The Reds scraped into the Finals Series after Sydney FC’s dramatic collapse, and Carl Veart’s side are determined to capitalise on the opportunity. With Archie Goodwin sidelined and United’s season on the line, Veart addressed the media ahead of our Elimination Final.
Veart on Luka Jovanović stepping up in place of Archie Goodwin:
“Luka and Archie have been the two number nines all season. Archie is unfortunately unavailable for the game with a hamstring injury, so Luka will fill in that role like he has done all season.”
Veart on Max Vartuli’s A-League performance last week:
“He was excellent. He made some really good saves, and we’ve got a lot of belief in Max making that step up to the A-League. We’ve given him that opportunity, and he’s taken it so far.”
Veart on securing Finals football late in the season:
“You’ve got to get the points on the board. Everyone plays the same number of games, and it was just how it played out that we had the bye last. But we had the points, and we’re here.”
Veart on how far the Reds can go in the Finals:
“Finals football is different. We’ll go there with belief in our style that we can win. We’ve got more experience across the squad than them, and sometimes experience wins finals matches.”
Veart on Western United’s threats:
“They’re a very attacking, high-tempo team. They’ve had a great season, and we’ll need to be at our best to counter that.”
Veart on belief and confidence heading into the match:
“We’ll go in with a lot of confidence in ourselves. Finals football is different, and we’ve worked all week on a plan to go there and win.”
Veart on what makes finals football different:
“There’s more pressure. You make a mistake and there’s no next week. We need to be smart and apply pressure on the opposition. It’s about doing the basics well under pressure.”
Veart on United’s finals record and mentality:
“This is my fourth Finals Series at the club. We’ve played four Elimination Finals and won them all. We go into this with confidence that we can handle the pressure and win.”
Veart on player motivation with several futures undecided:
“Players have to play for themselves and the club — coaches and players come and go. This could be the last game for some of them too. What matters is that everyone focuses on their job and gives 100%.”
Veart on motivation to finish on a high:
“I don’t think I’ve got anything to prove. I’ve always just tried to do my best for the club. We’ve had good seasons, we’ve played finals regularly, and now we want to go out and hopefully win some silverware this year.”
Veart on whether players have rallied around him:
“My focus is always doing what’s best for the club, and that won’t change. The players have their own motivations too, and they know what’s at stake.”
