Craig Deans says the Jets will look to have more of a cutting edge in front of goal in Saturday’s Member-only trial.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets assistant coach Craig Deans says the Jets will be looking to have more of a cutting edge in front of goal when they take on the Western Sydney Wanderers in Saturday-s Member-only trial.
Deans said the Jets had been working hard on their decision making in the attacking third during training this week.
“Against Sydney, especially in the first half, we created some good opportunities,” he said.
“The final decision on whether to shoot, whether to pass, when to take the shot and all those little things take a bit of time and practice to work on.
“This week has been good from that point of view. The players have hopefully understood the message that has come across and on Saturday, we-ll be looking for a better performance in front of goal.”
One player who could provide the spark the Jets are looking for in the final third is Brazilian import Bernardo Ribeiro.
The Flamengo product has seen his playing time slowly increase in recent weeks and Deans said the attacking midfielder is slowly adjusting to the Jets- style of play.
“I think for Bernardo, it-s just about adapting to the style of football. It-s obviously different to the football he-s been involved with in the past,” Deans explained.
“He-s gradually picking it up. He-s understanding his role more so without the ball than with the ball. That-s the biggest issue for him at the moment.
“This week-s been quite good for him and he-s starting to understand the concept a bit better. Hopefully each time he gets an opportunity to play he can continue to get better at that.”
Saturday-s match will be the first time the Jets have played against the A-League-s newest team and Deans said he was curious to see how the Wanderers perform.
“I think it-ll be interesting. We haven-t had a chance to see any pre-season games yet so it-s a little bit of an unknown for us,” he said.
“They-ve signed some good quality players and I think it-ll be a good test for us.
“I think it-ll also be a great day for the Members obviously with it being a Member-only event. It-s a great initiative to reward those people who-ve become Members and it-s fantastic that the Club is able to put this on for them.”
Key details for the Member-Only Trial:
Date – Saturday September 15
Venue – Wanderers Oval, Broadmeadow
1pm – Gates Open
2pm – Jets v Western Sydney Wanderers kick-off
4pm – Approximate end of game and start of signing session and player meet and greet
