Adelaide United coach Guillermo Amor has remained defiant despite a fourth straight loss in the Hyundai A-League.
The Reds’ 4-2 loss to the Phoenix in Wellington leaves them rooted to the foot of the ladder with just two points from their first half-dozen matches.
“I always say to the players, the more times you fall down, the more times you need to stand up,” Amor told reporters post game.
Bonevacia brilliance inspires Phoenix to win over Reds
“The only way to react to this situation is to work harder and harder every day and to stay together in these moments.”
The game started well for the visitors with Craig Goodwin opening the scoring inside three minutes, but a defensive mix-up saw Roy Krishna equalise for the Phoenix barely sixty seconds later.
“It was tough to concede the first goal so soon after we scored. It has been difficult for us to score first and today we did. To concede straight away was difficult for us,” said Amor.
It was Adelaide’s second consecutive 4-2 loss and they have now conceded an alarming 15 goals in six games.
“We are working hard for this not to happen. We are conceding goals too easily,” said Amor.
To that end, the Reds hope to soon welcome back goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic from the knee injury which has prevented any involvement from the skipper this season. But Amor refused to blame their poor form on his absence.
“In football, when things don’t go well, people always (focus on) players who are not there. John Hall has done very well in the games he’s played and the rest of the players are assuming (Eugene’s) responsibility and showing character.”
The Spaniard left Argentinean playmaker Marcelo Carrusca on the bench against the Phoenix, opting instead for teenager George Mells in the starting side. When pressed, Amor described it as a “selection decision”.
“We choose the team we think will be the best each week,” he said.
