Karlovic excited for future following season ending victory

Thumbnail

Adelaide United finished the season strong with a win over Melbourne Victory, giving Head Coach Ivan Karlovic confidence they can make the Westfield W-League Finals in 2018/19.

Karlovic applauded his side on an admirable and hard-fought win over rivals, Melbourne Victory on Friday night, to end the campaign.

“I told the girls before the game, that is was important to finish the season off with a good performance and most importantly, the three points,” Karlovic said.

“Because we aren’t playing finals, it didn’t mean that our job was finished yet, and I thought we executed really well tonight.

“It was an exceptional first half, and I think it’s just the story of our season where we dominated huge chunks of games and we failed to capitalise, but we ended up achieving what we set out against Victory.

“After the equaliser, we fought back and we grinded out a win in which I’m really proud.

“Our intensity to win the ball was exceptional and our aggression was really good.

“At the end, the desire and hunger to win the game, in our own defensive half, showed a lot of character and will to win the game.

“The girls have been real professionals, they are exceptional in what they do and are quality footballers.

https://twitter.com/AUFCWomen/status/959386647149232128

“Our American players have been second-to-none and I’ve been glad that they came on board.

“Most importantly, they’re good characters and they fit in well with the squad.”

Karlovic said that there are many positives to take from the season, and hard work and plans will be put into motion for 2018/19.

“Some of the football that we’ve played has been outstanding especially against some of the best sides in the competition.

“We didn’t deserve to lose against Sydney at home, last week bar the last 15 minutes was great.

“We can definitely match it with the best and we just failed to get results against the teams that were around on us the table which was crucial.

“There are a lot of positives we can take from the season, importantly, a lot of younger players are continuing to develop.

“We will look to strengthen the side and we are serious about making finals football next year, where we deserve to be.

“I’m looking forward to what is ahead, and we will put a plan into place for the long-term and we’ll do a lot of hard work in the off-season.

“Next season, we’ll be ready to get the results and we will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.”