Aurelio Vidmar will continue to push his players in spite of the soaring temperatures as the build up to Adelaide’s finals showdown with Melbourne Victory intensifies.
In a bid to beat the oppressive heat and to counteract the fatigue brought on by a congested late-season schedule, Vidmar had his squad going through their paces at Thebarton Oval on Wednesday morning.
“We changed the time this morning but it was still about 35 degrees at 8am,” Vidmar said.
“But we’ve still got to train and we thought if we change it up a little bit where the players come in a bit earlier, then they’ve got the rest of the day to relax and recover.”
The Reds have contended with a packed fixture for much of their season due to their courageous run to the AFC Champions League Final, but it didn’t stop assistant coach Phil Stubbins putting the squad through a sharp 90-minute session.
Adelaide has failed to pick up a point in three matches against the Victory this season, but Vidmar says he is not fazed about the poor form shown against the newly-crowned Premiers.
“Coming into finals, on any given day of those finals, the team that is going to be mentally and physically the toughest will win the game,” Vidmar said.
“I’m not too concerned that we’re playing Melbourne, I know we’ll go out there and we’ll give everything we’ve possibly got to take the tie and hopefully get a home Grand Final.”
Vidmar also dismissed suggestions the Victory have intimidated his team in the past.
“Every game is different and going into any given week sometimes you feel great, sometimes you feel a little bit flat,” he said.
“Certainly we didn’t perform well when we went to Melbourne last time so we’ve got a great opportunity to make amends and fix that up over the next two legs.”
“It’s two really massive games for us against a very tough opponent and we’ll go out there and give everything we’ve possibly got.”
Defender Alemao has returned to full training after recovering from a groin injury while the news was not as good for vice-captain Lucas Pantelis, who left the track early after copping a knock to his knee, although the midfielder is expected to be available for next Saturday’s match.
With the mercury expected to stay up amongst the 40-degree mark for the remainder of the week, the Reds will continue to train early in the morning to escape the heat, as even Brazilian striker Cristiano admitted to feeling the pinch in the hot conditions.
“Okay, I’m from Brazil but it’s a different hot here. It’s just dry and sunny so it’s very hot for me too,” Cristiano said.
