Adelaide United coach John Kosmina says expectations of his side’s Hyundai A-League title credentials have not changed.
Adelaide United coach John Kosmina says expectations of his side’s Hyundai A-League title credentials have not changed despite a compelling 4-2 win over fierce rivals Melbourne Victory last week.
Adelaide romped to just their ninth win in 29 meetings with the Victory last Friday night in front of a sell-out crowd at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Although United sit comfortably in second and have already topped the table for a number of weeks this season, the derby victory has shone the spotlight on the club as genuine contenders for an elusive A-League championship.
Kosmina felt the stunning win over Melbourne had caught the competition’s attention, but more importantly reaffirmed his belief in the squad’s ability.
However, the former Sydney FC coach said the Reds would not get ahead of themselves as they sit on the cusp of returning to top spot.
“The opposition is aware of the quality of players we have here and type of football we can play, and that does change their perspective, but it shouldn’t change ours,” Kosmina said.
“Things are ticking over nicely, but that doesn’t mean you make any drastic changes or approach things differently.
“Games like that should just reinforce the belief in ourselves and each other … reinforce what we are capable of.”
Kosmina admitted the mood within his camp had lifted this week and hoped that the heightened morale would translate to another three points against Sunday’s opponents Wellington in front of home support.
“The mood in camp has been pretty good. Last week was a good buzz and a good win for them – an important win,” Kosmina said.
“There’s a lot more in this team and we need a good frame of mind to be able to bring that out of the players, which is where they seem to be at the moment.
“Central Coast got a win last night and we need to get a win to stay in touch with them.
“We are at home and Hindmarsh is turning back into a fortress for us, so we need to make the most of those opportunities when we have them.”
While Adelaide will attempt to defeat the Phoenix for the second time at Hindmarsh this season, attention may shift to Argentine import Jeronimo Neumann.
Jeronimo was embroiled in controversy when the two sides met earlier in October after being accused of diving for an overzealous tumble that saw Wellington defender Ben Sigmund shown a red card.
Kosmina said it was not something he had touched on with Jeronimo in the lead up to Sunday’s game and didn’t expect the creative forward to be concerned by the incident.
“It doesn’t need to be revisited. It’s not a positive thing you can motivate somebody with. It’s history and it’s done and dusted,” Kosmina said.
“I don’t know if he will be that fussed about what happened before, but I know he likes to win and score goals.”
Adelaide remain unchanged from the side that defeated Melbourne Victory.
