opposition clubs have been approaching United, but it is part-and-parcel with being a consistent and strong squad to play against.
“Teams worked us out last year – that we like to play possession based football and play out (from the back), which may have cost us in terms of conceding goals and things like that – and so Josep (Gombau) wanted to add an alternative to the way we play and keep teams guessing.
“If teams think they can come and press us and box us in our own half – well we have quality up front and in wide areas to be able to turn it around.
“(The alternatives) have definitely added to our game and made it harder for oppositions to predict how we will play.”
Since the last time the two sides met, which was the Westfield FFA Cup semi-final at Coopers Stadium, Boogaard said the Mariners have turned their form around and managed to secure two good results in recent games and so the game at Central Coast Stadium will be a tight battle for the Reds.
“They would obviously be disappointed after the FFA Cup game, but they’ve had two good results coming into our game on the weekend, so they’ll be coming out positively, (however) (we’ll) go out there and give 100 per cent as well.
“Central Coast is a hard place to go, but if we do the things that we have done in the first rounds of the season we’re confident of getting a good result.
“I think we need to just concentrate on the way we play first, and I’m sure if they bring some physicality (we’ll handle it).”
Adelaide United face Central Coast Mariners at Central Coast Stadium in Round 7 of the Hyundai A-League on Sunday, 23 November. Kick off is at 4.30pm ACDT.
