Following his sublime display against Paraguay on Saturday, Malik Tillman is suited once again for another big day on the World Cup stage, considering how Australia’s approach is tailored for his strengths.Although Tony Popovic’s side emerged as a surprise 2-0 winner in its opening game against Turkey, the Socceroos were comfortable in a deep defensive shape, allowing their opponents 72 percent of the ball. It allowed Turkey’s most important players to get on the ball in dangerous areas as we can see from the touchmaps below — Arda Güler took seven shots and created a further two chances for his teammates, while Hakan Çalhanoğlu had more touches (120) than any other player on the pitch.Despite that, Australia’s solid back-five shape made it difficult for Turkey to break through, as they worked hard to compress the space directly in front of the defensive line.Here we can see Guler dropping into a deeper position to dictate play. There is little pressure on the Real Madrid playmaker, but as soon as he plays the splitting pass through to Orkun Kökçü, Australia’s Harry Souttar jumps out of the defensive line and smothers possession, giving the Turkish midfielder little time to turn on the ball.As it did with Güler, Australia’s approach should create more space for midfielders such as Tyler Adams and Tillman to receive possession, control the flow of the game and find ways to unlock the defensive shape.