Tom Rogic. Aaron Mooy. Tim Cahill. If Australia ever needed their creative trio's individual brilliance, it’s now.
Bert Van Marwijk’s Saudis head to Adelaide Oval on June 8 for a campaign defining World Cup qualifier.
Make no mistake, this will be a battle.
Ange names 30-man Caltex Socceroos squad for June
Ange: focus is Saudi World Cup qualifier
A battle for space; a battle for each loose ball; a battle for each call by the referee (who'll have his hands full, guaranteed).
It’s a FIFA World Cup qualifier with the winner gaining a toe-hold on a top-two automatic qualification spot for Russia 2018.
But with the Saudis three points ahead in the group, a draw may do them.
For Australia, they simply must win. And the visitors know that.
Chances will be few and far between. It’s likely to be decided – if at all - by a moment of magic.
Enter Rogic, Mooy and Cahill.
ONE CHANCE
Celtic man Rogic has the individual skill and technique to weave his way through a compact defensive structure, create chances, take chances and win free kicks in dangerous situations.
He could even play closer to goal – as some have suggested.
Cahill, as the world knows, is the master of the big moments. He only needs one chance.
And Championship star Mooy, likewise, can win a game with a single piece of individual brilliance.
TACTICS
If Australia continues with its 3-4-3 formation, the full backs will be key to getting in behind and finding a killer cut-back ball.
The Saudis will aim to block these forward runs down the flanks but it might just give a little more space inside for Australia's in-form creators to find a way through.
If defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak can keep it tight when possession is lost in transition that will go a long way to keeping the Saudis scoreless.
Australia plays at a high tempo - with that in mind, there’s the Saudis will try to wrestle control of the tempo and play the game at their speed, primarily by disrupting Australia’s rhythm at every opportunity.
If you watch the Saudi Pro League, one thing’s clear: their teams know how to restrict space in the middle third and hurt teams in transition.
Similarly, Bert Van Marwijk, Saudi Arabia’s pragmatic Dutch coach, is a master at setting teams up to be very well organised and compact.
It’s hardly a popular system with the purists.
Despite taking Holland to the 2010 World Cup Final – one they subsequently lost to Spain in a finale that featured 13 yellows and a red, mostly to the Dutch – BVM was pilloried for taking Dutch football down a very dark corridor.
“From Total Football To Total Carnage” was one headline after the aggressive Dutch trashed their cultural roots in South Africa.
And this Saudi side is no different when it comes to their set up.
They are a mirror image of their coach.
Al Al-Akhdhar’s (The Green) preparation has been spot on, too.
Two weeks in Frankfurt and an early arrival into Adelaide shows they will leave no stone unturned in their quest to come away with a point – or even more – from the City of Churches.
So don’t expect an open clash on June 8 – I’m tipping a very cagey arm wrestle with the visitors employing tactics similar to their domestic sides.
NEW FACES
It’s pleasing to see Dutch-based Ajdin Hrustic joining Adelaide teen Riley McGree as one of the new faces coming through the Caltex Socceroos.
Their time will come.
But for the moment, Australia will hope for a moment of brilliance in Adelaide will unlock a confident Saudi side on June 8.
It looms as a nail-biting night for both nations on the Road to Russia.
The Caltex Socceroos tackle Saudi Arabia in a crucial World Cup Qualifer in Adelaide on June 8. Click Here for Tickets
