Marcelo Carrusca admits he is beginning to find his feet in Adelaide, and this could correlate to the skill he is starting to display on the field for the Reds.
Argentinean playmaker Marcelo Carrusca admits he is beginning to find his feet in his new surroundings, and this could correlate to the skill he is starting to display on the field as evidenced by his standout performance in the win over Melbourne Victory last Friday night.
The former Argentinean Under 20 representative had a hand in three of United-s four goals against the Victory as he provided the assists for two either side of a memorable debut Hyundai A-League goal he scored for the other.
Speaking about Carrusca-s impact against Melbourne, Reds Coach John Kosmina believes the big stage brought out the best in the Argentinean and provided no better time for him to announce himself as one of the Hyundai A-League-s quality creative midfielders.
“I think he had a point to prove,” Kosmina said of Carrusca.
“It was a big occasion and big players stand up in big games, and for him to come back after missing last week against the Central Coast Mariners and play like he did and demonstrate the sort of quality that he did tells you what he-s like as a footballer, and I think he-s still got a lot of gas left in the tank.”
Using team mate Cassio to translate, Carrusca said he was pleased to score his first goal in an Adelaide United shirt but what delighted him more was the result and the way the team played against Melbourne.
“I-m very happy with the goal but especially with the team performance and the win,” Carrusca said.
Carrusca-s arrival to Australia from his homeland did not have the best of beginnings as he was struck down with a calf injury in his first official day at training which led to him being left out of the Reds- squad for the AFC Champions League Knockout Stage.
However, from the time he came off the bench in United-s Hyundai A-League season opener, one gets the sense Carrusca has gradually been building up to prove what he can do, and it is starting to show.
Playing at the Reds is just the second time the 29 year old has played at a club outside of his home continent, the other instance being for Turkish club Galatasaray. With his wife and young son with him in Adelaide, Carrusca says he is becoming more at home by the day, with his biggest battle being the language barrier.
“I-m getting used to it and feel better with every day I go on the pitch for training and to play,” Carrusca said.
“My family has started getting adapted to Adelaide. I enjoy the lifestyle, the only problem is the English but I-ve started having some lessons and that will make life easier.”
In helping him make the transition, Carrusca also paid credit to Cassio-s efforts. When asked if the Reds- left back was a good player, Carrusca-s English required no need for any translation.
“He (Cassio) is a very good player, a very good man,” Carrusca said.
“He always helps me with the translating, when Kossie wants to speak with me, and I want to say thank you very much to him for everything.”
Looking ahead to hosting the Wellington Phoenix on Sunday, Carrusca is confident that the Reds- well publicised squad depth will ensure there is no let down after the high of last Friday night-s victory.
“We have a very good group, there-s a healthy competition between everyone, there are a lot of good players and it-s good for the club and the club is well represented by the players,” Carrusca said.
From both Carrusca and Kosmina-s comments, it sounds like the Argentine-s best is still yet to come.
Tickets for Sunday-s game at Hindmarsh Stadium are available through Ticketek. Kick-Off is at 4.30pm ACDT.
