Adelaide United Liberty A-League coach Adrian Stenta is keeping coy on who might play in goals in Saturday’s Round 8 match against Wellington.
Regular shot-stopper Annalee Grove missed last week’s game with illness and Claudia Jenkins performed well in her place.
Jenkins also deputised for Grove when she had a concussion earlier this season.
Speaking after his side’s final training hit-out at Marden Sports Complex on Friday, Stenta said he had full faith in either ‘keeper and selection was tough this week because there were a few more players available following injuries.
Stenta also discussed where he thought his side might be able to exploit the Phoenix and how important having a vocal home crowd will be.
The game kicks off at 5:00pm with tickets available HERE.
Adrian Stenta on the vibe in the group this week:
“It’s been a really positive week on the track. The girls are putting a lot of intensity and effort into training so the quality has been high, accountability has been high as well, which is great so we’re really determined and looking forward to this game on the weekend, putting our best foot forward.”
Adrian Stenta on what failed his side against Western United:
“We just felt like the key moments, the main moments and the small moments in the game sort of didn’t go our way. We were happy with how we played for the majority of the first half but to concede a really soft goal just before halftime sort of took the wind out of our sails a little bit and then we were a bit slow to get going in the second half.
“Our challenge is to try and bring that level of intensity that we saw after we scored to the start of the game. Right from the very beginning.”
Adrian Stenta on getting more joy in the attacking third:
“We’ve been working on that a lot this week. We’ve spent a fair bit of time in the front third, looking at some combinations and some finishing patterns so we’re hopeful that that will come and that will click.
“We’ve been getting more players back as well from injury and illness so we feel like we’ve got a really deep squad to select from this week.”
Adrian Stenta on Emily Condon’s return from injury:
“Emily’s had a long injury layoffs over a couple of seasons now so we’ve just been very careful about the way that we manage and approach her. As she gets stronger and fitter and healthier, she will continue to play, and play a bit more of a role in our team for longer.”
Adrian Stenta on what he has made of Wellington Phoenix this season:
“They play a good brand of football and they’ve been getting results as well. They’ve been a good team to watch so they’ll come in with plenty of confidence and on form, and we know that it’s going to be a really difficult challenge for us but it’s one that we think we’re ready for and one that we think we can take on.”
“They’re a very attacking team, they like to possess the ball in tight areas as well and they’re not afraid to throw numbers forward and be aggressive, especially in the counter press situation. We feel like if we can deal with that, there might be space for us to exploit going the other way.”
Adrian Stenta on the return of goalkeeper Annalee Grove from illness and whether Claudia Jenkins will retain her spot:
“We’ve got three strong goalkeepers and they’re all really pushing each other to be better at training every week. I’ve got confidence in whoever I select to come in and do a good job because they have to because they know there’s pressure on them to play well to keep their spot as there is on all the players in our starting lineup.”
Adrian Stenta on how vital it is that his side gets its first win of the season on Saturday:
“It’s about reward for effort and will help with their confidence levels as well. I feel like we’ve been close for a couple of weeks now and we just need to get over the line. But our focus is just on being better each week so we feel like if we can continue to improve, week on week, session by session, then the result of the result will come.”
Adrian Stenta on the importance of having a vocal home crowd on Saturday:
“I think it’s a good time slot – five o’clock on a Saturday – school holidays are starting over here as well. We’d like to see as many fans as possible come out and cheer us on and be loud when they’re here as well because it does make a difference and we notice it.
“We like to see lots of young kids out here as well. The players are really happy to meet and greet with them after games so it’s a really good connection that we have here with the local community, and we’d love to have a big crowd out supporting us being vocal being loud and spurring us on.”
