Postecoglou’s squad management could pay dividends later in the tournament
Coaches can sometimes get defensive when the dreaded phrase “rotation policy” is used. As if it is a spur of the moment decision to change the line-up, there are often negative connotations surrounding it – Western Sydney Wanderers’ manager Tony Popovic has had to fend off countless questions on the topic. But even prior to the tournament, Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou was quick to emphasise the need to manage his players throughout the tournament.
The Asian Cup is more condensed than the World Cup, and as a result there is less time to recover for players and changes have been made in each game. Up front, there have been six different starters during the group stage, with five midfielders starting the three matches.
But not only has this rotation of players shown how Postecoglou manages his squad, it has also highlighted the depth the Socceroos now boast. Whereas Australia relied on a core of 14 starters at the 2011 Asian Cup, at this edition Postecoglou has multiple players competing for a starting spot. This offers far many more options, with different players able to start (or come off the bench) depending on how the opposition sets up or the particular circumstances of a match.
Australia have other routes to goal
Perhaps the main question on everyone’s lips going into the Asian Cup was “where, apart from Tim Cahill, will the goals come from?” Until Massimo Luongo beat Cahill in the air to nod home Ivan Franjic’s cross against Kuwait, no other player had scored from open play during Postecoglou’s 12 games in charge. Without Cahill on the pitch, in some instances the Socceroos were 535% less efficient in the final third. This was an area in clear need of improvement post-World Cup.
“We didn’t have enough of a threat from midfield and that [area] was where we were most conservative,” he said prior to the friendlies against Belgium and Saudi Arabia. “We lacked a creative midfielder who was able to get into the final third, create chances and score goals.”
The change of formation – from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 – has given Australia more variety and allowed for midfielders to get beyond the front three in certain situations. And, with just over a week in camp to fine-tune the style prior to the tournament starting, it has paid dividends, with midfielders Luongo, James Troisi, Matt McKay, Mark Milligan and Mile Jedinak all contributing goals. Australia have shown they have legitimate goal threats all over the park, enabling Postecoglou to rest star man Cahill for large parts of the three group games.
Australia have more options
But not only has Australia’s move to a 4-3-3 given them more variety and unpredictability going forward, it has also allowed Australia a second option should things not go as planned in the first instance.
One of Postecoglou’s favourite lines is that “’Plan B’ is to make ‘Plan A’ better” but Australia now have an option to change things up during the game, reverting back to a 4-2-3-1 if the situation requires. This is exactly what they did against South Korea when chasing the game, with Cahill playing in a second striker role behind Tomi Juric.
Given they had used the system exclusively in the lead-up to and during the World Cup, the 4-2-3-1 – and the patterns of play associated with it – is something that is familiar to the core of the squad. And that means each player understands their role within two separate systems and should one not be working, the Socceroos can quickly adapt to the other to exploits different avenues to goal – making them harder to predict and to defend against.
Spiranovic and Sainsbury show signs of a solid future pairing
While Australia has utilised their depth in midfield and up front, the central defensive pairing of Matthew Spiranovic and Trent Sainsbury has remained a constant during the opening three games. Spiranovic’s injury had prevented him from playing for the Socceroos since the World Cup but he has quickly established a solid partnership with the PEC Zwolle defender. Both are able ball players and are comfortable building attacks from the back. Both also possess a turn of pace and the ability to anticipate danger, which has seen them stifle numerous opposition attacks during the group stage.
However, Spiranovic’s suspension after picking up two yellow cards means he misses Australia’s quarter-final against China. Alex Wilkinson, who partnered Sainsbury against Belgium, United Arab Emirates and Japan, will come into central defence in Spiranovic’s place.
Things will only get tougher
“It’s always worth pointing out the relative strengths of the sides and where they come from,” emphasised SBS’s Scott McIntyre after Australia’s resounding win over Kuwait. “We always hear it when Australia is up against an established nation – the gulf in class and this kind of thing. A couple of years ago when Australia was playing Oman in Oman, I was speaking to Ali Al-Habsi, their goalkeeper. He pointed out that he was the only professional player in the squad.
“Kuwait aren’t quite at that level but neither are they a team full of professionals that are training full time. When you compare it to Australia it really is comparing apples and oranges and we need to take these kinds of things into consideration because Kuwait was never going to be a test for Australia.”
While fans and pundits should take many positives from the first two group games, in which Australia scored eight and could have added more, it is important to keep things in perspective. Oman and Kuwait, despite troubling Australia in the past, were never expected to challenge for the top two spots in the group. Oman manager Paul Le Guen pointed towards this after his side’s loss to Australia – highlighting their superior physicality and technical and tactical abilities. “They were far better than us in each part of the game,” he said, also highlighting the lack of a professional environment in Oman.
So it came as no surprise that South Korea were much tougher to break down and the challenge, as Australia look towards China and a possible semi-final tie against Japan, is now to maintain the high tempo and levels of execution with less space and time on the ball.
