Asian Cup final: five keys to victory for Socceroos in final against Korea Republic

ONLY Korea Republic stands in the Socceroos’ way of lifting the Asian Cup trophy tonight. Here’s what Ange Postecoglou’s side must do to get the job done.

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REACH out and touch it.

The three-week-long Asian Cup culminates with tonight’s final between the Socceroos and Korea Republic.

Australia has been there before, falling agonisingly short in the 2011 tournament against Japan, and will be desperate to go one better against a side whose defence hasn’t been breached all tournament.

With the crown of Asia’s best side up for grabs, we look at the five keys to victory for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

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FRANJIC AND THE CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

Will he or won’t he play? Ivan Franjic’s fitness is the Socceroos’ biggest question mark heading in to tonight’s final and the latest from camp is that he’ll be fit enough to start. Should the Torpedo Moscow man fail to recover though, Trent Sainsbury (with Alex Wilkinson moving to centre-back) or Mark Milligan will fill in. Neither offers the attacking threat of Franjic and Ange Postecoglou would be reticent to break up the Sainsbury - Matthew Spiranovic central pairing that was so dominant and assured in the semi-final against UAE.

If, as expected, Franjic plays, the Socceroos will be wary down the right as that is where Korea Republic exposed them in the group stages. The right-back was caught of position and the back four failed to slide over, allowing Lee Jeong-hyeop to prod home the winner in Brisbane. With Bayern Leverkusen superstar Heung-Min Son also operating down that, the Socceroos will have to be switched on or face the same fate.

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HOW’S YOUR NERVE?

It’s official, tonight will be a sellout in Sydney. More than 80,000 fans in the stadium and millions watching on around the country will be cheering the Socceroos on as they look to claim their first major piece of silverware. The stakes couldn’t be higher, but it’s about focusing on the task at hand, not the reward up for grabs. With Postecoglou and veterans Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano keeping the young squad in check, it’s unlikely the 11 who take the field will be overawed by the occasion, Postecoglou insisted.

“No I don’t think it’s really an issue, some of the most experienced players freeze on big days but so far the group’s been very good. There’s nothing I’ve seen to suggest the occasion will get to anyone tomorrow,” Postecoglou said on Friday.

Let’s see if the faith he has in his players is backed up.

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IT’S A 90 MINUTE GAME

At the World Cup against Chile a horror start to the tournament put Australia on the back foot and they never really recovered. The Asian Cup opener saw the Socceroos take 20 minutes to settle against Kuwait in Melbourne while the Socceroos admit they took their foot off the gas in the second half of Tuesday’s semi-final against the Emiratis.

If there was ever a game Australia needed to produce a 90-minute performance, it’s tonight against the polished Koreans. It will be crucial to set a fast tempo and not concede an early goal, and if the green and gold finds itself in front, they’ll have to go for the jugular to put the result to bed. With the attacking options at their disposal, you can bet Korea won’t be as profligate as the UAE.

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THE BIG THREE

Ange Postecoglou rested his first-choice front three of Tim Cahill, Robbie Kruse and Mathew Leckie against the Koreans during the group stages, a decision that failed to pay dividends as the Socceroos endured a frustrating night in front of goal. The attacking trio will line up tonight and their form this tournament gives reason for optimism.

Cahill is still the man for the big occasions (just ask China) and don’t be surprised if his aerial presence and eye for the spectacular prove the difference. Leckie’s end product is starting to match his incredible industry and the Ingolstadt attacker was one of Australia’s best against the UAE. It’s taken a while, but Kruse is starting to look like the flyer he was before his knee injury. If Ange’s front three click, South Korea will find it incredibly tough to extend their impressive defensive record.

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BREAK THE UNBREAKABLE

Five games played for zero goals conceded. Korea Republic’s run to the final has been built on foundation of a rock-solid defence, and the onus won’t fall squarely on the shoulders of the Socceroos’ attack to break that down, the midfield also key. Mile Jedinak will sit in front of the back four, leaving Massimo Luongo and whoever else Ange picks in the centre of the park to get the Socceroos’ creative juices flowing.

That final midfield spot continues to trouble Postecoglou. James Troisi, Matt McKay and Mark Milligan and Mark Bresciano have all been given shots this tournament with differing results.

Troisi is the most attacking-minded, the flip side being that starting him could leave the skipper exposed. The incumbent from the UAE game – Milligan - sits slightly deeper while McKay is like an Energiser Bunny, buzzing about the pitch, and upped the tempo when he came off the bench in the semi-final.

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Bresciano was tried in the China quarterfinal but looked off the pace, and seems unlikely to start tonight. It’s shaping up as a crucial selection call for Postecoglou.

While pundits predict the 11 names the Socceroos coach will pick on the teamsheet, Korea’s midfield is nailed on, and it’s a classy one. Sung-Yueng Ki plays at Premier League outfit Swansea City for a reason and Joo-Ho Park does the heavy lifting alongside him. It’s Heung-Min Son the Socceroos really need to shackle, Robbie Kruse’s Bayer Leverkusen teammate’s two goals the difference in the quarterfinal against Uzbekistan while Iraq found him too hot to handle in the semi too.

Originally published as Asian Cup final: five keys to victory for Socceroos in final against Korea Republic