A-League: Adelaide Reds suffer another drubbing at home against reinvigorated Newcastle Jets
A damning scoreline only further emphasised the differing fortunes of the Newcastle Jets and Adelaide United despite the Reds sitting higher on the A-League table.
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Reds fans howling their disdain echoed throughout Hindmarsh Stadium as Adelaide United crashed to another heavy defeat at home.
Just eight days after Adelaide was thumped 5-1 by Western United, it was Newcastle Jets which came to Adelaide to reignite its season in a convincing 3-0 win on Sunday night.
Roy O’Donovan opened the score in the 41st minute, Matthew Millar made it 2-0 six minutes after the break and Steven Ugarkovic added a third three minutes later.
Adelaide is still seventh — six points above Jets and on equal points with sixth-placed Western United — but form suggests their table position is “fake news” before many fans jeered the team off the park.
TRYING TOO HARD, TOO TIMID OR JUST A RABBLE
James Troisi worked hard in a bid to lift the spirits of a team which is now wearing its forlorn heart on its sleeve.
He tried to inspire his side going forward with energy but the side’s confidence is absolutely shot. The side lacks cohesion and structure.
In situations where they have more than ample numbers to quell the Jets attacking threats, they were all over the shop, they’re not covering for each other.
Some Reds fans jeering their own side is a sure sign United has lost the patience of its faithful who are usually an adoring public.
Making three substitution at the same time in the 63rd minute when Riley McGree, Ryan Kitto and Nikola Mileusnic were hooked for Michael Maria, Mohamed Toure and Kusini Yengi was odd and in line with its season.
Mohamed Toure and Yengi played as twins striker in a 4-4-2 formation when they came on.
MAN MARKING MIRKO
In his first start for Adelaide this season after a horrendous injury run defensive midfielder Mirko Boland, 32, was given the task of man marking Jets playmaker Dimitri Petratos.
Louis D’Arrigo, 18, was dropped from the starting 11 for the more experience German for the first time this season.
Jets’ ex-Welsh international, new coach Carl Robinson reacted ensuring Petratos made wide runs which led to gaps in front of the Reds four man defence until United adjusted its balance.
Boland’s expert tackle when Petratos was closing down on goal in the first half when the Reds back four was in front of the German suggests it was a good move until the playmaker fired in a brutal cross for the Jets opening goal before the break.
Adelaide lost possession in the middle and got caught in transition.
Boland was far more effective with the ball at his feet, spraying and dictating the tempo — all what a wise head brings in that important role.
THE BOSS AND THE PRESSURE
Verbeek wasn’t sure of Adelaide had it in them to get out of the three-game losing rut before the Jets clash.
There was suggestions fatigue — physically and mentally had kicked in and weren’t about to disappear fast — after Adelaide until late last year looked like it would be vying for a title after the FFA Cup win in November.
Verbeek summed up Adelaide’s recent form.
“Every time it’s the same problem, when we have the ball, we lose it too quick and we leave the game too open,” he said.
“Every game is a little bit different but every is under pressure now everybody is watching the list (premiership table).
“When you lose too many goals and concede so many goals there’s more pressure and then the confidence is much less.”
INJURY CRISIS CONTINUES
Adelaide’s Norwegian striker Kristian Opseth is another Reds suffering due to a training accident which forced him out of last night’s clash.
Just weeks after Nathan Konstandopoulos’ season was abruptly ended when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligaments during a tackle in the dying seconds of a training session, Opseth rolled his ankle on Saturday.
Opseth is now in a moon boot.
Reds officials claimed he should be fit for the Melbourne City away clash on March 27 but with striker Al Hassan Toure out for weeks with a fractured foot, the Reds attacking options are getting rather thin at the business end of the season.
George Blackwood was given the striker’s role from the start but marksman rookies Mohamed Toure, 15, and Yengi, 21, must now step up.
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CORONAVIRUS IMPACT
The crowd at the stadium last night was way down and probably with good reason as the coronavirus pandemic grips the entire world.
Stay away fans sent out a clear message that they’re putting their own health above all else.
Just 4286 turned up for the clash.
The atmosphere was also tepid which at times matched the clash from a Reds perspective.
A-LEAGUE ROUND 23
ADELAIDE UNITED 0
NEWCASTLE JETS 3 (Roy O'Donovan 41m, Matthew Millar 51m, Steven Ugarkovic 54m) at Coopers Stadium
Adelaide (4-3-3): Izzo; Strain, Elsey, Jakobsen, Kitto (Maria 63m; D’Arrigo, Boland, McGree (Mohamed Toure 63m), Troisi; Mauk, Blackwood, Mileusnic (Yengi 63m)
Jets (5-3-2): Italiano; Millar, Koutroumbis, Boogaard, Topor-Stanley, Burns; Ugarkovic, Thurgate (Ledley 69m), D Petratos; O’Donovan (Y Petratos 85m), Hoolahan (Fitzgerald 69m)
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro
Var: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Crowd: 4286
Yellow cards: Jets: Burns – Adelaide: Boland, Jakobsen
Red cards: None