James Troisi has confirmed he is back and available for selection ahead of the latest instalment of the Original Rivalry on Saturday night.
Adelaide United tackle Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium eager to rebound from a disappointing loss against Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend.
The 31-year-old has missed the last four matches through a quad injury, but is expected to feature in the travelling squad to face his former side after resuming full training earlier this week.
“I think in general it’s pretty easy to get up for your bigger games of the season,” Troisi said to reporters at a press conference at Coopers Stadium.
“And in terms of our fixtures this is definitely one of the biggest.
“(I’m) really looking forward to it, obviously I’ve been out for a little bit so happy to be back.
“Hopefully we can put on a good performance first and then I think if you do that then results kind of take care of itself.”
The Reds succumbed to a 5-2 defeat against the Wanderers and Troisi admitted the team has plenty of room for improvement.
“We have to do better and we have trained pretty hard these first three days and got a couple more days to go,” he said.
“Definitely a lot to work on which is kind of the story of the season – always room for improvement and a lot to improve so that’s definitely something we need to bounce back from.”
While Troisi’s quality naturally boosts the team, it is the intangibles such as his experience and leadership he brings that will provide a further benefit.
#AUFC School Holiday Clinics with Reds legend @chelocarrusca are back this April in three locations ⤵️
🔘 North: Ridley Reserve West
🔘 Central: Christian Brothers College
🔘 South: @Flinders University,ℹ️: https://t.co/9bsrSKTuHJ pic.twitter.com/MiZrvXEHfO
— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) February 25, 2020
Gertjan Verbeek last week revealed how he involved the players in an in-depth discussion about aspects of how to defend better as a unit, hearing their opinions.
But after shipping five goals in that game against the Wanderers, Troisi said the squad must find a solution to rectify their defensive and structural issues.
“I think generally you need to take different perspectives from everyone really,” Troisi explained.
“Obviously it didn’t work, conceding five goals is not good in any game you play for – it doesn’t matter what team you are playing against either.
“I don’t think it was more so that Western Sydney were amazing, I think we were very poor.
“So that’s something we need to change and we need to change really quickly obviously.
“I’ve said all along people were getting a little bit carried away when we were winning at the start of the season.
“But it’s very quick to see how things change and I think we then only won one out of five, so I think consistency is key and that’s the most important thing.”
Adelaide United face Melbourne Victory in Round 21 of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season on Saturday, 29 February at Marvel Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.00pm ACDT. Live and Exclusive on Fox Sports, Kayo Sports and the My Football Live App.
