Newcastle Jets midfielder Zenon Caravella says the team must remain positive and focus on doing the little things right if they’re going to turn their 2014/15 Hyundai A-League season around.
The Jets remain winless this season and sit just one spot off the bottom of the Hyundai A-League ladder following a 2-0 defeat at the hands of table-topping Perth Glory last Friday night.
The 31-year-old says he has been in a similar position before while playing for now defunct New Zealand Knights in the Hyundai A-League’s first season and the team needs to remain focused in order to revive their season.
“You just have to stay positive, that’s the only thing I can say,” Caravella said.
“It’s very easy to lose your enthusiasm and your motivation because the season isn’t going the way you want but you just have to keep plugging along.
“You’ve got to almost strip everything back and go back to the start and get the small things right and hopefully the momentum will go on from them.”
The central midfielder says the team cannot afford to become discouraged and dwell on past results and the squad has responded well after the disappointing loss to the Glory.
“You start a new week and you try and the put the last game behind you and concentrate on the next game,” Caravella said.
“When things don’t fall for you and little things go against you that’s just the way it is, but you can’t drop your bundle you’ve got to keep going and stay positive.
“You can’t turn on each other otherwise it’s going to get worse so everyone has to stay positive and encourage each other, keep training hard and hope it turns around.
Despite multiple injury interruptions preventing the same players taking to the pitch each week Caravella says a lack of continuity in the squad isn’t an excuse for their slow start to the season.
“There hasn’t been a lot (continuity) but it’s not like we’ve changed 10 players every game,” Caravella said.
“You still have to perform to a certain standard even though players are changing so for me we can’t use that as an excuse.”
The Jets will be looking to breathe fresh life into their season in Friday’s 10-year anniversary match against Adelaide United this weekend but Caravella says the team will have to work hard to get the result against his former club.
“Jeronimo was saying that Adelaide have rule that as soon as they lose the ball they have win it back within five seconds, no-one stands still and that’s the intent of the whole team” Caravella said.
“Everyone’s moving for each other and there is plenty of options on the ball, and they pass the ball really quick and it makes them mobile and hard to get.”
Caravella feels that with Adelaide facing a short turnaround after their midweek FFA Cup final and the Jets celebrating their 10-year anniversary Friday night may provide their best chance to score three points so far this season.
“If we get a lot of people down there for the 10-year anniversary then it could be just what we need,” Caravella said.
“Get a big crowd behind us at home and get that win and once you get a win hopefully it just builds on from there.”
