Australia National Soccer Team Formation

Starting Lineup

18. Beach
3. Circati
19. Souttar
21. Burgess
4. Italiano
24. Okon-Engstler
5. Bos
15. O'Neill
7. Leckie
23. Velupillay
9. Toure

Australia plays a direct and vertical style of football using a 3-4-3 formation. This lineup is built to win the second ball and hit teams on the transition before they can get organized. The identity of the team relies on using the width of the pitch to stretch the defence and create space in the middle.

Beach stays in goal to organize the defensive unit. The back line operates as a back three with Souttar acting as the central defender to win the header and command the area. Circati plays as the right centre-back to cover space when the team pushes up, while Burgess acts as the left centre-back to hold the line. This defensive unit functions as a narrow defensive block to protect the heart of the pitch and force opponents to play wide.

A four-man midfield unit controls the center of the pitch. O'Neill and Okon-Engstler act as the central pair to shield the defence and win the second ball. Okon-Engstler is able to carry the ball forward to drive the team into the final third, while O'Neill focuses on protecting the space in front of the back three. Bos and Italiano provide the width as wide midfielders who must track back to assist the defence. They connect the defensive and attacking lines by recycling possession and switching play.

The attacking front line features three players tasked with pressing the opposition back line. Toure plays as a central striker to hold up the ball and find the feet of the attackers. Velupillay operates on the left to pull wide, while Leckie stays on the right. Leckie often looks to cut inside to create a central threat, which creates space for overlaps from the wide areas. These forwards press from the front to force a long ball and look to break quickly once the ball is won.

One major tactical strength for Australia is the aerial dominance of Souttar when defending set pieces and long balls. Wide overloads are also created as Bos and Italiano push high to support the wingers. This allows the team to isolate wide players in one on one situations. The formation also allows for a high level of compactness when the team drops into a mid-block to defend.

This 3-4-3 formation is built to play a vertical game that targets spaces behind the defence. It is best suited for matches against teams that play with a high line and struggle to cope with quick transitions.