Welcome to Best of the Press, where aleagues.com.au brings you everything you need to know from coach press conferences after the weekend’s matches.
CLICK HERE TO BECOME AN A-LEAGUES CLUB MEMBER TODAY!
Wellington Phoenix 2-2 Melbourne City
MATCH REPORT: Late penalty save sees Melbourne City stifle Wellington’s 500th match celebrations in error riddled draw
Giancarlo Italiano
Friday night’s 2-2 draw with Melbourne City was a tough one to take for head coach Giancarlo Italiano, with the Nix boss claiming his side would win 20-times over if they got the chance to replay it.
Leading 2-0, the Nix coughed up a two-goal lead in what was their 500th Isuzu UTE A-League match before then missing a penalty in the 92nd minute, as City escaped Sky Stadium with a point.
Aurelio Vidmar
Melbourne City boss Aurelio Vidmar wasn’t impressed with his side’s defending at Sky Stadium, but the nature of their two-goal comeback was certainly pleasing.
Check out his full press conference below.
Adelaide United 1-1 Macarthur Bulls
MATCH REPORT: Adelaide and Macarthur share the spoils in entertaining draw in the heat
Airton Andrioli
Adelaide United remain entrenched in the Isuzu UTE A-League’s top six after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Macarthur Bulls on Friday night.
Whilst the draw will no doubt be frustrating for the home side, especially given they led the Bulls, a real positive for the Reds is the fact their team on Friday night was stocked full of South Australian talent.
Mile Sterjovski
As for Macarthur, the draw at Coopers Stadium sees them sit in fourth spot on the ladder and well in truly in the picture when it comes to Premiership contention.
Have a watch of Bulls boss Mile Sterjovski’s post-match press conference below.
Newcastle Jets 4-1 Brisbane Roar
MATCH REPORT: Newcastle go top in style with thumping win over Brisbane Roar in front of bumper crowd
Mark Milligan
The Jets continue to soar under head coach Mark Milligan as they thumped Brisbane Roar 4-1 to go TOP of the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Another scintillating performance from the league’s entertainers was capped off by the fact Newcastle had their biggest crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium since the 2018 season.
As expected, Jets boss Milligan was beaming with proud after the full time whistle.
Michael Valkanis
Things have turned sour for Brisbane Roar and their head coach Michael Valkanis, with Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Newcastle their fourth defeat in five matches.
Furthermore, that result coupled with results elsewhere mean they now sit outside the top six.
Sydney FC 4-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
MATCH REPORT: Quintal inspired Sydney FC extract Derby revenge with big win over shaky Wanderers
Ufuk Talay
Sydney FC regained their pride on Saturday night, thrashing the Wanderers 4-1 in the Sydney Derby to avenge their 1-0 loss against their fiercest rivals earlier this season.
Teenagers Akol Akon and Thiago Quintal shone for Ufuk Talay’s side against a Wanderers team who offered little going forward – with both players drawing effusive praise from the Sky Blues boss after the game.
Gary van Egmond
After winning his first game in charge, Gary van Egmond was brought back down to earth at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night as his side suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of their rivals.
Despite taking the lead inside the first minute, there was little else to be pleased with from a Wanderers perspective, and van Egmond said as much after the game.
Perth Glory 2-1 Auckland FC
MATCH REPORT: Late Jaiden Kucharski stunner leads Perth to wild win over Auckland
Adam Griffiths
Perth Glory ended their two-game losing streak in style on Saturday night as they came from behind to defeat league-leaders Auckland FC 2-1 at HBF Park.
The result was particularly pleasing for head coach Adam Griffiths, who’s substitutions paid dividends as Jaiden Kucharski came off the bench to bag the winner.
Steve Corica
Auckland FC were knocked off top spot on Saturday and will head into Round 16 sat third on the ladder after their late collapse in Perth.
Speaking after the game, Black Knights head coach Steve Corica admits he’s very concerned with a worrying habit that has now crept into their game.
Central Coast Mariners 1-0 Melbourne Victory
MATCH REPORT: 10-man Mariners seal gutsy win over Victory in lightning-affected clash
Warren Moon
The Mariners had to contend with lightning strikes, delays and the fact they played with 10-men for the vast majority of the second half against Melbourne Victory but they still managed to hold on for a gutsy 1-0 win.
Head coach Warren Moon was incredibly proud of the character shown by his squad when speaking after the game.
Arthur Diles
The 1-0 defeat was a tough one to take for Arthur Diles and his Melbourne Victory side, especially off the back of their brilliant 4-0 win against Sydney FC on Monday.
Have a watch of head coach Arthur Diles’ press conference below.
