Citizens in Adelaide for Pre-Season Hitout
Adelaide United welcomed Melbourne City to Hindmarsh for a behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday. The game was end-to-end for 90 minutes, and both teams had chances to win.
Stefan Mauk was able to score the winner, and the only goal for the game. With minutes remaining, Mauk headed the ball from point blank range, after a wonderful cross from the Manton Street side of the ground.
With the A-League season fast approaching, here are the key takeaways from a big fixture.
Adelaide’s young looking good
With injuries to key players in the squad and a bye scheduled for matchday 1, United’s head coach, Carl Veart, made the decision to play the kids. Veart mentioned post-match that he will be relying on his youngsters during the new campaign:
“I’ve done that [play youth] all the way through, since I’ve had this job here,” Veart said.
“We’ve seen this year will be no different from that. We’ll be providing that platform for these boys.
“If you do the work, I’ll give you that chance to play.”
City, meanwhile, played a squad of youth and mixed experience, and it paid off for large periods of the game. However, youth won out, as the next generation held off City’s current crop to record the victory.
Austin Ayoubi next United superstar
Adelaide’s next success story looks likely to be Austin Ayoubi. Ayoubi joined Adelaide in November of 2023 and is getting better with every appearance.
Ayoubi quickly closed down opponents and created multiple scoring opportunities from his position on the far side.
With Adelaide United needing to replace the talent of Nestory Irankunda, could the former Metrostars jet step into the Adelaide 11? If he wasn’t there already, his performance against City certainly placed him in the selection window.
A change in tempo
In the first half, Melbourne’s experience was all over the young Reds. It appeared that Aurelio Vidmar instructed his team to play at a faster tempo over the off-season. Melbourne was quicker in possession and didn’t allow any time for the ball carrier to become trapped in possession.
Adelaide by comparison were slow and meticulous in the build-up. However, because of Melbourne’s speed, it often saw the Reds placed under intense pressure and the ball often ended up at the feet of a City player.
In the second half, Adelaide were able to settle in quicker after the main break. On repeated occasions they broke down the City defence before Mauk’s headed goal won the game.
Missed chances
Neither team was able to make effective use of opportunities presented to them. Throughout the game, 12 chances were generated between the teams. The shots taken were either off target or straight at the keepers.
Melbourne will now face the Newcastle Jets to kick off their A-League season Saturday at 5pm AEDT. After its bye, Adelaide face Central Coast at Coopers the following week to kick off their season.