Australia’s box midfield

Part of the allure of Ange’s system is the inclusion of the four central midfielders.

Interestingly, these players do not form a diamond shape – as most systems with four midfielders do – but instead forming a box.

This shape offers an interesting progression from this traditional idea, allowing for the use of a greater amount of space spread out over the possibility of four distinct lines of play. 

Australia's box midfield

The box midfield was not restricted to either in or out of possession, but permeated through all of Australia’s midfield operations. 

When building up from the back, as per the diagram above, one of either Irvine or Luongo would drop from a slightly higher position to link with a centre-back. 

From here, the box midfield offers a state of balance unlike many other tactical variants in football. 

All four players are responsible for maintaining midfield equilibrium, responding to each other’s movements in order to preserve four distinct heights, thereby increasing the difficulty for the defending team. 

As pictured, Irvine drops off to engage within the defensive third, inciting Rogic to move to a slightly lower position as a result. In reaction, Luongo moves higher, as does James Troisi. In this sense, the balance of the midfield remains the same.

In addition to the state of balance the box midfield supplies, it also generally supplies numerical superiority in central areas. 

This is an important aspect of the modern game, where many possession-based teams strive for more players within a certain area than the opposition. 

In the above diagram, it can be clearly seen that Australia outnumber Japan four players to three in the central zone. For large parts of the first half particularly, the Socceroos were able to circulate possession with relative ease. 

Numerical superiority is also an advantage defensively, as the spare man is able to engage in a double press, mark incoming runners, or cover dangerous space.