Talking Points: Australia 2 Iraq 0 – Socceroos grind out tough victory

Talking Points: Australia 2 Iraq 0 – Socceroos grind out tough victory

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James Caughlin
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Australia’s route down the final furlong to Russia got off to a good start with a 2-0 win over a resolute Iraqi side at the Perth Rectangular Stadium.

The goals came from Massimo Luongo and Tomi Juric either side of the hour mark to get the team over the line. With almost 80% of possession the Socceroos would have expected to run riot over their opponents but Iraq set up well and held out while creating their fair share of chances.

Narrow Diamond Formation

Not afraid to experiment, Ange Postecoglou opted to deploy the starting eleven in a 4-4-2 formation with a narrow diamond in midfield. With an overflow of attacking midfield talent, he decided to put his three primary playmakers on the field from the start. Aaron Mooy and Massimo Luongo would sit behind the play, and Tom Rogic would be allowed to roam in behind the two strikers. Mile Jedinak started as the defensive midfielder, despite a rough debut for Aston Villa last weekend. Postecoglou was seemingly intent on having a capable ball player in the centre of defence, with Mark Milligan was chosen to start alongside Trent Sainsbury so that the Socceroos could build comfortably from the back. After the game Postecoglou said to Fox Sports, “We just felt we were going to dominate the game, and Millsy coming out of defence was going to give us some real quality.”

Cheap Turnovers

Going forward en masse from the opening kickoff and putting a good shot on target suggested the Socceroos were raring to go in this game. However, that turned out to be the high point for the Socceroos in the first half, as the team struggled to play with any sort of cohesion or rhythm. Perhaps they came out too pumped up (which is possible if Josep Gombau gave the team talk) or the pitch was too well maintained; regardless, they had a hard time getting the ball under control. The biggest offenders were Brad Smith and Aaron Mooy who seemed unable to get the ball to do what they wanted and, in Smith’s case, was very lucky to not give up a penalty when he pulled on an opponent’s arm. Overall it was a very messy first half from the Socceroos that would have caused some concern as they struggled to break down the well organised Iraqi team.

Juric’s Redemption

Early in the second half, the ball came to Juric at the back post and he produced an astonishing, Sunday-league calibre miss. Given the rare opportunity to lead the line for Australia ahead of some very stiff competition, it was an error that could prove costly. Almost immediately afterwards, he turned provider, fashioning a carbon copy of the chance he missed; he crossed to Massimo Luongo and the QPR midfielder made no mistake sending the ball into the roof of the net. Six minutes later he got his own redemptive goal, tapping home a corner via a deflection from Mark Milligan. It was a goal that would have salvaged Juric’s confidence after an uneven outing.

Looking Forward

A more detailed write up will come in the match preview over the weekend, but the concurrent game in the group between Japan and the UAE – in Japan – was the scene for an upset. With Australia playing the UAE on Tuesday night, the Socceroos will have a tough task ahead in the heat of the Middle East. Postecoglou was not surprised about their next opponents starting off on a good note, “UAE are a good side, they proved it in the Asian Cup… I expected them to give Japan a run for their money,” he said. With both sides winning their opening games, any points snatched by the Socceroos from a tough opponent will help them out later on in the qualification process when points are at a premium.

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