Adelaide United Isuzu UTE A-League coach Carl Veart is not giving away who might replace the suspended Nestory Irankunda in his line-up for Saturday night’s Remembrance Day match against Sydney FC, but he is wary of the winless Sky Blues and the potential for a new coach bounce.
Sydney parted ways with previous coach Steve Corica earlier this week and replaced him with former player Ufuk Talay, having gone three games without a win and without scoring a goal.
While the Reds are top of the ladder and unbeaten so far, Veart says his side needs to perform at its best against a good side that has started the season poorly.
Speaking before his side’s final training run at Coopers Stadium on Friday, Veart discussed the heat, his options to replace Irankunda and Joe Gauci’s call-up by the Socceroos.
Carl Veart on Sydney FC’s winless start to the season and the potential for a new-coach bounce:
“They’re very, very good side. And they haven’t started the league that well, but you know, they had a very good pre-season. It won’t take much for them to get back on the winning way so it’s important for us that we stick to our processes and perform to our best.”
Carl Veart on how Nestory Irankunda has been this week following his suspension:
“Nestor is fine. He’s focused on what he needs to do. He’s still learning the game. And there’s a lot for him to learn not just what happens on the pitch, but what happens off the pitch as well so we’re still working with him. In a way, it could be a blessing for him to have that little bit of a rest anyway, he was getting close to having rest, and it’s just been more forced.
“To play the first three games and play big minutes in those first three games, it’s taken a physical toll on him as well, but also a mental toll. It takes a lot for him to get himself up and prepare mentally for games as well.”
Carl Veart on who might take Nestory Irankunda’s place in the starting side this week:
“In pre-season we used Luka (Jovanovic) a lot in that position as well so it’d be between Luka or Bernardo and Bernardo has done exceptionally well so far this season as well. So we’ve got plenty of options there to replace Nestor.”
Carl Veart on training early on a 40-degree day in Adelaide:
“Today’s a warm one, but matchday is going to be quite nice weather and it’s in the evening. So perfect conditions for the game. And the players are really looking forward to playing home again. It’s a big game and hopefully we can get lots of supporters get behind us… because the boys are playing exceptionally well at the moment and we’re looking forward to getting another three points tomorrow.”
Carl Veart on Joe Gauci being called up to the Socceroos squad:
“Joe has been working exceptionally hard over the last couple of years. And, you know, I think everyone has seen his qualities in the first three games. That’s what we’ve always said and it’s, I suppose, a reward for Joe’s work that he’s been putting into his own game and the performances that he’s had so far to start the season.”
Carl Veart on Jonny Yull’s strong start to the season:
“I think he’s one of our best players. And we’re working with Jonny to get him to that level and next exposure last week and the experience that he gave him last week will make him a better player.
“Jonny has been training with the team now for two or three seasons and we’ve been working with him over that time to get his body right. He’s had a lot of issues with stress fractures, so we’ve had to be very careful with the loads that we’ve put on him. But he’s had a fantastic preseason and he’s a lot stronger now so he can cope with the demands of being a professional footballer.”
