Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Newcastle: Australia have no plans to underestimate the United Arab Emirates in Tuesday’s AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 semi-final, with coach Ange Postecoglou well aware of the potential the visitors to Newcastle Stadium have to deny the Socceroos a second consecutive final appearance.
Postecoglou’s side beat China 2-0 in Thursday’s quarter-final in Brisbane to earn a second consecutive appearance in the semi-finals, while the UAE edged out defending champions Japan on penalties on Friday in Sydney to progress to this stage of the tournament for the first time since reaching the 1996 final.
Video highlights: China 0-2 Australia
And while midfielder Omar Abdulrahman continues to attract the majority of the attention for the UAE, Mahdi Ali’s 2013 Gulf Cup champions also boast the likes of tournament joint-leading scorer Ali Mabkhout as well as 2014 AFC Player of the Year nominee Ismail Ahmed.
“We are expecting a tough game and Omar is a fantastic footballer, but there are a number of them in that team. They have some really good individuals that can hurt you that we have already seen and we have tremendous respect for them. The Chinese had some exceptional players in their side, the Koreans, the Omanis and the Kuwaitis. That has probably been our strength that we have not underestimated anyone and we won’t be underestimating anyone tomorrow (Tuesday),” said Postecoglou, who saw his side share a goalless draw with the UAE in a friendly in October.
“We have got a great respect for them and we have been tracking them since the World Cup. We had a feeling they could be an opponent, as even though we did not get them in the group, we thought they would be one of the teams we would get in the knockout rounds. We know them really well and we have analysed them well and we know it will be a tough challenge for us.”
Both sides have enjoyed similar records so far in the tournament after winning their opening two games before losing their final outing in the group stage by a single goal to the group winners.
The UAE did have to play 120 minutes against Japan on Friday following a 1-1 draw after extra-time before prevailing 5-4 on penalties, while Australia’s win over China arrived a day earlier within the regular 90 minutes.
“They played against a Japanese side in the last game that like to dominate the game and we are pretty similar, and from our perspective, that is what we are focusing on. If we can impose ourselves on a game, it really puts the opposition in a position they can only play one way,” added Postecoglou.
“I think that has been our approach in all our games and in all four games we have had in this tournament we have dominated possession and dominated territory. We really need to impose our game on them and let the opposition react to that.”
And Postecoglou is boosted by the return of Matthew Spiranovic, after the defender missed the win over China due to suspension, with only Chris Herd absent having been ruled out of the tournament with an Achilles injury.
“Everyone has pulled up really well from the quarter-final game. Everyone is available and in good condition which means they have played enough games, but not too many in the most part,” said Postecoglou.
“We will make some changes, but they will be designed around putting out a team who we think can be successful.”
Photo: WSG