Can a bit of English Premier League flair be repeated in the capital?
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Canberra United coach Njegosh Popovich hesitates to compare himself to Australian Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, but there's certainly similarities in their soccer tactics.
Postecoglou came under fire this week after Tottenham's 10-game undefeated streak came to an end in a 4-1 loss to Chelsea. Not because of the defeat, though.
The former Socceroos coach actually drew criticism because of his team's commitment to a high defensive line and attacking mindset, even when they went down to nine players after two red cards.
"It's just who we are and who we are going to be as long as I am here. We go down to five men, mate, and we will have a crack," Postecoglou said defiantly after the loss.
It's eerily similar to the approach Popovich is bringing to United.
Boasting one of the most dangerous forward combinations in the A-League Women, Canberra have scored seven goals in three games, the most in the competition.
Their young squad is still building at the back, and a leaky defence has left them with one draw and two losses, still yet to taste victory this season.
That's where Popovich's response mirrors Postecoglou.
"We're always going to be a positive team, that's just our philosophy and we will always score goals," the Canberra coach said.
"We will not change our aggression. We just need to stop them going in the other side."
Just like at Tottenham, United won't be taking their foot off the gas, and Popovich and the squad have all bought in.
No one highlights United's offensive approach than the sight of American centre back Cannon Clough scoring a ripping header last week against Perth Glory for her first A-League goal.
Clough said she'd never been given a licence to attack from set pieces before, but Popovich noticed potential in her to do just that.
"I'm pretty lucky to have coaches that said, 'Yep, you get to go forward on corners', and especially as a centre back, that's a dream," Clough said.
Though Canberra narrowly lost to Perth 3-2, prior to kick-off, no one had put a goal past the ladder-leading Glory.
United got two in the net, giving the team hope it is on the right track and not far off the winners' circle.
The issue now is trying to keep momentum building with a difficult opening to the 2023-24 fixture, interrupted by an international break two weeks ago, and now a late reschedule for this weekend.
Canberra was supposed to play Sydney FC this Saturday, but the match has been postponed because of the Sky Blues competing in the AFC Women's Club Championships in Uzbekistan.
It means Canberra must endure another week-long break before its round five game against Western Sydney Wanderers, and that venue is still up in the air.
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"It disrupts your whole cycle and where we want the players to peak," Popovich said.
"There's benefit in giving a longer window of opportunity to prepare the players, but nothing emulates a game, so that's the challenge for us.
"We have to replicate a game situation over the coming weeks and hopefully we can organise some practice matches."
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