Carl Veart says he is considering starting live wire Yaya Dukuly over Ben Folami for Adelaide United's clash against the Newcastle Jets tomorrow night. The head coach spoke to the media today as the Reds aim to notch back-to-back wins and keep pace with high-flying Auckland FC atop the A-League Men ladder.
Yaya Dukuly has registered one goal and two assists across nine appearances for Adelaide United this season. (Image: Brock Pearson Photography)
Adelaide United head coach Carl Veart has admitted that his coaching staff are considering handing exciting winger Yaya Dukuly a starting berth for the visit of the Newcastle Jets tomorrow night.
Dukuly sparked an improved second-half performance from the Reds last week, creating one big chance and proving a handful for the Melbourne City defence as the Reds overcame a difficult first half to secure a narrow 1-0 win.
The 22-year-old winger replaced Ben Folami at halftime after the off-season recruit from Melbourne Victory experienced a challenging first half, losing possession nine times and registering a measly 15 touches. With Dukuly continuing to offer a threat off the bench in recent weeks, the Reds are contemplating making a change down their left side.
"Yaya has made a big impact off the bench, he's been doing that job very well. It's something that we've been looking at for the last couple of weeks. Whether we go with that tomorrow night, we'll make that decision tomorrow," Veart told reporters today.
"It's between him and Ben in that position. They're both working hard. Ben didn't have a good game last week, but it was his first game back from that small injury. We're in a fortunate position that we've got players that can play in that position."
Ben Folami struggled in Adelaide United's last game against Melbourne City, making way for Yaya Dukuly at halftime. (Image: Brock Pearson Photography)
Alongside Dukuly and Folami, Austin Ayoubi has also been previously utilised on the left side, having started in that role in each of Adelaide's first four games of the season. However, the former MetroStars attacker has received scarce opportunities since starting the Unite Round fixture against Brisbane Roar, only making one further start and being unused on four occasions.
Veart does not believe the 23-year-old is competing with Dukuly and Folami for a place on the left anymore, suggesting that we could see Ayoubi continue to be utilised in the striker role he played off the bench against Melbourne City.
"I think he's better suited in the middle. With Ben and Yaya, they're a little bit better suited to play wide left. It's a by-needs thing. Sometimes we don't have the cover on wide players, then Austin can play wide as well," Veart explained.
Another natural winger featured in Adelaide United's matchday squad against Melbourne City was 16-year-old Amlani Tatu, whose game continues to draw comparisons with another Reds product, teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda.
Tatu has represented Australia's U17 side, the Joeys, at the national youth team level, playing a key role in ensuring the side qualified for the U17 Asian Cup back in October. Yesterday, Football Australia announced the Joeys squad for a friendly tournament in the United Arab Emirates next week, with Tatu not named. The tournament is being held outside a FIFA international window, so clubs are not obliged to make their players available for selection.
Veart was asked whether Tatu's exclusion from the squad was due to the possibility he would start to see first-team minutes in the A-League Men or because of the preference for him to play at a senior level with the club's NPL side, who begin their 2025 season next weekend. He revealed that he did have a conversation with Joeys head coach, Brad Maloney, about Tatu's availability.
"We believe it's best for him to stay in our A-League environment at the moment," Veart said.
"Their tournament's (the Asian Cup) not until later in the year, so it's important that we just keep building him up to be fitter and stronger so he can play at his best level for longer."
Tatu has been named in the club's initial 20-man squad for the visit of Newcastle tomorrow, with two being omitted on matchday. Goalkeeper James Delianov and defender Jordan Elsey were also included, with Veart stating that Elsey is "good to go", having come through unscathed from 70 minutes with the NPL side in a recent friendly.
Elsey will be a part of the squad tomorrow. But Veart suggested a start was unlikely, stating that Adelaide "don't want to change the back four too much" after Bart Vriends and Isaias formed a solid relationship in Panagiotis Kikianis' absence last week.
Adelaide United defender Jordan Elsey could see his first minutes of the season tomorrow night. (Image supplied by Adelaide United)
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Regarding absences, Veart provided an update on the injuries to Panashe Madanha and Javi Lopez, stating that Madanha is "maybe another four or five weeks" from returning to action and Lopez is "a couple of weeks" away.
Thus, the Reds' matchday squad will likely be very similar to last week, with the possibility of only a few minor changes. Adelaide goes into the game confident after returning to winning ways against City, but so do the Jets, having dispatched Melbourne Victory 3-0 in their last fixture.
Veart is wary of Rob Stanton's side, who visit Coopers Stadium with their tails up and desperate for wins to keep their top-six hopes alive.
"They're a good footballing side. They're a side that tries to play football; they've got a young side as well, so it's important that our pressure is right," Veart said.
"If we get our pressure right, we can go a long way to getting the three points."
Adelaide United's A-League Women's side kicks off the first leg of a double-header at 4:50 pm AEDT tomorrow against Canberra United, with Veart's side commencing their clash against the Newcastle Jets from 7:35 pm AEDT.
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