Jacob Stevens 
Adelaide United coach Carl Veart walks out of the tunnel during the round 21 A-League Men match between Auckland FC and Adelaide United. Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images. Supplied by Adelaide United.
Adelaide United have conceded 15 goals in their last four games, but head coach Carl Veart says the defensive structure of the team is not to blame.
“Every week we work on the things we haven’t done well the week before,” Veart said, speaking to media ahead of Adelaide’s clash with Sydney on Saturday.
“We’ve worked a lot this year on our defensive structure as a team and I don’t think a lot of the issues we’ve had has been down to the structure.
“It’s been some individual mistakes that we haven’t fixed, and we then follow it with another mistake.
“We need to be better as a team, to help our teammates when they do make an error.”
This comes after a Panagiotis Kikianis foul gave Melbourne Victory a penalty and a way back into the game in last week’s Original Rivalry clash.
Mistakes are to be expected when fielding young players, as has become the hallmark of United sides under Veart, but he says he doesn’t want to change the way they go about things.
“I’ve always given opportunities to young players if they’re doing the right things,” he said.
“I won’t change that, I won’t change the way we play.
“I can be quite stubborn in that regard but that’s what I see is best for the club in the long term.”
While Veart has one eye towards the future successes of the club, he confirmed recent rumours that there is no guarantee he will return to Adelaide for next season.
“I do not have a contract with the club next year,” he said.
“We’re in the space where we’re talking at the moment, I want to stay at the club and that’s where it is right now.
“There’s a few things to work through and we’re in the process of doing that.”
Interestingly, per the club’s own media release, Veart’s most recent contract extension, signed in 2023, should see him in the job until the end of the 2025/26 season.
Adelaide United CEO Nathan Kosmina said in a pre-season member’s update that the club was aiming for a top four finish, but Veart maintains that expectations and KPIs are not at play with his current situation.
“There’s never been any KPIs for me in my whole time here,” he said.
“I’m not aware of [top four expectations], it was never mentioned to me.
“My focus since I’ve been here is on giving opportunities to young South Australian players.
“Yes, we also want to have success, and we’ve gotten close a few times but haven’t quite got there.
“This year we want to make that next step.”