Adelaide United coach Gertjan Verbeek insists he’s not feeling pressure despite Reds’ winless streak
Adelaide United coach Gertjan Verbeek has pulled no punches prior to the Reds’ clash with fierce rival Melbourne Victory, claiming the embattled Reds cannot win an A-League title this season.
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Gertjan Verbeek says he is not feeling the heat as embattled Adelaide United bids to avoid an unwanted record against a bitter rival which has just sacked its coach.
And the Dutch boss has stood by his recent criticism of his team, claiming the Reds’ four-match winless streak demonstrates their inability to win an A-League title this season.
Verbeek pulled no punches when addressing the media, 24 hours out from Friday night’s crunch meeting with cross-border foe Melbourne Victory at Hindmarsh Stadium.
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He expressed surprise over the Victorian club’s decision to sack former Adelaide mentor Marco Kurz on Wednesday.
But Verbeek said he did not fear for his job, as United aimed to steer clear of five-straight league defeats for the first time in its history.
“I was 18 when I came into professional football and at that moment there is pressure … as a player,” said Verbeek, following Reds training on Thursday.
“As a trainer (coach) it is more stressful because you are not involved in the game … so all my life I have stress and I have pressure.
“That’s part of the deal and you get good pay for it.
“Of course you have sympathy for a colleague (Kurz) who gets sacked.
“It’s also happened to me and the first days are awful.
“In this kind of situation (winless run) you can do three things.
“You can freeze, it’s not getting better, you can runaway, it’s not getting better, or you fight, and you have to have fight.”
Verbeek was scathing in his assessment of his charges following last Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Perth Glory, which knocked the Reds out of a finals berth for the fist time since November.
He said the post-match comments, where he singled out left back Ryan Kitto for errors leading to a goal, were designed to spark a much-needed response.
“I’ve protected the team (from criticism) now for seven months,” said Verbeek, who joined the club in June.
“But now (after five) losses in the last six games … it’s also my responsibility.
“You try everything to get a reaction from players, from the team in the results.
“Sometimes you make a decision to do something to get a reaction, so now we have to wait for tomorrow (Friday to see) how the team is dealing with it.
“Sometimes you have to give a wake-up call.”
Verbeek, who led United to a stunning 3-1 success over the Victory in round seven, hosed down rumours of unrest within his squad.
“I have never met a team who is losing four games in-a-row that are happy,” he said.
“If they are happy, I kick ass.”
But he refused to comment on speculation surrounding a potential mid-season departure for midfielder James Troisi.
The 37-cap Socceroo will miss the clash with his previous club due to an ongoing hamstring injury.
United will also be without striker Al Hassan Toure, who Verbeek said had picked up a foot problem while on national under-23 team duty in Thailand.
German import Mirko Boland, yet to feature in a league match this campaign, returns to the extended squad following knee surgery.
Verbeek said he had not asked director of football Bruce Djite for reinforcements during the January transfer window, but claimed the pair’s relationship remained “very good”.
He was typically blunt when asked if the Reds could claim a championship this term.
“No,” the ex-Feyenoord, AZ Alkmaar and FC Nurnberg manager replied.
“We don’t have the money like some other teams.
“They can also give more salary, they can sell, buy players.
“We don’t do that. We try to do it with youth players.
“The nice thing here in the A-League is even when you come to the first six (league places) and you get to the playoffs, you can become a champion.
“But we are not good enough to play for the first two positions.
“There are three (or) four teams much better than we are.”