The Shield
I thought the team really missed Grella and Culina, Culina in particular. The operation of the two defensive midfielders somewhat reminded me of the game against China. Valeri was doing his best to be the first option out of defence but there was a lot of pressure on him because Burns wasn’t really presenting himself. Neither player got forward much and we really relied on overlapping full-backs in our attack (although this was highly effective). Culina’s ability to get into the box in the game against Holland, to be more than just a first option out of defence and actually become an attacking threat, was something we missed. I agree with Craig Foster that Culina should be a permanent fixture of our two man defensive midfield pairing and that he should be augmented with either Valeri or Grella.
When the Uzbeks came out fired-up after half time and really pressured Australia, we really missed the experience and calming influence of Grella. We really needed someone to step on the ball, hold possession and relieve the pressure on the back four. Too often during this period, we gave up possession cheaply and it did take awhile for the inexperienced Valeri to exert any kind of authority over the midfield again.
Quadcore
In previous games, Australia’s attacks would often break down in the final third. In this game, although we only created a handful of chances, there was an incisiveness about the attack that really exposed the Uzbek defence. Kewell was probably the most outstanding attacker, holding up the ball well while also providing that extra bit of class with his flicks and short passing. All of Australia’s best chances, including Chipperfield’s goal, inevitably came through moves that flowed through him at some stage.
Holman was somewhat quiet although he was also involved in Australia’s best chances. It was his through-ball that allowed Bresciano to sprint clear into a one-on-one with the keeper just before half time. Unfortunately, the Palermo man went for power instead of placement and sent his shot wide of the mark. That goal could have sealed the win but luckily, the miss did not prove to be costly.
