World Cup 2018: Socceroos coach Bert van Marwijk’s selection decision for Denmark clash
LAST week Bert van Marwijk surprised everyone with one major change. But with three points badly needed against Denmark, the Socceroos coach must balance solidity with the desire to attack.
World Cup
Don't miss out on the headlines from World Cup. Followed categories will be added to My News.
LAST week Bert van Marwijk surprised everyone, including his own players, with one major change. This time he might surprise them by doing the opposite.
After five days of weighing up a change of personnel to seek the three points Australia needs so badly against Denmark on Thursday night, van Marwijk is believed to be thinking seriously about fielding the same XI that started against France.
AGELESS: Why it’s time to bring back Cahill
WARY: Danish coach’s Aussie fear
OPEN: Why 2018 looks like a classic
Just as with France, the decision will be left to the last moment, communicated to the players only on the day of thee game.
It means Massimo Luongo and Tomi Juric, the most likely changes to the team that lost so narrowly to France, will have to wait until the 11th hour to know if they will get a chance to attack the Danes from the start.
Aware that against the talents of Christian Eriksen, Australia cannot afford to be too gung-ho, van Marwijk continues to weigh up the merits of Luongo and captain Mile Jedinak, just as he did before opting for Jedinak’s solidity against France.
An intriguing subplot lies in the height of the Danish team, with van Marwijk noting that half a dozen of their squad are 190cm or taller. The Socceroos by contrast are relatively diminutive, and Jedinak’s height and aerial ability - likewise Irvine’s - would count in their favour.
There is also an awareness that a point against Denmark would keep Australia alive, albeit needing a win against Peru in the last game and also a defeat for the Danes against France.
Defeat, though, would leave the Socceroos eliminated, unless France were to lose to Peru later in the day.
Even then the reprieve would be far-fetched, as Australia would need to beat Peru by potentially several goals and hope that Denmark inflicted defeat on France.
The only way to avoid their fate being in the hands of other teams is to win in Samara, and take that positivity into the Peru game.
The system that so nearly earned a point with France will broadly be the same, whoever is selected.
“My philosophy is that you have to choose a way of playing and then try to make it better every day,” van Marwijk said. “Then you have to make the difference in details.
“That can be (for instance) another player in the same position with other qualities. But (it won’t change) the way we played and worked on for all of four weeks now; every situation what happens during the game and when you have the ball and you lose it and when your opponent has the ball and you lose it.
“What you are doing then, and the positions.”
He also predicts a similarity from Denmark, with a style of their own that he is used to.
“It is a little bit of the same style that Holland plays,” van Marwijk said. “(Denmark) are physical. The French, they are more creative players, and have a lot of speed, the players are very fast.
“The Danish can also play football and want to play football but when they don’t see a solution they kick the ball as far as possible.”