Marco Kurz suggested he was content with a point after holding ladder leaders Perth Glory to a goalless draw at HBF Park on Wednesday night.
Adelaide United, for the most part, managed to restrict the Glory from mustering any genuine guilt-edged chances as the makeshift defensive line delivered a solid performance.
Kurz said rectifying the Reds’ inability to maintain possession helped release the pressure, as they looked the more threatening team in the second stanza.
“I think we played a strong game, a good game,” Kurz told reporters after the match in the post-game press conference.
“I think we pressed them very high from the first minute and we didn’t let them play to create chances.
“In the first-half we played too many long balls and that was a correction we made at half-time to play more football and to create more chances.
“In the second-half we had more possession and more situations to create attacking movements but the last pass was not good enough.”
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It was a new look defensive line as alluded to with natural full-back, Michael Marrone, deployed at left centre-back filling in for the suspended Michael Jakobsen.
Midfielder, Vince Lia, would also drop deep at times, sitting between the two centre-halves as United’s formation morphed into a 3-5-2.
Kurz said he was happy with a share of the spoils and admitted he was pleased with how the team played given the short turnaround to work on the tactical adjustments.
“It’s a strong team Perth and I think I’m happy with the way we played because we played this line-up the first time and we only had two sessions to train what we wanted,” the boss admitted.
“You also saw in the game and we needed time to improve… in the end we’re happy with the point, but we have to do a lot of work in the future to make it a lot better.”
The Reds jumped into fifth place on goal difference following the stalemate.
Kurz was confident his side could continue to climb the table after again showing they can match it with the teams situated higher in the standings.
“We’ve to perform each week,” he explained.
“I think we beat Victory at home two weeks ago and we did well.
“But now we’ve to perform well against Central Coast and you must pick up points each weekend then you’ve the chance to move higher but our aim is to reach the finals.”
Adelaide United host Central Coast Mariners in Round 16 of the Hyundai A-League 2018/19 season on Sunday, 27 January at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 5.30pm ACDT. Gates open 4.30pm.
