EXCLUSIVE: After playing against him in England, former Socceroo defender Danny Tiatto says Chris Coyne will only get better in the heart of Pim Verbeek’s defence.
“I think I did play against him when I was at Leicester City. It didn’t surprise me that he did so well in his first game [against Iraq in Dubai],” Tiatto told au.fourfourtwo.com.
Coyne made his debut for Australia at 29 in the 1-0 loss to Iraq last week in the heat of Dubai. The former West Ham youth player was a standout performer in the heart of the Socceroo defence
The Brisbane-born defender is also one of the oldest debutants in the national team. But Tiatto, the 35-year-old Roar defender, says Coyne’s simple qualities are what makes him an important player.
“He’s a commanding defender who’s typical English, he gets stuck in, does his job, wins the ball and plays the ball," he said.
“So it’s no surprise that he’s slotted himself in and hopefully he can do better in the future.”
Tiatto knows what it’s like to play in the national team defence. The former Leicester City captain racked up 27 appearances over seven years in the green and gold until retiring shortly before the last World Cup.
And he sympathises with the players who are expecting another boiling night in the Middle East this Sunday morning Australian time when they take on Qatar in Doha.
Tiatto feels the Socceroos must try to control the tempo in this vital fixture for both sides chances in the group.
He added: “Overall, we’ve got enough depth in the side to get through but it is tough. The conditions are not what most of the guys are used.
“A lot of people ask why aren’t the boys pushing on and pressing as much. But when the conditions are so warm it’s not so easy to play that game for 90 minutes.
“So we’re going to have to control it. Press at the right times and make sure we get that final third quality balls in there for the boys such as Scott McDonald and Harry Kewell, to make sure those boys get on the end of those chances to give us a chance of winning.”
Tiatto added that a draw may not be such a bad result in a group where Australia sits on seven points with Qatar, Iraq on four and China three.
“Sometimes playing away, a draw can sometimes be enough. Back in Australia will be vital obviously but as long as we go out with the mindset to get a point or a win.”
Coyne made his debut for Australia at 29 in the 1-0 loss to Iraq last week in the heat of Dubai. The former West Ham youth player was a standout performer in the heart of the Socceroo defence
The Brisbane-born defender is also one of the oldest debutants in the national team. But Tiatto, the 35-year-old Roar defender, says Coyne’s simple qualities are what makes him an important player.
“He’s a commanding defender who’s typical English, he gets stuck in, does his job, wins the ball and plays the ball," he said.
“So it’s no surprise that he’s slotted himself in and hopefully he can do better in the future.”
Tiatto knows what it’s like to play in the national team defence. The former Leicester City captain racked up 27 appearances over seven years in the green and gold until retiring shortly before the last World Cup.
And he sympathises with the players who are expecting another boiling night in the Middle East this Sunday morning Australian time when they take on Qatar in Doha.
Tiatto feels the Socceroos must try to control the tempo in this vital fixture for both sides chances in the group.
He added: “Overall, we’ve got enough depth in the side to get through but it is tough. The conditions are not what most of the guys are used.
“A lot of people ask why aren’t the boys pushing on and pressing as much. But when the conditions are so warm it’s not so easy to play that game for 90 minutes.
“So we’re going to have to control it. Press at the right times and make sure we get that final third quality balls in there for the boys such as Scott McDonald and Harry Kewell, to make sure those boys get on the end of those chances to give us a chance of winning.”
Tiatto added that a draw may not be such a bad result in a group where Australia sits on seven points with Qatar, Iraq on four and China three.
“Sometimes playing away, a draw can sometimes be enough. Back in Australia will be vital obviously but as long as we go out with the mindset to get a point or a win.”
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