Ange Postecoglou persisted with the pendulum back three as the sometimes-erratic Socceroos recorded a vital 3-2 World Cup qualifying win against a very impressive Saudi Arabia on Thursday night.

The system was introduced in March for games against Iraq and the UAE. But in Adelaide, Saudia Arabia boss Bert van Marjwick sent his team out to take the game to Australia - when it had been widely predicted that they would opt to sit deep and absorb pressure instead.

Formations

Midfield duo Tom Rogic and Aaron Mooy started for Australia, as well as fellow English Championship colleagues Mile Jedinak and Jackson Irvine. Brad Smith was selected over clubless Robbie Kruse, while Ryan McGowan was positioned as right centre-back. Tomi Juric led the line. For the Saudi’s, Nassir Alshamrani was left out of the XI, which included a return for Salem Al-Dawsari. 33 year-old captain, Osama Hawsawi, led from the heart of defence.

Formations and basic movement tendencies

Australia pressing from the front

Whilst the back three of Degenek, Sainsbury and McGowan looked vulnerable in parts of the first half, it can be said that Australia’s pressing from the front was generally of a very high standard. The initial press of double goal-scorer Tomi Juric dictated the direction of ball circulation, which allowed the Australian midfielders to slide across and form a high block to prevent Saudi progression through the lines. With the prevention of vertical progression as a clear objective, the Socceroos engaged in a man-oriented defensive scheme as they looked to restrict the options of the player on the ball, such as Abdulla A-Zori in Figure 2 below. Without possession, the opposite winger would drop off onto the third line when the ball was in the Saudi Arabia defensive third, before acting as a conventional full-back in more threatening circumstances. In this case, it can be seen that Brad Smith has dropped to be on the same horizontal line as the centre-backs.

The press and restriction of Saudi line progression.

With this in mind, the five remaining midfielders repositioned towards the right-hand side of the pitch; Rogic and Irvine pressed the two holding midfielders, Leckie covered Al-Sheri, and Mooy and Jedinak alternated between marking Al-Jassam and protecting the space in front of the back three. On occasion, the Australian players would position themselves ball-side to their man, employing cover shadows in order to restrict the ability of Saudi Arabia to play to feet, which often lead to a pass backwards or a loss of possession. This strategy proved to be successful over the course of the game, with the Socceroos consistently winning possession in advanced areas of the pitch.