Australia has hardly any experience in the World Cup. The team took part in three previous competitions, in 1974, 2006 and 2010. The team managed to reach the Round of 16 in 2006 to finish 16th overall, but in 2010 they only won one game and didn’t make it out of the Group Stage. As the lowest ranking team in the tournament Australia certainly has its work cut out this year.
Style
Australia is gritty, determined and hardworking. They are a physical side which always tackles opponents head-on. The team has a new coach, Ange Postecoglou and he’s likely to stick to their usual 4-3-3 formation. This fairly closed formation supports a direct style of play and an aggressive attack.
Strengths
During qualifying Australia scored the third highest proportion of headers and did not concede a single one. This is partly due to the team’s creativity and hard work down the flanks, only two other teams created a higher percentage of goals from wide positions. The team also showed determination in attack with a large amount of goals coming in the final fifteen minutes of matches.
Weaknesses
As mentioned, Australia is the lowest ranking team in the tournament and it shows. When playing against big sides the defence virtually vanishes and multiple goals are conceded. This became apparent in qualifying when the team only managed to keep a clean sheet in a third of its matches. Furthermore, none of the team’s goal-scorers play at a high level and much of the team is aging.
World Cup Group Stage
- Australia vs Chile – Friday, 13 June 2014, Match Preview
- Australia vs. Netherlands – Wednesday, 18 June 2014 Match Preview
- Australia vs Spain – Monday, 23 June 2014, Match Preview
