He's coaching former teammates - some of whom are older than he is - but Perth Glory interim boss Ruben Zadkovich is confident he's ready to be an A-League Men's head coach.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Zadkovich has stepped into the breach after the sacking of Richard Garcia following last weekend's 4-1 thumping by Brisbane Roar and will have his first game at the helm against Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.
It's clearly a big moment for the 35-year-old, who played for the Glory in the 2014-15 season alongside Garcia as well as current players Andy Keogh and Brandon O'Neill.
Having been handed the opportunity, Zadkovich is hopeful of making an immediate impact on the last-placed Glory against the Phoenix.
"I'm only 35 and I'm a head coach of an A-League club so most of the players in the league I either played against or I know on a personal level which makes it interesting," he said.
"That dynamic for me has always been there because I've been coaching for six or seven years now and coaching guys that are older than me and have a lot of experience in the game.
"That's something that I've found the right balance between friendship and mateship and pushing that aside and making sure business is business.
"In terms of Andy and the other guys, I'm good friends with a lot of these players and I care deeply about them, I think they know that and I think that's why we're going to lift."
The Glory's decision to sack Garcia, as well as assistant Steven McGarry, came after a seven-game winless run which included a highly-anticipated return home following several weeks on the road due to COVID-19 border restrictions.
Zadkovich has refused to set any targets for the Glory under his tenure, saying the goalposts have already been shifted too many times this season for the club.
Instead, he just wants to see an improvement on the Roar display and an indication that the players are willing to fight for their own futures.
"I want to see a shift in belief in the playing group and I want to see a performance that reflects the position that we're in," he said.
"The fans and the members are hurting. The club's hurting, and whilst we can't implement all the key principles and the changes from a philosophy point of view or playing style point of view straight away, what we can do is show a real lift in our mentality and in our effort.
"That's probably the first thing.
"We start with Wellington away and look to get a win there and then build."
Australian Associated Press
