The Foxtel A-League All Stars will show Manchester United the due respect but are willing to take the game to their esteemed opponents at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
SYDNEY | The Foxtel A-League All Stars will show Manchester United the due respect but are willing to take the game to their esteemed opponents at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
While the temptation, perhaps, is for the hosts to defer possession and play to the 20-time English League Champions, that’s not the way coach Ange Postecoglou and his squad of twenty will approach the glamour clash.
“Our main goal this week is to make sure that we prepare the players to play to the best of their ability and hopefully find a structure and a formation that allows them to do that,” said Postecoglou.
“It’s not about me coming up with a system that I feel good about, it’s about coming up with a system that will suit the players we’ve got at the moment and hopefully give them an opportunity to play their best football.
“We want to go and play some attractive, attacking football when we can and when we can’t, just try and be solid defensively so that it turns into a good football match.”
The All Stars held their final training session at ANZ Stadium on the eve of kick off and all twenty squad members remain desperate to play some part in front of over 80,000 spectators on Saturday evening.
The occasion will be a career highlight for many of the All Stars on show and for the one player that has seen occasions like this one many times previously, it’s an occasion that should be savoured by all.
“I haven’t really spoken to many of the boys about it yet, but if I was to give them some advice I would tell them basically to play their natural game,” said captain Brett Emerton.
“They’ve all got good ability and they should just trust their natural game and from there, it will take care of itself.
“No one is nervous, I think the pressure is still on Manchester United to go out there and beat us.
“We’re just concentrating on putting the best performance on individually and collectively as we can and doing the Hyundai A-League proud.
“I think that’s what it’s all about and making sure we entertain the fans and hopefully bring many more back in years to come.”
The Foxtel A-League All Stars will debut against Manchester United at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, on 20 July with match coverage to be broadcast live and exclusive on the Seven Network nationally from 6.30pm (AEST).
