Socceroos able to revert to slick passing game on improved S


The must-win World Cup qualifier will not be straightforward but a superior surface to that SBOBET encountered in Honduras will help For a national team that has undergone drastic generational and stylistic change under Ange Postecoglou, and given the unfavourable conditions and key injuries in attack, Australia’s goalless draw with Honduras was as good a performance as could have been expected. It may also come to define the coach’s tenure. The tie is now set up for Australia to attack when the two teams meet again on Wednesday night in Sydney. Both Postecoglou and his players have 90 minutes – or 120 – to be brave, assertive and decisive.
From making the right tactical adjustments to carrying out the plan in light of everything the Socceroos have endured, though, the must-win game at ANZ Stadium will not be straight-forward and to think Australian progression is a formality based on the first leg would be highly illogical.Although commenting on the state of a playing surface can be deemed an ignorant grievance from football’s first world, it is a key representation of the need to adjust to the fluctuating environments of the international game.In context, the pitch at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano played a primary role in the weekend’s deadlock, with a consequential effect on the performances of both teams – just as a vastly improved surface in Sydney will have an effect on Wednesday’s game. SBOBET
The heavier pitch in San Pedro Sula was a visual throwback to decades ago with stretched lines and an overall slower circulation of the ball. Tellingly, the Socceroos completed their lowest number of passes over 90 minutes since the start of the AFC’s third phase of qualification at 344, along with the lowest passing accuracy (73.8%).It was only the third time pass completion went below 80% over the same period. The common denominator away to Syria (81%), Thailand (80.5%) and Iraq (75.6%) was a heavier surface, which made Postecoglou’s high-volume passing style difficult to implement effectively.Fundamentally, a heavier surface means passes are more difficult to weight and as such, Australia’s passing accuracy in the attacking half dramatically dropped to 64.6%. It also exposes those who are less measured with their distribution in attacking areas, and it was no surprise that Jackson Irvine (51%) and Josh Risdon (68%) SBOBETfinished with the lowest individual completion rates.