Adelaide United Liberty A-League coach Adrian Stenta is pleased with the teams first win of the season but concedes that there is more work to be done.
Fresh after recording its first win for the 2023/24 season against Wellington, United faces Western Sydney away from home on Saturday evening. It’s been a tough start to the season for Stenta’s side, with the team sitting eleventh on the Liberty A-League ladder.
Speaking in preparation for the away trip, Stenta discussed a range of topics.
Adrian Stenta on the team’s first win of the season:
“I feel like it’s been building for a little while, and my focus firmly remains on our performances. And while it was good to get a win, there’s still some things and some areas where we feel we need to be better and improve. But the main thing is it gives the players a bit of reward for effort and a lot of confidence heading into the next game.”
Adrian Stenta on the team’s recent performances:
“I feel like we’ve been building for a few weeks now. And most games are decided with fine margins. In previous weeks we did give up a couple of big chances in the first half, even on the weekend. Those main moments haven’t gone our way. Players know that they need to perform to keep their spot as well. There’s a lot of good players that didn’t even make the matchday squad that trained really well last week, and it’ll be the same again this week. There’s pressure internally for players to perform, otherwise they’re not going to play Western Sydney.”
Adrian Stenta on having a fully fit team to select from:
“There was a lot of new players to integrate into the group. And then we had a lot of illness and injury that was preventing players from getting on the park regularly as well. I feel like we’re getting close to a fully healthy squad now. And we’re getting close to a fully fit squad as well. And once we’ve got everyone at our disposal and available for selection, it’s going to be really difficult for me to do my job.”
Adrian Stenta on how the team is feeling closing out 2023:
“The squad is feeling really good physically. We trained today, and training was at a really high level. It’s been good quality all week for the last couple of weeks actually. And like I said before, because we have had a few players out from injury, it helps with a bit of freshness, too. It’s great when players return back to the main group for training. They bring their own energy. The squads in a good place. Mentally and physically.”
