Reds Head Coach Carl Veart shared his thoughts ahead of Adelaide United’s upcoming match against Melbourne City at Coopers Stadium on Friday night. Veart discussed player updates, squad depth, and the challenges that lie ahead against a strong Melbourne City side. Here’s what Veart had to say:
Veart on the national team call-ups…
“I’m always supportive of our young players going away with the national team. It’s a big tournament, and we need junior national teams to qualify for World Cups. It helps with their development as players, so I’m fine with it. It’s an important time for them, and we want them to be successful.”
Veart on the fitness of James Delianov and Jordan Elsey…
“James is still not quite right. He’ll be available next week. We’re making sure that when players return, they stay fit and healthy, so we’ve given him an extra week to make sure he’s fully ready.
“Jordan’s playing tonight in the NPL team. He’s working his way back and we’re making sure he gets through that game. He’ll be available for next week after getting some game time tonight.”
Veart on the status of trialist, Daan Klomp…
“Daan has gone back to Europe. He signed a contract with a team there. We had a good look at him, but he felt that moving to Europe was the best decision for his career.”
Veart on potential new signings…
“The window is still open for another week and a half. I think we’re fairly settled with the squad we’ve got. We’re a little lean with the four young players away, but it’s a good opportunity for some of the young NPL boys to come into the squad. It’s always about giving opportunities to our young players.”
Veart on the performance last week…
“Yeah, last week was difficult. We should have scored two or three goals in the first 20-25 minutes. We didn’t take our chances, and after that, the game wasn’t our best. But we still created opportunities to make it 2-all. If we’d taken those chances, the game could have been very different. We missed our opportunities, and that’s something we need to improve on.”
Veart on young players like Amlani Tatu…
“Amlani’s definitely one for the future. He’s been training with us full-time and has shown real quality in moments. He’s still developing, and we need to be mindful of giving him the right opportunities when the time is right for him. He’s a young player finding his feet in the professional game.”
Veart on coaching against a friend in Aurelio Vidmar…
“Yeah, I crossed paths with him this year. I’ve known Aurelio for a long time, we’re very good friends, so it’ll be a good match. But for 90 minutes tomorrow, we’ll both be focused on doing our best for our teams.”
Veart on the competition in the Isuzu UTE A-League…
“The A-League is tough, and it’s difficult against all teams. If you don’t turn up on the day, it’s going to be a tough game. Melbourne City has had some really good results with their young players, and we know they’ll be a tough proposition. We need to go out, play our football, work hard, and hopefully come away with the three points.”
