Australian coach Ange Postecoglou says he’s not fooled by the canny South Koreans.
Postecoglou is taking scant notice of South Korea’s Asian Cup form, fitness and the utterings of their coach Uli Stielike.
Listen to Stielike ahead of their decisive Group A fixture in Brisbane on Saturday night, and the Koreans are in near-crisis.
They’ve used 21 players and scored only two goals in two cup games, apparently beset by injury and illness.
“We have a lot of problems in the last five days – players injured, players sick,” Stielike told reporters on Friday.
“I’m sitting here with a lot of doubts.”
Postecoglou doesn’t share them.
The Socceroos suspect the South Koreans have been keeping their cards close to their chest in the tournament so far.
And their drastic change in line-up between games – seven changes from game one to two – isn’t tricking Postecoglou, who says he has been tracking the Koreans since last year’s World Cup.
“There is nothing that will surprise us about them,” Postecoglou told reporters on Friday.
“They’re a tough team. They have got some very good individual players, particularly in the front half.
“And they’re very disciplined, so we’re expecting an extremely difficult game.
“But we believe if we play at our best and keep improving, we can offer some challenges to the Korean team as well.”
Postecoglou recognised the Koreans would attack and press far more than the Socceroos experienced in their consecutive cup wins against Kuwait and Oman.
But he said the Korean challenge won’t alter Australia’s possession-based, aggressive game plan.
“It’s the best way to play our football,” Postecoglou said.
“If we start thinking conservatively now because we’re supposedly getting in to the more difficult challenges – well, I didn’t see Kuwait and Oman as easy games.
“We analysed them to death and we made sure we were ready … and we do the same with Korea.
“But for us, nothing changes. And our approach won’t change even beyond this tournament.
“It’s not just about the Asia Cup, it’s about the four-year cycle and the World Cup.
“That is the way we want to play our football and we will continue to do that.
“And if we stumble along the way, we’ll just dust ourselves off and get better at it.”
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