Michael Jakobsen says he was pleased with Adelaide United’s improved performance in the second-half.
The Reds endured a 2-1 loss to Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Sunday to remain winless to begin the new Hyundai A-League season.
After falling behind due to Jamie Maclaren’s quickfire brace in the first-half, a young Adelaide side responded after the interval through a neat finish from Riley McGree.
However, despite pulling a goal back, Adelaide could not find an equaliser and in the end were somewhat unlucky not to take anything from the match.
Jakobsen said the slow start by his team again proved costly but praised the young players in the squad who stepped up.
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“We had a lot of injuries and people out sick last minute,” the Reds Captain told Fox Sports after the match.
“So we did what we could and what we had and the boys that came in did a good job.”
Yared Abetew received his professional debut, while Louis D’Arrigo played just his fourth senior game and again illustrated composure beyond his years.
The 18-year-old midfielder cut an assured figure in possession and reads the game extremely well from a positional sense.
Meanwhile, Lachlan Brook and Al Hassan Toure also featured off the bench.
“He’s delivering at the moment and he’s doing a great job for the team,” Jakobsen said, when asked about D’Arrigo’s display.
“And that’s what we expect from him, so he’s growing.
“There’s a lot of other young players coming through so that’s good, but we still want to have a full squad and no injuries.
“At the moment we have to dig deep and keep fighting.”
Adelaide United host Melbourne City in the FFA Cup Final 2019 on Wednesday 23 October at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.00pm ACST. Gates open at 5.30pm.
