Adelaide United winger, Craig Goodwin, has said capitalising on scoring chances will be a crucial area to improve on as the Reds look to recover from two straight Hyundai A-League losses.
The Reds have been superb at creating chances all season, an area in which Goodwin has played a large role, distributing from midfield and on the wing. However, it’s finishing that has let the Reds down at times.
“Taking your chances has been something that we’ve been missing, in not just the last few games, but throughout the season as well,” Goodwin said.
“In every game we’ve created a lot of chances, and we should score a lot more than what we have. The whole build up and everything has gone well, and we’ve got one of the best defences in the league so far.”
“When we’re on top we’re going need to put more goals in and that’ll be a completely different game.”
Goodwin didn’t have any trouble capitalising on a chance presented to him against his old side in Newcastle on Friday, when he finished a Jimmy Jeggo cross from close range.
“A bit of mixed feelings,” Goodwin said, contemplating Fridays match.
“It was nice to get a goal, my first of the season for Adelaide, but obviously disappointing to lose against my old team.”
“You never want to lose any game, but of course, I’ll probably get a bit of stick from my old mates that are on that team now.”
As the Reds shift their focus to a Boxing Day matchup with the Sky Blues in Sydney, the club’s fourth game in two weeks, maintaining health will be a top priority.
“It is (a busy draw), but we’ve known about the schedule for a while now,” Goodwin said.
“We’ve just got to manage it, and players just have to be careful with themselves and manage their bodies.”
United’s hectic schedule won’t just limit the squad’s time for rest and recovery, but for Christmas festivities as well.
“We train in the morning, get a few hours to have lunch with our families, and fly out in the evening, but that’s football I guess,” Goodwin said.
“It should be a great atmosphere; it’s always a good game against Sydney, whether it’s in Adelaide or over there.”
Adelaide United face Sydney FC in Round 12 of the Hyundai A-League 2014/15 Season on Friday, 26 December. Kick off is at 7.15pm ACDT (7.45 AEDT).
