Adelaide United Head Coach, Carl Veart, says his squad is refreshed after having Christmas Day off to spend with their families and friends.
In what was a break in Christmas tradition for the Reds to a certain degree, Veart and his coaching staff gifted the United squad a day off on Christmas Day.
Veart highlighted the importance of keeping the players’ minds fresh and relaxed leading into a tough match with Newcastle Jets at Coopers on Tuesday evening.
Christmas with loved ones:
“We gave (the boys) the day off yesterday, just spend it with their families.
“We did all our prep work (on Christmas Eve).
“And (we’re) just in today, just to get a good sweat, get used to the heat, and prepare mentally for tomorrow.
“If we were playing today (Monday), then we would have definitely come in (to train yesterday).
“But, two days out, I think it’s more disruptive bringing (the players) away from their families.
“t’s more (important) keeping their mindset good and getting them focused today, for tomorrow.”
Zach Clough returning:
“We always penciled in (Zach’s) returning for this week.
“We could have pushed him to be ready for the game last week, but it wasn’t worth the risk.
“So he’s ticked all the boxes to be ready for tomorrow.”
Squad discipline:
“We’ve addressed it.
“It’s something where the playing group set very high standards for themselves and in the heat at the moment, sometimes you can get a little bit better of yourself.
“But we spoke about it as a coaching staff to the playing group and they will make certain adjustments to that.”
Jets test:
“They play a good brand of football and if you allow them to pass the ball around, they can cause you some some issues.
“It’s important that we keep our defensive block and keep focused and then look to play our brand of football as well.
“They concede more goals than they score, I suppose, so they’d be looking at fixing that up defensively.”
Match details:
Isuzu UTE A-League 2022/23 Season – Round 9
Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets
Tuesday, 27 December 2022, Kick-off: 7:45pm (ACDT)
Coopers Stadium
