Ernie Merrick is holding back on the praise for Abdiel Arroyo and demanding ‘more tap ins’ from the Newcastle Jets’ star striker.
Arroyo opened his Hyundai A-League account with a stunning, twisting volley after chesting down Matt Millar’s 37th-minute long throw in the Jets’ 2-1 defeat against Adelaide United at McDonald Jones stadium.
That moment of magic from the Panama international, who played at the FIFA World Cup 2018, put Newcastle in the ascendancy, before the Reds’ second-half comeback flipped the game on its head.
Merrick wants to see his front man taking up better positions on the field rather than attempting to score wonder strikes.
“It was good to see [Arroyo] score but he needs to do it a lot more,” said Merrick.
“He needs to get in goal-scoring positions. He can’t score spectacular goals on a regular basis.
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“He’s got to get into position to score tap ins. That’s what the good strikers do.
“A couple of spectacular goals but most of them are tap ins.”
Riley McGree’s second-half double against his former team secured a first Hyundai A-League win for new Reds coach Gertjan Verbeek.
After winning the FFA Cup in midweek brought the feel-good factor to Adelaide, Verbeek puts his side’s slow start down to a tough schedule.
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“I think Sydney FC and Melbourne City always have quality in the team,” Verbeek said.
“They have got big budgets and we had to play them in the first two rounds.
“Now in the third round, I think we can compete with Newcastle.
“We won, I think we were a little bit lucky in the first half, but we did well in the second half.”
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