Although Australia defeated Kuwait in Graham Arnold’s first match in charge, the two friendlies against South Korea and Lebanon felt like the ‘true’ start of the new tenure, as the first opportunity to view the new era at close hand.
As with Sydney FC, Arnold has implemented a clear playing style with the national team.
The starting point is a 4-2-3-1 formation, which provides the building blocks for some of the key principles of Arnold’s style of play: structure, rotations, and playing in between and behind opposition lines.
Click here to re-live The Roar’s live coverage of Socceroos vs Lebanon.
The key players in the build up are the two central midfielders, a pairing of Aaron Mooy and Massimo Luongo against South Korea, and a surprise combination of Jackson Irvine and Mustafa Amini for the Lebanon match.
In both games, these midfielders rotated into certain areas of the pitch to either get free and face forward themselves, or disrupt the opposition defensive structure to create forward passing options to more advanced teammates.
An example of such a rotation was the movement of Luongo into wide, right-sided positions. He was often able to receive passes in this zone away from his direct opponent, with the added benefit of releasing right-back Josh Risdon high up the pitch, where he was highly effective.
Luongo also sometimes dropped in between the two centre-backs, supporting the ball carrier and creating a clear, structured base from which the side could build up patiently.
Mass Luongo for the Socceroos. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Against Lebanon, Amini played the Luongo role, helping the Socceroos move the ball from one side to the other with careful, methodical possession. Arnold’s style of play in the build up is about structured, patient and controlled possession: creating opportunities to move the ball forward through rotations to disrupt the opposition defensive block.
If the Sydney FC midfield pairing of Brandon O’Neill and Josh Brillante can be considered the gold standard for this approach, then there was one area in which this pairing excels that was noticeably absent for the national side.
That is the concept of rest defence – the positioning of players behind the ball when the ball is played forward where they can stop the opposition from counter-attacking effectively if possession is turned over.
This often involves blocking passing lanes to opposition strikers and attacking midfielders, or being close to them, as to be able to ambush quickly and protect the team from dangerous breaks.
This is an area Arnold will no doubt address in future matches, as there were moments where the four midfielders utilised across the two games were poorly positioned in rest defence and thus left the side exposed in the moment of transition.
Unsurprisingly, this was most noticeable with the somewhat ambitious pairing of Irvine and Amini. Even a poor Lebanon side were able to break through the centre on occasion.
The key giveaway to Australia’s poor rest defence was that the midfielders were often chasing ‘back’ to an opponent running with the ball in space, or, as in other moments, the central defenders were having to step forward and contest 1v1 battles against free attackers.
Nevertheless, the fluid movement of the midfielders created many opportunities for the Socceroos to move the ball into the final third and create goal-scoring opportunities. Again, rotations are important in this zone, with the front three moving into narrow positions to receive forward passes between the lines. The full-backs on both sides dart forward to provide width.
Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
An interesting feature of the Socceroos movement in the final third was the positioning of the 10 (Tom Rogic vs South Korea; Mooy vs Lebanon). In both games, they tended to drift towards the left, getting off the shoulder of the opposition right-sided central midfielder.
When this occurred, the left-winger would move into the channel opposition between centre-back and full-back, serving a dual function – pinning back the defenders so they can’t step forward and close down the no.10, but also being able to make runs in behind the defence when the 10 did receive.
The best example of this was Awer Mabil’s chance inside the penalty box against Korea, following an incisive turn and killer pass by Rogic.
The player that most impressed in the final third, though, was newcomer Martin Boyle. His athletic qualities, including a rapid change of pace and powerful running, were encouraging, but so too was his ability to receive and turn in tight spaces between defenders.
There are question marks about the ability of Matthew Leckie and Robbie Kruse to operate effectively in these congested playmaking positions, and Boyle could provide something different in this role.
How does Australia play Mathew Leckie? (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
Another intriguing trademark of Arnold’s teams is occupying the opposition back line with two forwards, which was noticeable against Lebanon.
Although the attackers were highly fluid and interchangeable (Boyle ended up on the left, right and centre inside the opening ten minutes), there seemed a clear mandate that within the rotations, one player had to move forward and play higher, alongside striker Tom Juric.
As alluded too earlier, this is important as it ‘pins’ back defenders – if they step forward it creates gaps in the defence that can be exposed – which in turn creates space for the attackers playing in between the lines. It also gives Juric the freedom to drop in and receive passes in front of defenders, something he did regularly but to no great effect.
Although Arnold’s style of play has its critics, it is difficult to argue that it is not sophisticated. There are many layers to the way his team constructs attacks, whilst remaining balanced to stop opposition counter-attacks.
Whilst there are many components which the new coach will need to refine, the building blocks are certainly there for how he wants the team to play. It will be exciting to see how it continues to evolve moving towards the Asian Cup.
oldpsyco
Guest
Please don't use the word Style in relation to what Mr Arnold puts on the park. It is an oxymoron.
paul81
Roar Rookie
Maybe Rogic and Leckie as the 2 rotational number 10's.
paul81
Roar Rookie
In the future, i would not be surprised if we saw Boyle move into the centre. He's in there more than not anyway. Arzani was at his best when he had Fornaroli inside him. That combination was broken up too soon. At some point i expect to see Arzani, Boyle and Mabil as the front 3.
paul81
Roar Rookie
Jurman's form before he departed from sydney was very, very good as well. I can imagine O’Neill getting a run soon. It all has this air of a possible Sydney FC reunion under Arnie. Just joking....but......it's not that hard to imagine.
Eden
Roar Rookie
Couple questions. Where does Arzani stand in pecking order when fit? Also is there a better long term option than Juric up front? He doesn’t seem up to it.
Fadida
Guest
Juric has regressed badly. A more mobile attacker is required. Liverpool have shown that you don't need a "striker", just 3 good attackers . Amini was so disappointing. I don't think he has a future
Fadida
Guest
I'd only play one defensive mid though, Milligan or Mooy, with Luongo plus one ahead
coolncold
Roar Rookie
Both Grant and Risdon are good. Surely, Arnold knows when to play them. In the same position, there is Degenek competing. In a big tournament, the coach tends to choose a more versatile player to make the squad more flexible. In this case, Degenek is standing out as he can play three positions.
paul81
Roar Rookie
It's going to get interesting with Grant in the squad. I haven't been a fan of Risdon, but admit that he has improved a lot recently. The 2 that bother me most are Juric and Amini. I know it's such early days yet, but Amini's lack of speed in recovery looks like an exploit waiting to happen.
anon
Roar Pro
Looked better than we did under Ange. That's the main thing.
Onside
Guest
Sums up my thinking CB, in as much anyway that so many players got a gallop over the two matches, they were pretty much a selection/ practice runs. These games may have given supporters insights , but with hindsight, no more than a cursory glimpse. As you indicate, we need to wait and see how the team , once settled, develops.
coolncold
Roar Rookie
Like your idea. I talked about having no number 9 when there is no good number 9 before the Lebanon match. That meant 4-2-2-2. However, according to one of the conversation reports live last night, Arnold said about playing 3 number 9s, despite the official formation was 4-2-3-1. It can be. If playing a weak team, there can have 3 number nines. So, combining your idea with the 3 number 9s, the formation can be a 4-2-1-3. Risdon, Sainsbury, Degenek, Behich .................Miligan........Loungo........ .............................Mooy................... ................Mabil.Leckie.Boyle.......... The idea is good because all the 3 fronts (Mabil, Leckie and Boyle) have been seen playing or moving around as left or right wingers. Would these 3 wingers formation be the same as 4 wingers formation?
Comrade Bear
Roar Rookie
I'm looking forward to seeing how the team develops - tactical systems is half the problem- selecting the correct players to implement the system is the remaining half....
Fadida
Guest
Boyle was everything we'd hoped for and more. A fast, skilful attacker who looks to score or assist with every possession. A significant upgrade on Kruse. A front 3 of Mabil, Leckie and Boyle please
coolncold
Roar Rookie
reuster75, Thank you bring up the discussion of Boyle's second goal. He is smart. Should there be no two red shirts guarding the left and right posts, he would have been caught off sided once receiving the ball bouncing off the bar. This explains why some coaches (for a while a decade or two ago) do not like post guarders in corner kicks. For this, some argue that the counter attack would be quicker should a team opts not to have 2 defenders guarding at the posts. After all it is the coach's choice. Regarding Kosmina's comments, they are opinions. It depends. Some coach would ask the number 9 to stay at number 9 position. However, like Berisha, some strikers would move around. Some would describe Berisha as passionate and Boyle looks very passionate too. Still some players would be described as just athletic, running around, or running around like a no head chuck. After all, it all depends on the capability of the team players and the coach's preference. Should a team is average, the coach may select to make sure there is a man at the number 9 position. If the team is good, the coach may allow the players to play total football style. Talking about Boyle again, the thinking links him with Matt Mckay. He is 172 cm while Mckay is 170 cm. That means that they are more or less similar in physicality. With that in mind, Boyle is so much superior than the about to retire Mckay. There is no need to make detail analysis between them now as the matches has shown. However, Mckay was good enough to play in World Cup but Boyle not. So, would that mean the Scottish football is steps higher than the Australia's? For years, many compare A-league with EPL, not SPL? Anyhow, we watch A-league with passion because it is local. Returning to Boyle again, I like his first goal last night more. When he got the ball, he dribbled then made a striking gesture, to trick one of the red shirt defender to slide down to rescue, with eye sight knowing the goalie's position before leasing out a shot.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Interesting that Graham Arnold said post-match that he would look to bringing a number of juniors through for the national team. He said that was why he took on the Olyroos coaching job, so he could identify young players to pick in the national team squad. This sounds sensible to me.
reuster75
Roar Rookie
I was excited by Boyle's second goal last night as he didn't move from the moment the cross was delivered until the moment he scored. He'd positioned himself in the spot the ball was most likely going to drop to if the keeper comes for it but doesn't make a save and stayed there despite Mooy's cross landing behind him. This was a typical striker's instinct and shows the value of a natural born football as opposed to an athlete (Leckie and Juric). John Kosmina's comments after the game were very instructive when he talked about sometimes trying to doing too much as an attacking player instead of just standing still so it was pleasing to see Boyle demonstrate the value of that. It'd be interesting to see if he plays in that advanced role and is allowed to stay relatively stationary there and pair him up with a strike partner who drops deeper to deliver the ball to him.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
I think Boyle did some of that pushing up and might have alternated with the other wide players . It’s hsrd to get the full field when I watch it on a screen
Sean
Guest
Loved the analysis again. To save me watching through game again. How did one player move forward to be alongside Juric to pin back defence. Was it the far side player who moved up or was it any player as I never spotted that.
jbinnie
Guest
Tim - I read your comments with great interest but sometime get lost in your maneuverings of the numbers game which a few years ago ruled the tactical analysis scenario. As I have said elsewhere Graham Arnold has attained outstanding success in the HAL ,with a "minnow team" , CCM and then at Sydney FC where he had much better resources at hand, and so, very subtly, changed his recruitment policy from working hard on "local" youngsters like Ryan,Wilkinson,Rose,Ibini, and McGlinchy to procuring talent from other sources to lift his team's standard, players like Adrian, Bobo, Nincovic,Buis,and "locals" O 'Neill and Brillante. Throughout his coaching career he has leaned heavily on a simple "sliding" 4-3-3 which was firstly given to us by the Brazilian 1956 team who used the tireless Zagallo as a left winger cum left midfielder, depending on who had possession of the ball. There is little doubt Arnold would have picked up the simplicity, and need I say success, of this system when he spent time playing in Holland who,under the auspices of the great Ajax and national team had refined the "sliding" 4-3-3 to a new level of efficiency. Having had all this success in Holland,at CCM, and Sydney FC is there any reason why he,Graham Arnold, would suddenly change what for him has been a very successful tactical system? cheers jb