Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond has indicated the Jets will play attacking football in an effort to win their crucial Asian Champions League clash against Beijing Guoan at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Jets and Beijing sit on four points in Group E, two points out of second spot and both desperately need a win to ensure they give themselves a chance of making it through to the next round in the prestigious competition.
“We have played a couple of games within the Champions League and we know that it is important for us to take the game by the scruff of the neck and for us to press and try and play a bit further up the pitch,” van Egmond said on Tuesday.
“At the same time we must not lose our discipline or over-commit and we need to make sure we are still solid at the back and that is how we are going to be approaching the game.”
“I don’t think they will take the game to us it will be more so for us to take the game to them.”
“But an early goal might open the game up and make it a little bit more end to end which will be good for the fans and make for a nice spectacle because realistically both teams need to win.”
“Having said that I think they will be quite patient most teams away from home want to ensure they are defensively sound and it will be up to us to break them down.”
“As I said before we need not to be caught out will ill-discipline or over committing and we need to ensure we have the numbers in certain areas.”
Newcastle goes into the match without the services of Italian playmaker Fabio Vignaroli, who is still suffering from a hamstring injury. In his absence van Egmond hinted that the playmaker role might be handed to local lad Jobe Wheelhouse.
“Set pieces is something that we have been working on getting right,” said van Egmond.
“In these conditions they become quite important as we have seen previously. Jobe’s delivery has been pretty good at training so if he plays we will probably be looking at him to take set pieces.”
“If we have more field position I think the wide people become very important and not just the two that play left and right midfield but also the fullbacks getting forward and getting good crosses into the box and using some of our aerial height against Beijing to our advantage.”
The Newcastle coach also said the team was buoyed by the return of key defenders Ljubo Milicevic and Adam D’Apuzzo, who watched the Jets’ 1-0 loss to Nagoya from the stands due to suspension.
“They add a physical presence but they also give us quality as well,” said van Egmond.
“They also give us leadership and that is something that we saw in the game against Nagoya – in the second half we really needed someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and these types of players coming back into the squad and into the team give us that as well. So I am very happy for both the players to be up for selection.”
Van Egmond also brushed off concern about the state of the pitch after officials from Beijing put on an official complaint to the AFC about the dire state of the EnergyAustralia Stadium surface.
“We are going to playing on a pitch that is a really flat surface but that is not the case,” he said.
“You have to adjust to the conditions, whether it is rainy or windy or whether it is a pitch that is not as good as you would like.”
“But realistically we are two having to win the game. It is going to be wet and it is going to be bumpy but both teams have to deal with it so let’s get it on.”
