Newcastle Jets head coach Rob Stanton insisted his team have no “fear” ahead of their showdown with high-flying Macarthur Bulls as he further highlighted his vision for the one-time Isuzu UTE A-League champions.
Friday night will see the Jets face a Macarthur side coming off a 6-1 humbling of Perth Glory in Round 1, having also claimed the 2024 Australia Cup.
Newcastle, meanwhile, head to Campbelltown Stadium on the back of an encouraging display in a 1-0 loss to Melbourne City in the Hunter region.
BUY TICKETS TO MACARTHUR BULLS V NEWCASTLE JETS!
Stanton was in the stands to watch Macarthur see off the Glory on Sunday – inspired by a five-goal first half, and he is relishing the challenge.
“Macarthur coming off a cup win, on a high, got three or four players who make a big difference in a game. They all came through,” he told reporters on the eve of the Round 2 matchup.
“I was at the game. There’s some things you can certainly do to prevent a lot of that. We had a good look at them.
“Macarthur I think were one of the top teams in the league. They have players who can hurt you.
“Another tough game and away but I like to play the better teams. It certainly brings the best out in us and the way we play. I’m looking forward to this game a lot.”
GAME-BY-GAME PREVIEW: What you need to know for Round 2 of the Isuzu UTE A-League
REMEMBER THE NAMES: Isuzu UTE A-League teenagers at the centre of a history-making opening round
While Mile Sterjovski’s Macarthur boast talent across the pitch – from captain and former Monaco star Valere Germain, Socceroo Luke Brattan and Croatian Marin Jakolis, Stanton insisted there are “weaknesses” that can be exposed.
“Some of the strengths can also be the weaknesses,” said the Jets boss. “They have a very good attack, they go forward in good numbers, they make good forward runs, there’s some good players on the ball that can change the point of attack, find pockets and individuals in dangerous areas.
“So you need to manage individuals movements, you need to get pressure on the ball in key areas and not allow those key players to play those forward passes.
“There’s areas you more have to nullify. The weaknesses might be playing those passes that if they don’t come off, they get exposes or things like that. You need to find little areas to capitalise on.
BUY TICKETS TO MACARTHUR BULLS V NEWCASTLE JETS!
“They’re a very good team. They’re a team a little bit unpredictable. They can build, they can transition on you, they can defend well, they can defend deep, they’re good on set-pieces. They have a lot of positives.
“It’s a game where we have to be all-round good. The City game was a good game first-up. Top team, similar to Macarthur – a top four or five team. There’s similarities there. They have four or five big players who can hurt you like City.
“Those challenges should lift the players knowing the quality is there and you have to be on point until the whistle is finished.
“I’m confident. There’s no fear there. We had a pre-season where we exposed ourselves to teams who are aggressive. We put ourselves in uncompromising positions to be able to deal with that.”
GOALS GALORE! 5-star A-Leagues young gun headlines Joeys’ 19-0 win in U17 Asian Cup qualifying
The Jets were unfortunate not to at least salvage a point at home to 10-man City in Round 1.
Newcastle succumbed to a second-minute Marco Tilio goal but showed positive signs in front of a crowd of over 8,000 – the Jets’ biggest opening crowd since 2019.
BUY TICKETS TO MACARTHUR BULLS V NEWCASTLE JETS!
“I don’t want to be an inconsistent team in the way we play,” Stanton said. “I want clarity. I want fans to identify the structure and the organisation and the individuals that shine.
“A recognisable brand that if you come to a Jets game, you know you’re going to get an entertaining game. That’s very important. We’re in the entertainment business.”
