Australia’s playing out from the back

In what was a determined performance from Australia against a world-class Chile side, Postecoglou stuck to his well-established philosophy and instructed his team to attempt to play through the lines.

Against opposition characterised by the ferocity of their high press, this in itself was a bold move and signalled the Australian intent to not just get a result, but to play well at the same time. A by-product of the system controversially applied by Postecoglou is the box midfield which it allows, combining two deeper and two more advanced central players.

The two deeper players, Jackson Irvine and Massimo Luongo, both played integral parts in the ability of the Socceroos’ to circumvent the Chilean press by moving behind the first line of pressure, as shown below.

Irvine and Luongo were able to receive the ball between the first and second lines of pressure

The positioning between the lines allowed for the effectiveness of the press to be nullified; as a general rule, looking to be positioned on a different line of play to the opposition opens up the possibility to stretch the links between defenders, as they look to cover the vertical displacement of their positioning.

Having both Irvine and Luongo available presented further tactical opportunities, with Luongo in particular often dropping unchecked in front of the Chilean press to receive the ball at feet and change the angle of attack, at the same time increasing the space available to Jackson Irvine to move between the lines by vacating his original position.

The ability to play out from the back was central to the match strategy employed by the Socceroos, and almost paid dividends on several occasions with a high volume of chances created following sustained possession.

PIC SPECIAL: Australia v Chile