Asian Cup 2015: Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou ponders on who should fill his third midfield spot

SOCCEROOS coach Ange Postecoglou has a tough call on who fills the third and final midfield spot in Monday night’s Asian Cup semi-final.

Mark Bresciano #23 during the Socceroos training session ahead of their next match in the AFC Asian Cup. Pic: Josh Woning.

JAMES Troisi, Mark Milligan, Mark Bresciano, Matt McKay or Tommy Oar?

Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has a tough call on who fills the third and final midfield spot in Monday night’s Asian Cup semi-final.

Captain Mile Jedinak is the defensive midfielder, while the second youngest member of the squad Massimo Luongo has a mortgage on the second spot after another top performance.

The formation offers clues and Postecoglou won’t ditch his offensive 4-3-3 with two advanced midfielders (two No. 8s).

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Veteran Mark Bresciano is among those in the running to start the semi-final against UAE.

Unlike Graham Arnold, who regularly changes formations, Postecoglou is not a horses for courses coach.

Asked if he will tweak his game plan to factor in UAE whiz Omar Abdulrahman, Postecoglou was steadfast.

“No, no, no. I think we look at the collective. The Chinese had the Chinese Ronaldo, Maradona. Everyone has a Messi or Maradona,’’ Postecoglou said.

“He is a good player, so is (Ali) Mabkhout upfront. They look more cohesive than other sides that have chopped and changed. That’s where the danger lies, rather than with the individuals.

“In all four games we have pinned the teams back.

“I don’t think the opposition have a real choice, if we play like we do, they have to sit back. Because if come at us they will have to leave some gaps at the back and we can play out through that.’’

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Mark Milligan could be one who misses the semi-final in Newcastle.

Milligan is the big loser. When they had two holders and one advanced player as was the case in Brazil, the tough-tackling and disciplined Milligan partnered Jedinak.

The Victory captain was immense when injured skipper Jedinak missed the Oman and South Korea games.

Oar has been stiff to only play 13 minutes after a stellar season in Holland and impressing at training.

Like Sydney FC’s Terry Antonis, his best chance of serious minutes appears to be a third-place playoff.

Maligned Matt McKay has the engine and style to harass UAE and do an offensive job.

But with the UAE set to sit deep and hit Australia on the counter, the choice is set to be between Troisi or Bresciano.

Matt McKay has impressed with his energy and consistency.

I gave Bresciano a 5.5 rating against China and he appeared rusty in his first Asian Cup start, but he’ll be better for the run.

He’s the least mobile, but most technically proficient of the midfielders.

And Australia’s two best chances before the goal came from Bresciano set pieces while Cahill’s opener originated from a pinpoint Bresciano corner.

The lightning Troisi hasn’t started there since the opening game, when he scored the fourth in the 4-1 win over Kuwait, and he’s due a chance.

Either can make an impact from the start or as subs. Toss the coin.

Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou ponders on who should fill his third midfield spot