Brisbane Roar’s Thomas Broich has called on his teammates to trust their signature brand of attacking football as they begin the defence of their Hyundai A-League Championship crown in Adelaide on Friday (kick off 7.30pm AEST).
Broich believes the Roar must be “courageous about the way we play” against third-placed Adelaide United” in their Hyundai A-League Elimination Final at the Adelaide Oval.
“We have to go out there, boss the game, control the ball and be a goal threat, not just sit back and absorb pressure,” he said.
“Our team is not built to sit back and absorb pressure, we’re not good at that. Our players are attack-minded and we get a lot of joy out of playing a high press – that’s where our creativity comes to life.
“It takes bravery to play this style as you can get caught out playing a high press, but if you want to win you have to take a brave approach.
“If we want to have a true chance to win this, we have to play Brisbane Roar football and not just try for a scrappy 1-0.”
The Roar have beaten the Reds twice in three Hyundai A-League meetings this season. Tomorrow night’s game is sudden death.
Midfielder Broich, heading into his fifth Hyundai A-League Finals Series campaign for the Roar, said the threat of elimination heightens the feeling within the team.
“There is extra excitement in the team now – the Cup feeling you get, lose and you’re out. And only three wins away from another trophy,” he said.
Roar’s gruelling recent schedule has seen the team play a combined 11 Hyundai A-League and AFC Champions League fixtures over 38 days.
This has given several younger players the chance to prove themselves, with coach Frans Thijssen resting several starters in Roar’s two final regular season Hyundai A-League games.
“Andrija (Kaluderovic) has found his goal scoring boots. Brandon Borrello is having an awesome season- he’s lightning quick, gets in behind; and Devante (Clut) has shown he’s a really creative player, with great through balls and the ability to score himself,” Broich said.
“Our young guys have had a lot of game time recently and proved they’re up for it. They know the pressure of finals but also the opportunity. The young guys are always itching to get game time in those big games and this is a massive opportunity for them.”
Despite just sneaking into the Finals Series in sixth place, Broich and his Roar teammates know what it takes to raise the Hyundai A-League trophy.
“We still know how to win and we remember the feeling quite well. That should give us the necessary confidence,” Broich said.
The Roar trained strongly at Ballymore Stadium this morning and a16-player squad will fly to Adelaide tomorrow morning ahead of Friday’s knock-out fixture. The will train for the first time at Adelaide Oval tomorrow afternoon.
The Hyundai A-League Elimination Final 1 between Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar at the Adelaide Oval will be shown on Fox Sports 4 (Channel 505) and SBS ONE from 7.30pm AEST on Friday, 1 May. Tickets to the match are available via Ticketek.
