Mariners coach Alen Stajcic hopes to orchestrate an underdog victory against Adelaide United on Sunday
His Central Coast Mariners may be languishing at the bottom of the A-League table, but coach Alen Stajcic says his team has what it takes to topple Adelaide United on Sunday.
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Central Coast boss Alen Stajcic knows his Mariners are edging closer to beating an Adelaide United that has won in Gosford for six consecutive matches.
Rather than hoping the Mariners will be singing the victory song on Sunday night, Stajcic has been at his pedantic best at training this week.
Adelaide comes off a bye after a 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets at home in one of their worst performances this season, but Stajcic is no stranger to upsets.
His leadership saw the Matildas beat four-time FIFA women’s World Cup winner the US for the first time in 2017.
Stajcic led the side to its highest fourth place FIFA ranking before that era bizarrely crashed in January when Stajcic was banished, but he knows the Mariners must be at their peak to topple Adelaide.
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Under current Reds coach Gertjan Verbeek, Adelaide claimed an FFA Cup semi-final 2-1 and an A-League 3-1 win over Mariners, which disappointed Stajcic.
“In the first game they got away with a few things and in that last game I think the score line flattered us a little bit,” Stajcic said on Friday.
“We know we’re coming up against a team that has got good quality and good depth and reasonably good form all the way through.
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“There’s been a lot of positives and there are things we need to tighten up, but concentration is definitely a part of that as well.”
Stajcic says coaching the Mariners – after his brutal Matildas exit stunned most of the national football world – had boosted his wellbeing.
After his reputation was shamefully attacked, as innuendo set in when FFA could not clearly explain why he had been axed, Stajcic is bouncing back from mental exhaustion and keen to stay focused.
This is despite a harrowing week after Football Federation Australia issued a 10-page independent review into Australia's national teams in the wake of his Matildas sacking.
They did not interview Stajcic during the process before FFA released its findings.
“I have really enjoyed working with the Mariners going to work every day and resolving problems straight away rather than waiting two or three months,’’ Stajcic said.
“At a national team level you get a big moment every two or three months, but having 27 A-League games and having the team daily is a little more enjoyable at the moment.
“It’s not for me to comment on the inquiry, but I didn’t get an opportunity to present to the panel.
“You know, 15 years of being with all the national teams, (having) coached the 17s (women), the Young Matildas, the Matildas, I have been an assistant coach, and to not have my input ...”
FFA on Thursday announced no further action would be taken, despite The Advertiser sighting screenshots of text messages from an FFA official which potentially made Stajcic’s job untenable in January before he was sacked.