Adelaide United coach Rini Coolen has finals on his mind as the Reds seek to regain a fear factor among their A-League rivals. Coolen considers his A-League coaching debut on Friday night in a home fixture against Newcastle, as Adelaide’s first step to regaining respect.
The Reds finished bottom last season and many pundits doubt they can recover to make an imprint on the upper reaches of this year’s competition.
Dutchman Coolen has scoffed at the gloomy predictions, saying on Thursday his squad was good enough to contest the finals.
Coolen signalled his ultimate vision of attractive soccer will take a back seat as the Reds initially focus purely on winning.
“That is something for the future,” Coolen said of the entertainment factor.
“The most important thing is that we win the game.
“You can play a bad game and still win.”
The start of Coolen’s tenure is severely limited by injuries, with a key quartet – captain Travis Dodd, midfielder Fabian Barbiero, defender Robert Corthwaite and striker Lloyd Owusu – all sidelined by various ailments for their season opener.
Winger Lucas Pantelis will captain in Dodd’s absence, and acknowledged the Reds’ wooden spoon had eroded the club’s standing.
“Not too many clubs would fear us,” Pantelis said.
“And that is something that we have to gain back, because in the first years of the A-League we were feared.
“I don’t think we were a bottom side, I think we were a lot better than that, but this year is a totally new season and we want to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Pantelis said home wins were crucial to restoring their reputation.
“Winning your home games is probably the most important thing, not just for Adelaide United but for every club around the world,” he said.
“It’s probably the number one priority and whatever you get away is a real bonus.
“We want teams to come out here and really fear us and know they have a game on their hands.”
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