Adelaide United head coach Airton Andrioli believes the performance of midfielder Luke Duzel was key to his side defeating Sydney FC on the opening night of the new Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season.
Eyebrows were raised before kick-off when Andrioli handed Duzel a spot in the starting eleven alongside midfield gun Ethan Alagich.
With new Brazilian midfielder Anselmo de Moraes not yet fit enough to feature, defensive midfielder Jay Barnett out with injury and fellow visa import Juan Muñiz only fit enough for the bench, Andrioli turned to Duzel to fill the void.
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The move itself was a shock for many at Coopers Stadium given Duzel featured just ONCE for Adelaide United last season under former head coach Carl Veart.
However, the 23-year-old barely put a foot wrong on Friday night as the Reds ran out 2-1 winners over Sydney FC, thanks to second-half goals from Ryan Kitto and Alagich.
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“(He’s) an absolutely fantastic footballer,” said Andrioli when asked what he thought of Duzel’s display.
“I don’t think we have many players in this league here who can play the football, execute things the way he does.”
Offering plenty in what was a dominant display alongside Alagich, Duzel was confident with the ball at his feet whilst he also helped shield his centre backs alongside his midfielder partner to stave off any Sydney FC attacks through the middle of the pitch.
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“I’ve got a lot of time for Luke Duzel. He played a lot of games with me in the NPL, people used to question a little bit his personality, his ability to finish games off and when things get tough, doing that and to me today, it’s no surprise to me.
“I really believe in him and I struggle to understand why a player of his caliber, with his attributes, cannot be a top player in the A-League.
“So I’m hoping that he’s going to continue like that. It’s not just him. I don’t like to make comments about individual players, because the team has to complement each other, but he’s been working extremely well in training, and as I said, to me, he’s got a lot of things going for him, and I hope he can continue on that way.”
LISTEN TO AIRTON ANDRIOLI’S FULL POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW
