Soccer-Veart tells players to relax as A-League battle heats up

"And it's not just in our performances, it's in everyone's performances because it's getting towards the end. "Everyone wants to get there and you become a little bit more tense and it's important that we relax and have that belief and keep going down that path that we're going down." Friday's draw moved Adelaide into second, yet Veart's side missed the opportunity to significantly enhance their chances of a playoff place. Table-topping Melbourne City have a healthy lead, but behind them the battle for one of the six berths in the next phase of the competition is intensifying.

With the pressure mounting as the end of the A-League's regular season looms, Adelaide United head coach Carl Veart urged his players to retain their self-belief as they continue their quest for a place in the playoffs. Adelaide's hopes suffered a set-back on Friday when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Wellington Phoenix after Ryan Strain was sent off 16 minutes from time.

"I think when it gets a little bit tense everyone gets a little bit tighter and more hesitant and you can see that," said Veart. "And it's not just in our performances, it's in everyone's performances because it's getting towards the end.

"Everyone wants to get there and you become a little bit more tense and it's important that we relax and have that belief and keep going down that path that we're going down." Friday's draw moved Adelaide into second, yet Veart's side missed the opportunity to significantly enhance their chances of a playoff place.

Table-topping Melbourne City have a healthy lead, but behind them the battle for one of the six berths in the next phase of the competition is intensifying. Two points separate the teams placed second to sixth, with seventh-placed Western United and Western Sydney Wanderers in eighth a further two points adrift and Wellington three points outside the top six.

Teams finishing in third to sixth qualify for the elimination finals from where the winners take on either the first or second place finishers in the semi-finals. The winners of those matches advance to the title-deciding Grand Final. Adelaide missed out on the playoffs last year having reached the semi-finals in 2019 and Veart remains confident ahead of his side's next game, which pits them against Melbourne City on Thursday.

"It's still achievable," he said. "The league is getting very tight. "There's a lot of teams that are fighting for those spots. We've just got to look after ourselves and keep playing the football we believe will take us all the way."

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