Adrian Stenta spoke to the media ahead of Adelaide United’s standalone clash against Brisbane Roar at Coopers Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Reds remain firmly in the hunt for a top-two finish. After a narrow 4-3 defeat to ladder-leaders Melbourne City last week, Stenta was full of praise for his team’s resilience and attacking firepower, while noting areas to improve heading into the pointy end of the campaign.
Here’s what he had to say…
Stenta on last week’s performance…
“We’ve spoken as a group about some of the things we think we did well and some of the areas where we think we can improve. We probably didn’t start as well as we’d like, but the team showed real resilience and fight. There were definitely some positives to come out of the game.”
Stenta on learning from a loss…
“Sometimes in football, you get the result and sometimes you don’t. We’re more worried about the way we play and trying to give ourselves a chance in every game. We’re not happy that we lost—we want to be a difficult team to beat—and I think our 11-game run showed that.”
Stenta on the depth of his squad…
“I actually said to the group today after training, we had a fantastic session—everyone was on point. Some players are training and playing at a really high level and can’t even get a look into the squad. We’ve got faith in every single one of our players.”
Stenta on how squad depth shapes selection…
“There’s some areas of our game we still want to improve, but what this depth gives me is tactical flexibility. We can pick a side based on the opponent or the way we want to play. It allows us to look at combinations and where we can gain an edge.”
Stenta on scoring goals across the squad…
“That’s been a real positive this year. It was an area we identified from last season. If you can score goals, you’re dangerous and can take more risks. Defensively, we’ve been strong, and I think we’re as dangerous as anyone in the final third.”
Stenta on Izzy Hodgson’s return…
“More minutes for Izzy this week? We’ll have to wait and see. She’s had a long time out of the game, and you can’t just flick a switch. We’re hoping she continues to build and gets to a strong training level to contribute however we need her to.”
Stenta on managing players who want more game time…
“It’s really tough. Sometimes there are no words to explain selection decisions. All you can do is be honest. It puts pressure on the players who do get selected, and that’s driven our success this year—those not playing are pushing from underneath.”
Stenta on the standalone match at Coopers Stadium…
“Coopers [Stadium] is a fantastic venue. Players in both the A-League Men and Women vote it the best stadium in the country. Adelaide Venue Management have been fantastic, not just maintaining the facility, but supporting women’s football. We’re grateful to play here.”
Stenta on the crowd and local football community…
“The atmosphere at Coopers is the best in the country. We’ve been out at clubs this week visiting juniors and seniors across the WNPL and WSL. We’d love to see those future stars in the stands supporting us—it really lifts us to another level.”
