Adelaide United coach Airton Andrioli has hailed the “tremendous impact” Brazilian veteran Anselmo de Moraes is having on the Reds’ A-League title bid.
Having joined the Reds last September, 37-year-old Anselmo made an extremely slow start to his A-League career due to injuries and a lack of match fitness.
However, his impact off the bench in recent weeks has helped an Adelaide outfit that is unbeaten in its past eight games.
“It’s been a little bit unfortunate the way it’s panned out with him, having a few injuries and not being able to get that rhythm, but now he’s put those injuries behind him, hopefully, and he’s building momentum,” Andrioli said of the versatile Anselmo ahead of the Reds’ clash with Macarthur FC at Coopers Stadium on Sunday.
“He’s training well, he’s knocking on the door for an opportunity to play, and when he’s come on, he’s had a tremendous impact.
“It’s good to have a player with his abilities and different attributes to come and help us.
“I’m looking forward to see if he’s called to come into the game, what he can do for us on Sunday.”
Anselmo’s experience will be handy for the Reds, who can take an important step towards a home semi-final, as well as possibly a place in Asian competition next season, with a win this weekend over the Bulls.
“We’re getting to the end now. Two more (regular season) matches to go – this game is extremely important,” Andrioli said.
“We want to get the result, and the preparation has been good, so we’re hoping the boys can execute the game plan well on Sunday.”
Despite the Reds being undefeated since losing 3-2 to first-placed Newcastle on February 8, five draws in their past six games has Andrioli wanting more from his team.
“We just need a little bit more concentration in the final third and be more clinical in the final decisions,” the Adelaide boss said.
“I’m confident that if we do that, we can get the result this Sunday.”
In-form Reds midfielder Ethan Alagich also lamented Adelaide’s failure to make the most of their chances in recent weeks.
“We’ve had some big opportunities in the last few weeks to get closer to that top-two, but we haven’t been able to capitalise,” Alagich said.
“This week is no different. We need to set ourselves up for a home final if we can, or at the very least put ourselves in the best possible position.”
