Adrian Stenta spoke to the media ahead of Adelaide United’s clash against rivals, Melbourne Victory in Melbourne this Saturday.
With a home final secured, the Reds still remain in contention for a top two finish to earn the week off at the start of the Finals Series. After a come-from-behind win against Brisbane Roar last week, Stenta was full of praise for his side’s grit and determination and what motivates them for the remaining regular season matches.
Stenta on the comfort of securing a home final but having top two decided in this weekend’s clash:
“We’ve got a lot to play for, so we want to finish as high up the ladder as we can, and if we can push for top two, that would be great. But either way, a game in Melbourne against Melbourne Victory is great preparation for what’s to come in the finals series. We’re really looking forward to the challenge and we think we can get something out of this game for sure.”
Stenta on his side’s last meeting with Melbourne Victory in Round One that resulted in a narrow defeat:
“They’re a really good defensive side, and I know Jeff [Hopkins] prides his team on trying to keep clean sheets and make it difficult for opposition sides to score, so we think that’ll be the same again. And obviously, they’ve got some attacking threats up front as well, but we did too. So, it was a really good game in Round One and could have gone either way. Probably, a draw would’ve been a fair result, but they pipped us, so hopefully we can get over there and give one back to them.
Stenta on the lesson’s learnt from last week’s come-from-behind win against Brisbane Roar:
“We weren’t all that happy with our first half. We were probably just a little bit laboured and didn’t think we really clicked into gear. So, it wasn’t until we sort of went behind that we played the way that we wanted to play and attack the game, how we’d set out to from the beginning. So, it was good to fight back. There were some positive moments in the game as well. I think we scored some nice goals too. Brisbane were a tough opponent. They were desperate, and to be able to meet their challenge and finish over the top of them shows the group’s got a lot of character.
Stenta on Erin Healy’s omission from the squad due to injury:
“Erin has been managed the last few weeks and hasn’t quite been 100 percent, so we’ve been bringing her off early or starting her from the bench, and it’s just not at that point where it’s improving that much. So, we thought with the international break coming up, it’s a good opportunity to try and freshen her up. And we want her playing at 100 percent, not just sort of managing and getting through. So we’re confident that towards the end of the season, so she’ll be available again, and she’ll be 100 percent and fit and raring to go.
Stenta on Fiona Wort’s impact off the bench last week and her role against Victory:
“We’ll see what we do with Fiona again. She’s another one that we have sort of been managing back from injury because it’s been an injury that she’s suffered twice throughout the season. So, we just want to be careful but the way we manage these players. But, she’s trained really well this week. She’s put her hand up for selection, so the coaching staff will review training and go through our match plans and see whether we decide to start her on the bench or start her on the pitch.
Stenta on being Adelaide United’s most successful Ninja A League Women’s Coach in history:
“It makes me feel proud but it’s really a team effort. It’s all the staff. I see how hard they work and often a lot of them are working multiple jobs. They’re fully committed to our program but also having to do other things to make ends meet. So, a lot of credit needs to go to them. The players, they’ve been fantastic. From day one they were really stung by what happened last year, as we all were, and they were very clear about the fact that they wanted to do something about that this year, and you can see the response on the pitch, so the credit goes to the whole team.
