Ange not keen on less than perfect Cup pitch

SOCCEROOS coach Ange Postecoglou says his side won’t be deterred by a heavy, poor pitch for their World Cup qualifying playoff opener with Honduras this morning.

The open-air Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano has a magnificent feel, worthy of such an occasion but not a pitch to match, says Postecoglou.

“I just had a walk on it now, the pitch is not in a great condition,” he said. “It’s a little bit bumpy and a little bit soft. We were prepared for that — we understand it’s going to be hard to play the kind of football we want to play. We’ll adjust.”

The Socceroos made tough work of running laps around the ground, appearing to sink into the pitch — which has dif- ferent types of grass in different patches. The turf could impact Tim Cahill’s chances of seeing game time, given the star forward is recovering from an ankle injury suffered last weekend. Postecoglou did say that every player in his squad was “fit and ready to go”.

The other factor which could disadvantage the Socceroos is the tropical, muggy climate, although midfielder Jackson Irvine suggested previous experience, including last month’s Asian playoff with Syria in Malaysia, held the team in good stead.

“Conditions here are similar to Malaysia. It’s not roasting hot but the humidity will play a part,” he said. “It feels fine but once you start playing you feel the humidity. We’ve had to deal with some extreme conditions over the last year. I would say this is definitely something we’ll be able to handle.”

The usually gruff Postecoglou couldn’t help but share his excitement at the occasion.

“As an international coach there’s a real frustration you don’t get the week-to-week adrenaline going for a football match,” he said. “The beauty of international football is when there’s a big game there’s nothing bigger.”