Despite a winless start to the Westfield W-League 2019/20 season for Adelaide United Women, there is still reason for optimism according to Head Coach, Ivan Karlović.
The Reds have been unfortunate not to have any points after suffering four one-goal losses in a row to begin the season.
It is something he hopes can change against Canberra United at Marden Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon.
Karlović said while the team has been competitive, they must be better at converting their strong performances into three points.
“Obviously from a results point of view it certainly hasn’t been the start we were looking for,” he said.
“When the fixtures got brought out we obviously knew that our first four games were probably against the strongest sides on paper.
“And three of those games have been away from home. It was an extremely difficult start, but in saying that I think the quality of football we’ve produced in those games has had us in those games.
“Certainly some of those games we deserved to have got wins out of them so it’s certainly an area we need to look to improve on is actually getting the result – it’s not just good to play good football, you need also be able to win games.”
Adelaide conceded two early goals on their way to a 3-2 defeat against Brisbane Roar Women last time out.
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Karlović believed with the exception of the first 12 minutes, Adelaide largely dominated the contest and even brought the game back on level terms.
“We knew Brisbane were going to come out of the blocks, we discussed it, we reviewed it,” he said.
“But we gave up a couple of silly goals, but to the players’ credit they got themselves back in the game and not just back in the game. I thought we were dominant for the remaining 70 minutes.
“And football can be a funny game sometimes. We got a 1-0 win in Brisbane last year when I don’t think we deserved that result. Whereas this year I thought we deserved the three points but came away with none.
“So it’s a funny game at times, where you’re doing all the right things but at the moment we’re getting punished for minor individual errors.
“So it’s something we need to look to eliminate from our game and look to take our opportunities.”
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Adelaide take on Canberra on Sunday, who are sitting in fourth spot on the table with seven points.
Heather Garriock’s side were denied victory last weekend after conceding a late equaliser to Perth Glory Women.
“They’ve certainly improved,” Karlović said based on Canberra’s solid start to the campaign.
“They’ve got a lot of attacking weapons so it’s something we need to be wary of.
“I think from our point of view if we continue to play the game the way we have, I think we’re certainly a very good chance to take the points.
“That’s the most important thing from our end just to continue to play to the standard we’ve set.”
Adelaide United Women host Canberra United Women in Round 6 of the Westfield W-League 2019/20 season on Sunday, 22 December at Marden Sports Complex. Kick-off is at 3.30pm ACDT. Gates open at 2.30pm. Live and Exclusive on Fox Sports and ABC, Kayo Sports and My Football Live App.
