Socceroos v Oman: Massimo Luongo continues to impress as Mark Milligan stepped up

A MAJOR reason for Ange Postecoglou’s attacking formation working so far has been a 22-year-old from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

Oman v Australia - 2015 Asian Cup

GOING into the World Cup, Ange Postecoglou decided he needed two holding midfielders, to protect his defence against three world class attacks. But it sat awkwardly with his preference for attack, and since Brazil the positioning has swung towards attack.

A major reason for it coming to fruition at this tournament - apart from the limited opponents faced so far - has been a 22-year-old from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, who has been toiling away in England already for six years.

If Tim Cahill wants more consistency from Massimo Luongo, as he wrote in this newspaper yesterday, last night he got it. Luongo offers the all-round package, silk and steel, energy and poise. Creator of the first goal last Friday and scorer of the second, here he had a hand in every goal scored in the 50 minutes he was on the pitch.

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His talents are quickly appreciated by other players - Adelaide’s skilful Argentine. Marcelo Carrusca, noted it last night with a tweet that drooled over “what a player”.

Luongo’s positioning is astute way beyond his years - sometimes taking up space between the lines to create an angle of attack, other times going beyond the defence to overload an opponents flank and get round the back. But he will also sprint back to cover, and tackles cleanly and without fuss.

Of course there will be times when he is caught out, which is the risk Postecoglou is prepared to take in his pursuit of attacking zeal, but Luongo’s maturity is one of the most impressive parts of his game.

What it does mean is that the single holding midfielder becomes a hugely important figure when moves break down and the opponent breaks. With Mile Jedinak missing Mark Milligan needed a big performance. Milligan has been the casualty of Postecoglou’s new formation, and in the A-League this season he hasn’t always been convincing.

But here he put not a single foot wrong - quick to the ball, smart in his anticipation and smooth in distribution. Suddenly there is less of an urgency for Jedinak to be rushed back against Korea; with a place in the quarterfinals already assured, Postecoglou will be sorely tempted to rest Jedinak’s swollen ankle through to the knockout stages.

But there will surely be other changes against Korea, for on a humid Sydney night the energy and pace was both impressive and sapping. Cahill careered along the front line, hassling and pressing defenders, and the transition to attack was always at the highest tempo, at least until a brief and forgivable second-half lull.

Originally published as Socceroos v Oman: Massimo Luongo continues to impress as Mark Milligan stepped up