A renewed Adelaide United kicked off their 2024/25 A-League Women season with two wins and two losses. Front Page Football takes stock of what has gone well and where the Reds need to improve moving forward.
Adelaide United players Emily Condon, Erin Healy, and Fiona Worts celebrate a goal in the Round 1 loss to Melbourne Victory. (Image: Ben Blaess/BDb.media)
A new-found defensive solidity
Mere minutes into the start of Adelaide United's season, it looked like it was going to be the same old story for Adrian Stenta's side. Despite a promising pre-season, the Reds were cut open far too easily in the wide areas by Melbourne Victory in Round 1, where the South Australians dropped points.
The Reds fought back before falling short in that match, but what would have pleased Stenta the most is that his side addressed those issues with back-to-back clean sheets, collecting two wins in the process.
The return of Matilda McNamara and the ascension of Ella Tonkin as one of the competition's premier central defenders has seen the Reds discover a steel often absent in their 2023/24 campaign.
In saying that, Adelaide's first month of the season ended with a 1-0 loss at the hands of Wellington Phoenix, where Paul Temple's side was unlucky to only go into half-time a goal up. Adelaide's defensive ceiling is still a matter for discussion, but the improvement is already tangible in the early days of the new season.
Imports impress
As with most of the Adelaide United squad in season 2023/24, the Reds' imports failed to impress for sustained periods throughout the campaign. In contrast, the early success of Stenta's side this campaign has been built on the quality of its imports.
Fiona Worts does not need an introduction to any Adelaide fan. The club's only Julie Dolan Medallist, who fired the club to its solitary Finals Series appearance, returned after a season with Sydney FC and has started this campaign with a bang, scoring four goals across the competition's first four rounds.
Lucia Leon's addition has added energy and quality at both ends of the pitch, while Erin Healy, despite not having luck in front of goal herself, has played the role of chief creator for the Reds in the early days of the new season.
Resilience evident
Calling Adelaide United's 2023/24 season demoralising would be an understatement. Finishing as cellar dwellers by the margin of nine points while conceding the most and scoring the least goals in the competition is a concerning proposition.
Despite all the positives from the Reds' Round 1 performance against Melbourne Victory, the all-too-familiar position of the match's loser was once again assumed. Post-Round 1, Stenta reflected on the importance of turning good performances into points.
The importance of being resilient in the face of struggle was a focus point for the Head Coach in pre-season, and his players delivered in that department after their initial loss.
The Reds hit the road in the following two rounds and beat the Western Sydney Wanderers and Canberra United, keeping clean sheets on both occasions.
Adrian Stenta has been vocal about his side's need to improve its mental resilience. (Image: Ben Blaess/BDb.media)
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Availability issues remain
While the first month of the season has seen Adelaide United establish themselves as one of the competition's big improvers, the Reds can look back at their two losses thinking about what could have been if they had a full squad available.
While covering their injuries adequately, the absence of quality players such as Dylan Holmes, Isabel Hodgson, Chelsie Dawber, and Nanako Sasaki is bound to hurt any side.
After Adelaide United's loss to Wellington in Unite Round, Stenta confirmed that Dawber and Sasaki will return in the short-term, while Holmes and Hodgson remain longer-term propositions.
In a league as competitive as the A-League Women, clubs must lean on all the qualities they possess to achieve their potential. While Adelaide's start to the season has been positive, the players watching from the stands will undoubtedly add quality across the pitch once they return.
The quest for consistency continues
Early indications are that Adelaide United have vanquished their wooden spoon demons from their previous forgettable campaign. Across their first four games of the season, the Reds have shown enough to suggest they will cause headaches to most teams in the competition.
While there has already been a vast improvement, the next challenge for Stenta's side is finding the consistency Adelaide United's program has lacked for most of its A-League Women's existence.
The Reds' two gritty away wins in the first month of the season have been bookended by a loss to Melbourne Victory, where the side's defence misfired, and a loss to Wellington, where Stenta's side lacked a clinical edge.
Returning to the Finals Series for the second time in the club's history is a real possibility. But before that occurs, Adelaide United must develop as a team that consistently delivers at both ends of the pitch.
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