Australian coach: “We will press forward for 90 minutes” Australian defenders are slow and on alert
Australia, who will face Korea in the quarterfinals of the ‘2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup’, predicted strong forward pressure. It seems that Korea needs to target the space behind Australia’s defense that will be created when they press forward.
Korea will play the quarterfinals against Australia at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar at 0:30 am (Korean time) on the 3rd.
This game against Australia is expected to be the biggest hurdle for Korea, which is aiming for its first championship in 64 years since 1960.
The prevailing assessment is that Australia has the advantage, with statistical media ‘Opta’ analyzing Korea’s probability of winning against Australia at 47.3% and Australia’s probability of winning at 52.7%.
Korea is also at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength. Australia won 4-0 in regular time against Indonesia in the round of 16 on the 28th of last month, while Korea fought a fierce battle that ended in a penalty shootout after overtime in the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia on the 30th. That means two days less rest than in Australia.
Australia predicted forward pressure against Korea based on its physical superiority. Australia coach Graham Arnold said at a pre-press conference held on the 1st, “We will press forward for 90 minutes. Korea’s strength is technology. “The solution is pressure,” he said.
Coach Arnold appears to have suggested forward pressure after seeing Korea’s weaknesses shown in the group stage. In fact, Korea struggled in the three group stage games against opposing teams that were considered relatively weak. At that time, the opposing teams did not back down against Korea but actively tried to press forward and block Korea’s build-up. If Australia presses forward in the quarterfinals, there is a possibility that Korea will struggle in the early stages of this game as well.
Korea has also prepared preparedness measures. In the round of 16 match against Saudi Arabia, Coach Klinsmann used a 3-back strategy with 3 central defenders for the first time since taking office. Through this, Saudi Arabia’s initial offensive was blocked. Although he allowed the first goal, he later switched back to the back four and created an equalizer through the participation of defenders on both sides.
It is also worth noting that when Australia presses forward, a lot of space is created behind the defense. If you press forward and advance into the Korean camp, there will be a lot of space for the Korean attackers to penetrate. This means that there is room for Korea to attempt a counterattack.
In addition, it is known that the Australian defense is not very good at focusing. Central defenders such as Harry Souta are evaluated as being tall but lacking in power. If quick-footed players such as Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan attack, the Australian defense can be surprisingly easily broken down.
In addition, Australian defenders, including Harry Souta and Gesin Jones, each have one yellow card. If you receive a yellow card in the Korean match, your warnings will accumulate and you will not be able to play in the semifinals. Because of this, they may hesitate when stopping Korea’s counterattack with a foul.
With physical inferiority expected, attention is being paid to whether Korea can defeat Australia and advance to the semifinals. 섯다