The tactical tweak that put Socceroos back on track

A tactical tweak from Australia coach Ange Postecoglou has brought the best out of the Socceroos who now can look toward the final matches of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying group with renewed optimism.

Australia Ange Postecoglou Socceroos 2018 FIFA World Cup

Massimo Luongo was in fine form for the Socceroos in Canberra Source: Getty Images

A comfortable 3-0 victory over hopelessly outclassed Kyrgyzstan has given the Australians the impetus to seriously challenge leaders Jordan for top spot and a place in the final round of qualifying.

It was Australia's finest performance since the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

For the first time since he took over the national team job in 2013, Postecoglou sprang a surprise by opting for a twin-striker formation instead of his usual 4-3-3.

With Tim Cahill and Tomi Juric (later replaced by Nathan Burns) up front and four midfielders behind them, the Socceroos took a stranglehold on the match from the word 'go' and went on to inflict capital punishment on the Central Asian side.
In reality Australia should have won by six or seven clear goals.

The reason they did not do so was due to the stubborn resistance offered by goalkeeper Pavel Matiash and his brave defenders who often threw their bodies on the line to thwart the rampaging hosts.

Cahill was also uncharacteristically wasteful on a night he could have easily scored a hat-trick although he was desperately unlucky not to open the scoring in the 15th minute with a beautifully struck shot that hit the far post.

Postecoglou's choice of formation enabled Massimo Luongo to play in his favourite role in the middle of the park after a rather unproductive stint on the right flank in earlier qualifiers.

He and Aaron Mooy stole the show with a classic demonstration of attacking midfield play.

The two were here, there and everywhere and sprayed passes to all parts of the field, often with surgical precision.

With these two playmakers in such sparkling form it was little wonder that the visitors stood no chance.

Kyrgyzstan are not the kind of team that will punish your shortcomings so the easy victory should be put in the right perspective.

Yet the fact remains that the Socceroos produced a dazzling display befitting their status as Asian champions.

They struggled to break down the visitors' stoic resistance but once Mile Jedinak opened the scoring with a penalty in the closing stages of the first half, the outcome of the match was never in doubt.

Some of their attacking moves involving high-speed wall passes were breath-taking to watch.

Four midfielders also gave the team's defence better protection and the kind of overall control Postecoglou yearns for, which would suggest that the 4-4-2 pattern used in Canberra may not have been a one-off.
"We were not really happy with the way our last game (in Jordan) went so we needed to look at some different options," Postecoglou said later.

"Two strikers worked well tonight and it's another string to our bow.

"We don't want to be restricted by one style or one system.

"Sometimes it depends on the opposition and how we want to set up.

"It was important that we made progress in that area tonight."

The Socceroos' World Cup campaign is well and truly back on track.


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3 min read
Published 13 November 2015 6:15am
Updated 13 November 2015 10:43am
By Philip Micallef
Source: SBS


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