Time Tasman start believing
It’s time to start believing.
That is the message Tasman United coach Davor Tavich is sending to his players this week, on the back of the team’s perfect start to the ISPS Handa Premiership.
Tasman lead the league with six points, having accounted for Hamilton Wanderers and Canterbury United in their opening two games.
Ahead of their first match in front of their home fans, squaring off against Southern United at Trafalgar Park tomorrow, Tavich urges his players to play with more confidence on the ball. They were a good team and they were allowed to show it, he said.
‘‘We have to start believing that we are actually a good team. We have good individuals who have played at a high level before and are technically very good,’’ he said.
‘‘We just need to be a lot more confident on the ball and believe in the style we want to play. It’s not going to be easy but I think that composure on and confidence on the ball will improve us massively.
‘‘We’re not going to hide behind six points.
‘‘We all know, and we talked throughout the week, that there are areas we need to improve on and winning the game doesn’t change that fact. Confidence should be there. Although we haven’t played as well as we can, the boys can see if we do play to our full potential then we will be a very good team and a very hard team to play against.’’
Due to their promising start it is unlikely that Tavich will be tempted into making wholesale changes to his starting 11, but don’t be surprised if either of one of Kieran Smith and Brian Kaltack debut tomorrow, with both players now available for selection.
But with in-form striker Abdulla Al-Kalisy, who was selected in the Iraq under-23 squad for a training camp in Qatar earlier this week, not departing until Monday now, Smith’s debut is likely to come via the bench. The only player definitely out is Ryan Stewart, who has a hamstring injury.
‘‘We always said from the start that it’s not about winning or losing, we are still focusing on individual performance and win or lose players can still be replaced but everyone has been really strong so far so there is some selection headaches,’’ Tavich said.
‘‘But I think so far we are going in the same direction and everyone is prepared to put the individual stuff secondary to the overall team goals, so whatever selection there is everyone is going to do their best, regardless of how small their part is.’’
Although they have just one point to their name, Southern have made a reasonable fist of their opening two games, earning a hard-fought draw with Auckland City before losing in the final five minutes against Eastern Suburbs.
There will be two familiar faces in the Southern lineup, with Nelson Suburbs players Omar Guardiola and Kristian Gibson expected to start.
Tomorrow’s game kicks off at 2pm.