Gertjan Verbeek says he was largely pleased with Adelaide United’s intensity during the first-half of their friendly win over Adelaide City.
The Reds recorded a 6-0 win at Taperoo Reserve on Tuesday night as preparations for the upcoming season continued.
Verbeek said there were some encouraging signs with how his side went about breaking down a City side camped in their half during the opening 45 minutes.
Michaël Maria, who slotted the first goal, combined well with his teammates and the dynamism and dribbling ability he showcased, caused a number of problems, while Riley McGree and Nathan Konstandopoulos were also sharp in midfield.
“The opponent made it quite difficult for us because they played very defensive, a 4-1-4-1 (formation),” Verbeek said.
“So the spaces were little and because we had a good tempo, the attitude was going forward in attack and we did and we scored three goals.
“So that was not bad. I was satisfied with the first-half.”
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However, the Dutch tactician intimated his team lost some of their shape and patterns of play for the first 30 minutes of the second stanza.
Verbeek made eleven changes at the interval with the majority of the line-up consisting of the younger members in the squad.
“The second-half the youth team came in, the youngsters and they made the mistake to not make the runs,” he admitted.
“So they took position and stood there playing static football, and the first half hour was not good.
“The last 15 minutes the opponent got a little bit tired and it was better and then we scored three goals again.
“The goals were okay but the performance was not okay.”
However, Verbeek reiterated his contentment with the team’s attitude and approach to the friendly, and that they are in good physical condition at this stage of the pre-season.
“I saw in the first-half a team that wants to try football how I want to see it,” he explained.
“And it was a good attitude and that’s always nice to see in pre-season after a long pre-season because you want to play really important games.
“A friendly game is not an important game, but then you can still see how far you are.
“Physically we’re good, the intensity was very good, and the youngsters have to learn a little how to react to a team that is playing very defensive.”
The Reds now have the next five days off to refresh and recuperate with Verbeek revealing he will use the time away to fly back to the Netherlands to bring over his wife and daughter.
