Adelaide football icon Ross Aloisi is facing a baptism of fire as he makes his national league coaching debut with Adelaide United in the upcoming Westfield W-League season.
Adelaide football icon Ross Aloisi is facing a baptism of fire as he makes his national league coaching debut with Adelaide United in the upcoming Westfield W-League season.
With a paucity of headline-names and a trifecta of wooden-spoons in their keep, Adelaide are undoubtedly starting at a disadvantage compared to the many settled squads in the competition.
Many of last season-s side are gone with few familiar names among the new arrivals.
Importantly though, there is a small core of experience led by long-term Westfield Matildas goalkeeper Melisa Barbieri who has linked with the Lady Reds after a season off for the birth of her first child.
Veteran midfielder Kristy Moore will skipper the side with the Adelaide-born former England international having made a brief cameo for the side last season. Further adding to the spine of the team will be LA Strikers midfielder Laura Stockdale.
“It is a massive challenge,” conceded Aloisi, a former Socceroo midfielder and Adelaide United captain in the Hyundai A-League.
“We have had to go a little against my philosophy and the way I want to play. But we have seen in the past that Adelaide have lost so many games and conceded so many goals in the past, so the first thing we need to do is work on defensive structure.”
Some of the notable absentees from last season-s squad are teenage ace Emma Checker who has followed coach Dave Edmondson to Melbourne Victory, influential skipper Abby Erceg who has linked with German Bundesliga side Jena, plus striker Marijana Rajcic.
It means local youngsters such as Jessica Nagel, Emily Condon and Isobel Hodgson will be provided with an opportunity in the big time. So too, several players will be provided with a first chance at this level having made the jump from interstate Premier League clubs.
“We have had to go back to basics with some of the girls as they are very young,” said Aloisi.
“(I am) looking to change the culture and mentality within the club. The hardest thing with that is that we have a short period of time in which to do it. It is a slow process and we can-t overload the players and risk the chance of injuring the players so it will take some time to get the level up there.”
“I wasn-t so sure when I was first asked (about the coaching role). It is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made in my football career. It is a massive challenge and it is pretty exciting.”
Adelaide open with a difficult first-up assignment away to the newly strengthened Western Sydney Wanderers this Sunday, before hosting Melbourne Victory on Saturday 16 November at Burton Park.
Adelaide United (Coach Ross Aloisi)
Ins: Melissa Barbieri (Season off) Daila Borg (North West Koalas, Sydney) Jaya Brown (Queensland Academy of Sport) Emily Condon (FFSA Academy) Bianca Gray (Sturt Marion) Alexandra Gummer (Casey Comets) Isabel Hodgson (Fulham United) Jessica Nagel (Adelaide City) Tiarn Powell (Manly United, Sydney) Tegan Riding (Redlands United, Brisbane) Laura Stockdale (LA Strikers, USA)
Outs: Emma Checker (Melbourne Victory) Abby Erceg (Jena, Germany) Kristi Harvey (MUWFC) Grace Henry (Sydney University) Laura Johns (Adelaide University) Georgia Macri (Fulham United) Lorena Maggio Ann Mayo (Tuggeranong United, Canberra) Sarah McLaughlin (Claudelands Rovers, New Zealand) Alex Natoli (Melbourne Victory) Holly Patterson (Dartmouth College, USA) Marijana Rajcic (Box Hill United, Melbourne) Cassandra Tsoumbris (Box Hill United, Melbourne) Ruth Wallace (not playing)