As the Socceroos prepare to face Spain, rising star Ben Halloran believes the Aussies' new "tiki-taka" football under coach Ange Postecoglou is the best system for Australia's future development.
Postecoglou has gone with a fit and young squad capable of implementing his high intensity, high-pressure game he has mastered so successfully in the Hyundai A-League.
Halloran has fitted in perfectly with the new era – the German based winger is likely to play some part against the masters of tiki-taka when the Socceroos and Spain meet at the Arena da Baixada, Curitiba on Monday (Tues 2am AEST).
"He [Postecoglou] puts the belief in young players and he likes to play football which is important in this day and age," Halloran told www.socceroos.com.au.
"To be successful long term you have to play from the back because parking the bus and kicking it long doesn’t work anymore.
"The fact that he has his philosophy and is sticking to it, it's great to see.
"These teams probably expect us to … just park the bus but from what I can see we want to play tiki-taka type of football."
Halloran has been an impact player in both games so far in Brazil, coming on as a subsitute against Chile and Holland to inject pace and energy to the attacking third.
"We want to play out from the back and maybe that can surprise these guys and we can attempt to match it with them at their own game," he added.
Halloran's confidence is a small snapshot of the mindset Postecoglou is drumming into his squad.
Despite the inexperience of the Socceroos side in Brazil, this tournament isn't – and never was – about damage limitation.
No concerns about reputations or pedigree, it's about facing names like Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Diego Costa, Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez and taking them head-on.
"It's pretty surreal. You play with these guys on FIFA and everything so it's pretty amazing," Halloran added.
"I don't think we have that much fear and I don't personally because I don't think we have anything to lose against them.
"They have all the pressure on them. We're the underdogs, we're flying under the radar so we just have to go out there and relish the opportunity."
The rarefied air of the World Cup caps a remarkable rise for Halloran, who was somewhat of a fringe player at Brisbane Roar just over a year ago.
Born in Cairns before moving to Brisbane as a six-year-old, the blond forward got his first shot at professional football with Gold Coast United before heading to the Roar when the club folded.
A player with blinding speed and undoubted potential, he was signed by German side Fortuna Dusseldorf, scoring six times in 18 appearances in his first season with the club.
"It's very professional over there. The culture there is unbelievable, it's all football," Halloran said.
"Especially at Fortuna, the fans are just so fanatical. When you walk out to play a game it's unbelievable. It's quite surreal to look around the stadium and see the passion.
"It's more professional, a little less relaxed too. You really have to step outside your comfort zone when you are there."
Asked the reason behind his stunning form towards the end of the season with Fortuna, Halloran said it was a combination of things.
"From the second half of the season I began to start a lot more.
"You get more faith and trust from the staff and other players; you form combinations playing week in, week out from it. In the end I reaped the rewards from it."
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