Adelaide United Ninja A-League coach Theo Tsiounis described Saturday’s victory over Melbourne City as an important moment in the group’s journey, after United claimed a first win over City since January 2021 and moved up to second on the Ninja A-League table.
Goals from Fiona Worts and Ella Tonkin sealed a deserved result at Coopers Stadium, as the Reds responded strongly to last week’s setback in Wellington with a composed, disciplined performance.
Tsiounis on ending the 1,836-day wait to beat Melbourne City
“Putting that into perspective makes it a really important accomplishment. We’re starting to create a narrative and trying to achieve new things as a group, and it’s part of our journey. We want to continue that journey and see what else we can do moving forward.”
Tsiounis on whether it was a statement win
“Every game we play has been a statement. There haven’t been many games where we haven’t been creating opportunities or where we haven’t deserved to take something out of the game. The girls were fantastic today, but they’ve been fantastic all year. Whoever comes in has been exceptional, and everyone is on board.”
Tsiounis on climbing to second on the table
“I don’t look at the table. For me it’s one game at a time, and the only focus is the game we’re preparing for. If we focus on our processes, our details, and improving individual players, the outcomes will come. This is only the beginning. There’s a long way to go. We’ll keep working hard to be a consistent team, with depth and young players coming through. That’s our journey.”
Tsiounis on what pleased him tactically
“We were able to nullify Melbourne City’s attacking threats. We knew McNamara was going to drop in, so we had a player sit a little deeper to make sure she could be picked up. We wanted to apply high pressure in the first half, which we did well, then play forward quickly to create opportunities. The first half was exceptional. We scored the second goal, then the momentum changed, and the subs and impact players helped change the game for us again. We executed the plan well today.”
Tsiounis on the composure to see out another tight finish
“It’s something we work on at training. We talk about game management and run different scenarios – protecting a lead, needing a goal — so the players are prepared to manage those situations during games. It’s part of their learning journey. We’re trying to give them as much information as we can to make them better players and ultimately a better team.”
Tsiounis on the centre-back pairing of Matilda McNamara and Ella Tonkin
“They’re quality players, both of them. Tonkin has added a lot to her game technically and on the ball – her ability to split lines with passes and step in has been exceptional this year. She’s probably one of the best, if not the best, centre backs in the league at the moment. McNamara defends with everything – she makes sure nothing gets past her. She’s like a solid brick wall. We’re fortunate to have a pairing like that, and they’ve been one of the reasons we’ve had success in recent times.”
Tsiounis on Dylan Holmes’ return to the side
“Absolutely. She mentioned it was her first game at Coopers this season, so she was excited. She came on at the right time and helped take control through the middle with her experience. She gets out of congested areas well and holds the midfield. She’s an important part of this team, and we’re looking forward to seeing her increase her minutes over the next few weeks.”
