With his troops evenly poised in third place and returning fresh from a week off the track, Gold Coast United coach Miron Bleiberg has declared that the next three games against Adelaide, Newcastle and Sydney will define his side’s season.
After notching up back-to-back wins and the top-two of Sydney and Melbourne still to play, United’s chance of reaching the much coveted top spot lies squarely in its own hands.
“We have a very important week coming ahead of us, a week which will probably determine our season,” Bleiberg said at training on Tuesday.
“I’ve always maintained that we have the playing quality, but if we have the attitude right and the fitness right, then the sky’s the limit.”
“There is no more motivation than this, in an ideal world I’ll be happy with three wins and nine points, and in a less ideal world I’ll be happy with seven points.”
Bleiberg was taking no prisoners at training as he looks to strengthen the side’s fitness for the important run home, saying he thought the side emerged a little too relaxed from the festive break.
“The boys enjoyed the festive season holiday, so they might as well work hard to compensate for it,” he said.
“They are not as fresh as I want them to be, they had a big day today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) they will have a double session.”
“The attitude now is that you give your maximum in training and maximum in games and hopefully the results will go our way.”
With no trouble in the United forward department, Gold Coast has bulked up its defensive stocks with 26 year-old Dino Djulbic officially set to sign for the club in the coming days.
After a gruelling 40-hour trip from Europe, Djulbic began training on Monday and said he received a warm welcome from players and coaching staff.
“I haven’t slept in the last 48 hours but I feel alright, the boys have made me feel welcome which was the important thing and so have the coaching staff,” Djulbic said.
After a frustrating season with German outfit Rot Weiss Ahlen, the big defender believes his return to Australia was the right one and that United’s title ambitions were a major factor in his decision to join the club.
“I had a frustrating time in Europe with injuries and I thought it was the right time to come back to Australia and play again,” he said.
“I feel welcome in Australia, it’s a home for me and there is no language barrier so it’s a lot easier to fit in. I think it’s a great club and I want to play for a championship.”
A further defensive coup may also come to fruition with former Gold Coast player Adam Griffiths spotted at training on Tuesday.
With one remaining spot left on the roster after injuries to Adama Traore (3 weeks) and Daniel Piorkowski (season), Bleiberg is set to talk with the former Newcastle Jets star in the coming days to determine his future.
Griffiths left the Gold Coast to play in Saudi Arabia with Al Shabab in a deal worth $1.2 million a season; however a move back to United would need to see him take a significant pay cut under salary cap restrictions.
“Me and Adam will talk later today, he trained yesterday and today and I said for him to train at least twice to see how he feels, tomorrow we will know more,” Bleiberg said.
“He’ll (Griffiths) do a fitness test tomorrow … if he is very fit he is a huge boost and if he wants to stay it’s a huge boost, but if he doesn’t want to stay then it’s no boost at all.”
In further good news, Gold Coast captain Jason Culina, who twisted his knee in the 5-1 win over rivals Brisbane, resumed full training and looks likely to play against Adelaide on Saturday night.
