Gary van Egmond says he expects the Western Sydney Wanderers to be well organised against the Jets on Saturday.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets head coach Gary van Egmond says he expects Western Sydney Wanderers to be well organised when they take on the Jets in Saturday-s Member-only trial match at Wanderers Oval, Broadmeadow.
Van Egmond said he was looking forward to seeing his side tested against the A-League-s newest Club.
“We are interested in all the A-League teams and seeing what they are like,” he said.
“There are lots of phone calls going between coaches and talking to each other about certain teams they have played.
“We know that the Wanderers will be well organised and we are in for a good game this weekend as they know they are in for a good game.”
Van Egmond said the Jets will use the match against the Wanderers to fine-tune certain aspects of their game ahead of the start of the A-League season.
“Pre-season is all about getting match time and working on the different structures and scenarios that pop up during the games to ensure we get the right outcome,” he said.
“I would hope for the mainstay we control the match and then from there opportunities come.
“I would be very interested in seeing how we go in creating those opportunities.”
Van Egmond said being more clinical in the final third was a big focus for the team after they were unable to convert their possession and territory into goals in their 1-1 draw against Sydney FC last weekend.
“The one thing I am quite a bit disappointed with is that we didn-t come in at half time against Sydney with more goals, with the amount of possession we had and opportunities we had,” he said.
“We have been working on that now for a mainstay of the preseason, unfortunately right at this moment we are not as well equipped in that front third.
“With players who play in that front third it is a confidence thing when you haven-t hit the targets. We just want to get them used to hitting those targets and hopefully that transcends in to us getting more opportunities on the weekend.”
With a number of fresh faces in the Jets squad this season, Van Egmond said building chemistry between the players was a vital part of executing their style of play.
“It is definitely about communication, not from only a verbal point of view but a visual point of view, recognising where people are and your next movement needs to be,” he said.
“That is the difficulty, it some ways we have over complicated it a little bit so we have to try and simplify that a little bit more.
“Hopefully if we do that we can get the players feeling more confident with their movement in the front third rather than wondering what blade of grass they need to be standing on.”
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
