Adelaide United Head Coach Theo Tsiounis is backing his side to continue building as the Reds prepare for their Matchweek Three trip to face Central Coast Mariners.
Following last weekend’s goalless draw with Perth Glory, Tsiounis said United’s focus remains on improving its attacking execution while maintaining the approach the squad has embraced.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Tsiounis discussed the Mariners’ threat, the benefits of training at Playford and Maeve Nicholas’ upcoming return.
On reflecting on the Perth draw…
“There were a lot of positives. I think every training session, every game, we’re improving and we’re heading in the direction we’re looking for.
“Upon reflection of the Perth game, as I mentioned after the game, I felt that we controlled the game, in and out of possession.
“Areas that we can improve continue to be creating and taking opportunities in our attacking half, and that’s something that we’ll continue to work on and look to improve throughout the next few games, in particular.”
On making the most of training…
“We talk about being present and making the most of every opportunity, every training session that we have, and that’s the only way that we’re going to continue to get better.
“We want to continue to invest in our players during training, after training, and give them every platform that they require to be the best versions of themselves.”
On the benefits of being based at Playford…
“It’s a huge plus, I think, from a number of angles. Firstly, being able to share human resources has been amazing.
“It just allows us to align everything. It allows us to have more detailed and professional conversations and make improvements to programs and align things. The positive from that perspective has been immense.
“Additionally, I feel that it’s giving us an opportunity to really build on a culture.
“It gives us an opportunity to continue to build on that culture, which is what the Club’s done really well over the years, and will continue to do so.”
On Maeve Nicholas’ upcoming return…
“Looking forward to having Maeve back. She obviously spent a bit of time away with the under-17s in the World Cup.
“She’ll get her exam out of the way, and then she’ll be joining us on the field on Tuesday next week. So we’re looking forward to having her back.”
On the challenge posed by Central Coast…
“Once again, our focus will be on how we approach a game and how we want to play.
“Central Coast pose a different threat. They’re a very quick team. They get forward very quickly. They get numbers in around the area.
“They obviously started off with a bang in the last two games, so it’ll be a big test for us.
“I know the girls are really looking forward to it, as are we as coaches, because I think it’ll bring to life some other qualities that we haven’t been exposed to so far this season.”
On refining United’s attacking approach…
“The framework won’t change, but there are little tweaks within that, in terms of looking to prepare to play a little bit quicker, getting numbers in the box at certain times.
“Little tweaks within our framework, but no significant changes. I think we’re just going to keep building on what we’re doing.
“The girls are really invested and enjoying the way that we’re trying to approach every game and the way that we’re training. So we want to continue along that path.”
