Coach Gertjan Verbeek opens up on his Adelaide United exit and why he would consider a post-coronavirus return to the Reds
Departed Adelaide United coach Gertjan Verbeek has revealed the reasons behind his exit in an exclusive interview with The Advertiser. The Dutchman has also refused to rule out a return to the Reds.
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Gertjan Verbeek says financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, not board pressure following a poor run of results, forced him to step down as Adelaide United coach.
But the Dutchman has refused to rule out a return to the Reds, endorsing the club’s long-term strategy of building a squad based on young SA talent.
Verbeek mutually parted ways with United on Wednesday, ending his rollercoaster reign 10 months after he arrived.
His exit came on the back of a four-match losing streak, which had left Adelaide outside the top-six when the A-League was halted due to COVID-19 on March 24.
But in an exclusive interview with The Advertiser, Verbeek said he was prepared to see out the second year of his contract before the pandemic wreaked havoc on world sport.
“More as a solution for the club and for me.
“The last few weeks I had a lot of individual talks with Piet (van der Pol), the owner.
“It’s May and he can’t give me any guarantee about salary or even if there is a competition next season.
“So in this unsure situation, you can have no obligations.
“The agreement (contract) I have will for sure not be fulfilled in the next season because there will be less money.
“I have to take care of my family.
“I can’t stay unemployed for a whole year ... so it’s better to have a mutual agreement (to part ways).
“They (the club) fully understand my motivation.
“Nobody knows what the future is bringing us.”
Verbeek’s tenure peaked with October’s FFA Cup triumph and an early-season hot streak that lifted United to third on the table.
But four consecutive defeats either side of the new year, coupled with the most recent slide during which his side shipped 15 goals, had raised doubts about his position.
Verbeek however was open to a reunion with the Reds, should they reach out to him once a potentially revised format for next campaign was locked in.
“I liked it a lot in Adelaide,” Verbeek, 57, said.
“Working with my staff was perfect and we played some marvellous games with a lot of goals.
“In a defensive way, we were not strong enough to do it all the season.
“But there was a lot of highlights when I look back.
“Maybe there will be a (shortened) competition in January for three or four months.
“If they (the club) say ‘if you like, you can come back’ ... then I have to talk with my wife and maybe it’s interesting.
“There were a lot of challenges, because there were already some financial problems.
“The budget was under pressure.
“But still we had a group of talented players. There was a lot of potential.”
Clubs across the competition have been left in economic limbo, as they awaited the government green light to complete the remaining six rounds of the regular season and finals.
A standoff over the final instalment of this year’s TV deal had added further strain.
But Verbeek remained upbeat about his Australian “adventure”.
The ex-Feyenoord manager insisted he was not frustrated by the lack of funds available to add to depth to his injury-ravaged squad.
He urged Adelaide to persist with the homegrown focus which had given youngsters like midfielder Louis D’Arrigo, as well as brothers Al Hassan and Mohamed Toure, opportunities.
“You have to work with the players you have and if it’s not possible to get other players, then you have to ... see what’s in the youth.
“Even when we lost three or four times, I never felt pressure from the board to think differently and make other decisions than trust the young players.
“I hope they will continue to find a way to develop young players and give them a chance to become an A-League player.
“Of course money is important in professional football.
“But you have to have a vision and keep to that.
“I heard in the last year how many players from South Australia are playing for Brisbane or Melbourne City or other clubs.
“If all the players born in South Australia came back and played for Adelaide United, I think you can compare with (reigning champion) Sydney FC.”
Verbeek reiterated his criticism of playing afternoon A-League games in summer, the competition’s salary cap and the lack of transfer fees between domestic teams.
He was full of admiration for the Australian way of life enjoyed by his wife, Sabine, and young daughter, Sinne, despite enduring a summer of extreme heat and bushfires.
“Even though the whole country was almost on fire, the mentality is still ‘hey mate, no worries’,” said Verbeek, who won 14 of his 26 competitive matches at the helm.
“That is nice.
“My wife liked the way of living and being in Adelaide with the weather and the sun and the beach and the city also.
“My little one was talking more English than Dutch.
“It was a great experience and I think I made some new friends in my staff.”
Verbeek hoped to again work as an analyst for Fox Sports or land a role as a coach or football director in his homeland.
But he said much depended on how the sport recovered from the impact of the coronavirus.
The former FC Twente and AZ Alkmaar mentor offered a glowing endorsement of the Reds’ fan base, urging them to remain loyal during a testing period.
“I like the way they supported the club.
“The home games were enjoyable to play, (like) when it was full for the FFA Cup final.
“I hope they don’t turn their back on the club, but will support them also in difficult times.”
Pablo looks back at grand final win
Verbeek’s departure came four years after the Reds secured their maiden championship-premiership double, a moment Pablo Sanchez reckons he’s rewatched it about 500 times.
But the Spanish forward’s last kick of a ball in an Adelaide United shirt still brings him tears of joy, four years after it put SA back on the soccer map.
Friday marks the anniversary of the Reds’ breakthrough A-League grand final success over Western Sydney Wanderers at a packed Adelaide Oval.
The 3-1 victory, 22 years to the day from Adelaide City claiming the state’s previous title in the former National Soccer League, remains a landmark moment.
For ‘Supersub’ Sanchez, his 90th-minute sealer and iconic celebration cemented his place in United folklore, less than a week before he left the club and country.
In his first interview with The Advertiser since departing, the fan favourite lifts the lid on the Reds’ fairytale rise, his decisive goal and the championship party.
Sanchez also reveals his dream Adelaide return.
THE SEASON
United’s remarkable transformation from winless cellar-dweller after eight rounds to champion is well documented.
Sanchez said a players-only meeting in a Brisbane hotel room following an early-season 3-0 defeat to the Roar was pivotal.
“Sometimes you get in hole,” recalled Sanchez, of adjusting from departed coach Josep Gombau to his successor Guillermo Amor.
“It’s something mental.
“I remember the chat we had with all the players and we spoke together about the situation, to be strong, to be together, just be like a team.
“Sometimes the players just have to say ‘hey, come on, we can do it, we have to do the right thing’.
“Doing that, we changed the situation.”
The turnaround was not immediate – Adelaide claimed just one point from its next four outings.
But when the drought was broken, courtesy of a Sanchez strike in a gritty 1-0 win over Perth Glory, it set the Reds on a 19-match run which garnered just one loss and the Premier’s Plate.
THE FINALS
Adelaide continued its blistering form in the playoffs, securing grand final hosting rights with a 4-1 trouncing of Melbourne City at a heaving Hindmarsh Stadium.
As was becoming his trademark, Sanchez came off the bench to clinically volley home his side’s final goal and underline one of the finest performances produced by a Reds team.
The ex-Sevilla B player, who found the net 17 times in 51 league games and just 25 starts for United, had mixed feelings about his cameo role.
“It’s something that you like, but you don’t like because every player wants to be in the first XI and play every minute,” Sanchez, now 37, said.
“But if the coach decides you have this role in the team, you have to accept it.
“I accepted this situation and if in one season I scored nine goals but seven are off the bench, it’s maybe something that I can do well.
“When we got the Premier’s Plate, we knew we had the semi-final at Coopers Stadium and we knew it would be a full house.
“Melbourne City was a good team with very good players like (Aaron) Mooy and (Bruno) Fornaroli.
“But the atmosphere was going for us and we were playing like every game we could win.”
THE BUILD-UP
Initial reservations about shifting the decider to the larger oval were blown away soon after Sanchez arrived in his car with fellow Spaniard Sergio Cirio.
He said the Reds had felt like the away team at the iconic venue during the high-profile pre-season friendly against English Premier League giant Liverpool the previous July.
But the near capacity 50,119 crowd crammed into the North Adelaide ground well before kick-off spurred Adelaide on and created an intimidating environment for the Wanderers.
Sanchez, whose combination of Latin flair and dogged determination had already made him a cult figure among United fans, said it demonstrated the passion of the club’s following.
“Getting into the oval, looking in the stands and seeing all the people was very special,” said Sanchez, a 2014 recruit from Spanish second-tier outfit Deportivo Lugo.
“The fans were a very important piece.
“In the bad moments … they always gave us the power.
“Since my first (Adelaide) game, they sang a song for me that I can still remember.
“I said to myself ‘oh, why do I deserve a song like that?’
“I don’t know why, but the feeling between me and the crowd was special.
“Since I got to Adelaide they helped me a lot and I owed a lot to the Adelaide fans.”
THE DECIDER
“When you are on the bench, it is always more nervous than playing,” said Sanchez, who watched from the dugout as the Reds built a commanding 2-0 advantage at the break.
“For a veteran player like me, I’m always talking to my teammates to tell them if I see something.
“When we got into the changerooms, I said that this game is not won yet and we need to get the third goal to get the result and be more relaxed for the rest of the game.”
Instead of building on Bruce Kamau’s opener and Isaias’ sublime free kick, the hosts conceded just before the hour through a Scott Neville beauty.
Sanchez said the mood of his colleagues, and the vast majority of those in the previously buoyant stands, changed immediately.
“Then its 2-1 and the nerves are on the pitch.
“But you have to be on the bench thinking about what to do when you are on the field.
“I was analysing the (Wanderers) defence and the keeper.
“I was imagining what would happen if I had the ball in front of me and I’m going to score the goal.”
THE GOAL
Socceroos striker Damian Mori unleased a late 25m thunderbolt to fire Adelaide City to a tense 1-0 triumph over Melbourne Knights in the 1994 NSL grand final.
Two decades on with the Reds clinging to their slender lead, Amor turned to Sanchez to replace Argentine maestro Marcelo Carrusca and provide a spark four minutes from time.
As the clock ticked down, the ball broke outside the visitors’ box for the diminutive hitman to power past two defenders and rifle an unstoppable angled drive past Andrew Redmayne.
But it almost never happened.
“I remember Guillermo Amor sent me on as a left winger and the ball was always on the right.
“I said to myself ‘I’m going to go the centre and maybe to the right, because I want to touch the ball in the grand final’.
“In this moment, I go to the centre, I get the ball and I score. It’s something so quick.
“All that week I said to myself, ‘I’m going to have one chance and I’m going to score the goal’.
“It’s a dream for a football player to score in a grand final, the goal that clinches the title.
“I’ve maybe watched it 500 times.
“Even if I watch it now, I’m still so excited, sometimes crying, because it’s something so special for me.”
THE CELEBRATIONS
Sanchez sprinted towards the Riverbank Stand as the enormity of his strike hit home.
He disappeared into a sea of euphoric teammates and the Red Army supporter group, while keeping a pre-game promise to share the moment with super fan Steve ‘Red Wig’ Cervaro.
Adelaide’s players, led by now football director Bruce Djite, later stormed Amor’s post-match press conference with silverware in hand, soaking the manager with champagne.
Sanchez, who also claimed the FFA Cup in 2014, recalled more jubilation in the rooms and at several city watering holes that night with admirable clarity.
“When you are a football player you are always thinking about a big target,” said Sanchez, who praised captain Eugene Galekovic’s leadership and defender Tarek Elrich’s personality.
“When you win something like that, you have to enjoy the moment a lot.
“The changeroom was a big party. Everyone was hugging and jumping and drinking beer.
“But I didn’t drink too much that night, because I wanted to enjoy it.
“If you drink like crazy, you get drunk and you don’t remember anything.
“We did the best comeback in professional sport and we demonstrated that we were a real team.
“We were friends and when you are fighting with friends, you win more games.”
THE FAREWELL
It remains the highlight of a 17-year professional career Sanchez called time on last season, following a stint with Spanish third division side San Fernando.
But he had little time to bask in Adelaide’s maiden championship.
Five days after the grand final, he returned to his homeland with wife Maria and SA-born son Pablo Jnr, now five.
United opted not to offer Sanchez a new contract, despite his five goals in the last seven games of the title-winning campaign.
Instead of animosity he has only admiration for the Reds, as he eyes a future return and cuts his teeth as assistant coach of hometown club Cadiz’s under-15 team.
“Unfortunately I couldn’t say goodbye properly, because the club didn’t re-sign me and I caught a flight back to Spain,” said Sanchez, also father to eight-month-old daughter, Berta.
“It was a little bit sad I didn’t stay at least one more year to enjoy the victory and wear the … (champions) star on the chest.
“But it’s difficult for any player to enjoy more than me those two years in Adelaide.
“The adventure was very good personally and football-wise was perfect.
“The people after four years, they still remember me and I feel so proud of this.
“My dream now is doing well as a coach to come back to coach Adelaide United one day.”