Gary van Egmond talks about the Jets disappointing trip to Melbourne and what he expects out of the team this week.
It was another disappointing trip away for all of us here at the Newcastle Jets, the staff, coaches, and most certainly the players were hoping for a different outcome on the scoreboard than the 3-nil result against Melbourne Heart.
I wouldn-t have predicted this outcome during the first half of the game. I know that we are a work in progress and our aim is to improve every week, but our guys controlled a lot of the minutes in this half, reading the game, creating opportunities and trying to apply what pressure they could.
As the clock in the second half ran down, you could see that the game began to play differently. The players were chasing the game by this stage, our defensive line became a man-on-man battle toward the end and unfortunately we could not find the back of the net. It was a good effort from all the boys, however, we need to win the ball back earlier and recover quicker.
As I have said before, The Heart have been playing some good football which was not indicative of their place on the ladder. It was only a matter of time before they saw some points against their name.
The boys will have a rest day today, before we get back into training tomorrow and put the final touches on our preparation. This week we have been focusing on positioning and our defensive shape, creating a smoother transition from defence into attack and vice versa. Again, our focus is on winning the ball faster with more possession time.
Returning to the squad this week is Tiago Calvano. Tiago played well last weekend in the Youth squad but this week he has suffered from a rib injury. He trained yesterday but he struggled with the pain. I-m not sure if he will make the starting line-up on Saturday, but I will address this come game day.
Despite the loss over the weekend the vibe amongst the team has been positive. They are looking forward to playing in front of their Members and supporters on Saturday as we host the top of the ladder dweller-s, Brisbane Roar.
There is a lot of hype surrounding the Roar at the moment with their campaign to remain undefeated for 35 games, but with our winning streak at home it is anybodies game. The team is extremely proud of our three consecutive home wins and we are confident we will keep adding to that. We will approach Saturdays game like any other – confident and hungry.
We hope to deliver entertaining football but at the same time remain undefeated at home. Having the home crowd advantage is always a plus and we will be hoping to secure another three points.
Gary
