Newcastle Jets boss Mark Milligan says his side will be a fantastic team this year as they prepare for another tough AFC Champions League Elite test on Tuesday night against Japanese side Gamba Osaka.
Matchweek one of the ACL Elite saw the Jets lose 7-1 to their J1 League side Kashima Antlers in Japan, with Milligan’s side now set to face Japanese opposition again on Tuesday night at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Whilst the opening night result was no doubt a blow for the Jets, Milligan believes the time on the training pitch has been invaluable since then as they look to evolve their style given the changes to the playing group during the A-League Men off-season.
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“We’ve obviously had another four weeks to get some work under the players’ belts and get a few more games, which is very important,” Milligan said when speaking at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“I think everyone has a very good idea now if we didn’t before of exactly the challenges that we face.
“It’s been a good learning experience for me as well because obviously the way that we finished last season and the football that we were playing, we’ve had to hit the reset button a little bit again in terms of acknowledging the amount of changes that we’ve had through the squad.
“So these last months have been fantastic in terms of being able to to build into the team that we want to be.
“I think it’s obviously never nice to to have a result like that, but I think from my point of view and all the players, what I asked them to do, it was always going to be extremely difficult, and it was a good indicator of where we were at.”
Like many teams in the A-Leagues Newcastle Jets underwent plenty of squad surgery during the off-season, with 13 players from their double winning side departing including the likes of Lachie Rose, Mark Natta, Clayton Taylor and Lachlan Bayliss.
With that in mind Milligan drafted in seven new faces to compliment his squad including the likes of former Sydney FC star Joe Lolley and ex-Melbourne Victory striker Nikos Vergos, and the Jets boss believes the changes to both style and personnel will see them be a force again this season.
“There’s only so much I can continuously tell players until when we know this, or until they experience these things for themselves. That’s when true growth happens.
“I’ve experienced things, the staff have experienced things. Some of the team have experienced things, but they have to go through these moments because that’s that’s how we get to become the team that we want to be.
“We are going to be a fantastic team this year. And this is another step, another opportunity for us to grow.”
In a boost for the Jets Milligan confirmed off-season signing Alex Grant will be in the matchday squad for the clash against Gamba Osaka after missing the game against Kashima.
One player who won’t be available for Milligan though is Eli Adams, with the former Jets star now lining up for the opposition on Tuesday night, having joined Gamba Osaka from Newcastle for an undisclosed fee during the off-season.
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Adams was a fan favourite in the Hunter region after playing a key role for a Jets side that won both the Australia Cup and the Premiers Plate last season, however both Milligan and club captain Max Burgess insist there won’t be any niceties come kick off.
“It was something that we set out to do at the start of our season, we wanted all of our players to be ambitious, and he got a reward because of the team and because how the team went, and that’s no different now,” Milligan said.
“There’ll be no sentiment from from our side of things. He plays for Gamba. It’s just another player that we have to we have to deal with on the night.”
“I mean, he’s got a great left foot, so stop that,” Burgess smiled when asked if they have a plan to nullify Adams on Tuesday night.
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“We obviously know Eli well. He’s got a lot of quality and deserves to be playing at that level, so we’re really excited for him.
“But as Millsy just said before, it’s a collective thing. They’ve got a lot of threats, but as always, our attention and our focus is on ourselves and what we do first and foremost.
“I know all the boys are very excited to play tomorrow night.”
Following Tuesday night’s clash with Gamba Osaka the Jets then turn their attention to Saturday’s season opener against Central Coast Mariners in an F3 Derby at polytec Stadium.
