Paul Pezos is relishing the opportunity to coach Adelaide United Youth ahead of his first game in charge against Perth Glory in the Foxtel Y-League 2017/18 season at Dorrien Gardens on Sunday.
Pezos, who has accumulated more than 400 club appearances with the likes of Adelaide City, West Adelaide and Perth Glory, was officially appointed Youth Team boss last month.
The imposing defender has experienced immense success since venturing into coaching and most recently led the Reds’ NPL Reserves side to the minor premiership and championship this year.
The 38-year-old said he was looking forward to the new challenge and confident of enjoying a positive campaign with the players at his disposal.
“For me it’s obviously a new chapter in my coaching career,” he said.
“And I’m obviously really excited not just for myself but for the boys it’s been a good feeling so far.
Adelaide will again feature in Conference A, comprised of four other teams including: Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City and of course Perth.
The winner of the conference will face the first-placed side in Conference B in the Grand Final in February.
Pezos admitted the key to starting the season well was by executing what they have practiced in training in order to taste success.
“We are just basically going to be concentrating on ourselves and what we are trying to do,” he said.
“And obviously what we are trying to do is trying to implement it at a high standard.
“And just making sure we understand how we want to play and keep working on those principles.”
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Pezos said his side must be switched on for the entire 90 minutes against Perth and outlined some of the things he wants to see consistently from his team this year.
“We want to develop a winning mentality and we have established that in the short time I’ve had with this group,” he said.
“To win the game you have to be at one hundred per cent, not just defensively and also attacking.
“Making sure defensively we are ruthless and making sure we are compact, we give cover and have good communication.
“And obviously we want to be going forward at the same time and scoring goals.
“We’ll play an attacking brand of football, that’s my style, but again we just have to be careful on transitions defensively and how many numbers we have behind the ball.”
Adelaide United Youth will face Perth Glory Youth in Round 1 of the Foxtel Y-League 2017/18 season on Sunday, 19 November at Dorrien Gardens. Kick-off is at 1.00pm ACDT.
