VEART: ADELAIDE WILL PLAY HIGH-RISK FOOTBALL
Adelaide United coach Carl Veart is prepared to see his team concede four goals again this week — as long as they score five against Brisbane Roar at Coopers Stadium on Saturday. Despite being in the A-League premiership race, Adelaide’s leaky defence remains a major concern, with the Reds having let in 34 goals in 18 matches, a record worse than only bottom-placed Brisbane (36) and Perth (45).
Veart remains unwavering in his commitment to an attacking style of play. “We don’t want to concede as many goals as we do, but we’re not going to change the way we play,” he said. “We want to be an attacking team that scores goals. Sometimes that leaves us a little vulnerable at the back. I’m happy to take that risk as long as we score more than the opposition.”
Last weekend’s chaotic 4-4 draw with Auckland FC highlighted both the danger and the thrill of Adelaide’s approach. Veart acknowledged the inconsistency but saw promise in his team’s performances. “Our performances haven’t been poor, but our intensity hasn’t been consistent. It’s about maintaining our energy levels and being sharper in key moments,” he said.
Adelaide will be boosted by the return of centre-back Panagiotis Kikianis and goalkeeper James Delianov. Kikianis comes back from the Young Socceroos’ successful AFC Under-20 Asian Cup campaign, bringing much-needed composure to the backline. Meanwhile, Delianov, having recovered from injury, will replace Ethan Cox, who has struggled in recent weeks.
“(Kikianis) is an integral part of our team. Even though he’s young, he brings a calmness and passing ability that suits the way we want to play,” Veart said. “James has had two full weeks of training and is our number one goalkeeper, so he’ll come back into the team. We just needed to make sure he was fully ready. ‘Coxy’ is a young goalkeeper, and this run of games was a great learning experience for him. He knows what areas he needs to work on.”
With Brisbane Roar languishing at the bottom of the ladder, Veart sees this as a prime chance for Adelaide to build momentum. “We need to make sure our intensity is there from the start, just like it was after the first 20 minutes against Auckland last week,” he said. “We had a little dip in form where we dropped off the pace. Some games we were five or 10 per cent below where we needed to be, and that made a difference.”
The Roar will be missing key players, with former Reds winger Ben Halloran and French playmaker Florin Berenguer opting to stay home due to Cyclone Alfred. This gives Adelaide an even better opportunity to capitalize and secure a crucial victory.
“We have a great opportunity to build momentum,” Veart said. “It’s up to us to take it.”
Adelaide fans will be hoping their team’s fearless attacking philosophy pays off — as long as they can keep their goal count just one step ahead of the chaos at the back.