Missing ingredient: Goodwin hungry on Reds return
Murray Wenzel |
A fit-again Craig Goodwin will drive a “ruthlessness and relentlessness” into his Adelaide teammates that he regrets may not have been there in title near-misses during previous stints at the A-League club.
The Socceroos stalwart, 33, is back for a fourth stint with the Reds after spending two seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al-Wehda.
He will captain the side in their season opener against Sydney FC in Adelaide on Friday.
Off-season surgery to remove a neuroma from his foot meant Goodwin missed the national side’s World Cup-sealing wins over Japan and Saudia Arabia in June.
No longer requiring injections to manage pain associated with the concern, the 31-cap Socceroo is confident he can play his way into Tony Popovic’s side for next year’s showpiece.
“I hope not that far,” Goodwin, a star of the side’s rousing quarter-final Cup run in 2022, said of a national recall.
“I’ve shown some really good performances over the last four, five years and … some of my best football is yet to come.
“It’s up to me to do the talking on the pitch.
“I’m just looking forward to stepping back out on this sacred grass and having a good night.”
Goodwin is the Reds’ all-time leading goal-scorer, netting 60 times in 168 appearances while helping the club to the 2016 premiership-championship double.
But he returns hungry for more, admitting Adelaide had let slip opportunities to add to that silverware.
“If we’re not here to win silverware, then what are we here for?,” Goodwin said on Wednesday.
“If I’m overly critical, we’ve made a lot of semi-finals with Adelaide and we’ve just fallen short of that hurdle.
“What’s the one thing (missing)? It’s the ruthlessness and relentlessness on a daily basis.”
New coach Airton Andrioli, the club’s former youth team boss, has taken over the top job from Carl Veart, who wasn’t offered a new deal.
“The biggest things I hope fans can see is the intent, work ethic and desire,” Goodwin said.
“If we can have that, tactically we can progress from there. But the will to win needs to be there every single day.”
AAP
