If Uzbekistan's plan to best the Matildas in Olympic qualifying is to lock down, then Kyra Cooney-Cross is ready to be the key that can spring open their defence and bring them undone.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Uzbekistan appear poised to sit deep and frustrate an Australia attack missing injured superstar captain Sam Kerr at the Milliy Stadium in Tashkent on Saturday, then at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium four days later.
But figuring out that puzzle is a challenge Arsenal midfielder Cooney-Cross, 22, is desperate to solve.
"I actually love playing against a low block," Cooney-Cross told AAP.
"Jonas (Eidevall) at Arsenal has been bringing me on quite often against the low block because I quite enjoy it and like playing in between lines with my passes and doing long balls, or like having to try and combine.
"It's definitely a game that I like to play, especially when you are able to squeeze a pass through a tight space, that is quite satisfying.
"We've all been prepared for it. There's gonna be a lot of time-wasting, low blocks, so it is going to be difficult to break them down.
"Yeah, it could take us a while to get a goal, but at the end of the day we just need to stick to the way we play."
Patience is a quality Cooney-Cross has had to develop for club and country, despite a meteoric rise from cameos at the Tokyo Olympics to becoming a key Matildas midfield cog.
Her big-money move to Arsenal has meant dealing with the at-times "really tough" reality of having limited opportunities off the bench in England's Women's Super League, while trying to impress in cup games.
"I went to Arsenal because I wanted a challenge. I felt like for so many years I've had it easy for so long," Cooney-Cross said.
"And I thought 'You know what? I want to challenge myself and make the next big step.' That's what Arsenal provides me.
"I just need to stay patient and hopefully my time comes.
"They did plan for me for the future, so hopefully that's not too much longer."
Playing with, and being supported by, "world-class" players in England has quiet achiever Cooney-Cross determined to become more vocal on and off the pitch.
"Coming from Arsenal to the Matildas I want to try and bring the same intensity. You don't want to drop the level," she said.
"I want to try and be more of a leader because there's some new players coming in, some young players coming in, so I need to start stepping up soon."
That time might not be too far away.
Midfield partner Katrina Gorry has flagged Paris 2024 could mark the end of her international career.
When the brilliant dynamo calls time, the midfield could be Cooney-Cross's to run for the next decade.
"That does scare me a little bit because she has helped me so much in this team, so I definitely wouldn't be where I am without her," Cooney-Cross said.
"But it's also something I'm gonna have to deal with when the time comes.''
It's these realisations that make Cooney-Cross determined to deliver silverware after fourth-placed finishes at the Tokyo Olympics and last year's home World Cup
"Seeing a lot of the girls after the World Cup and how devastated they were to be coming fourth again, it made me pretty upset," she said.
"That just makes me want to go help them win a gold medal before they all retire.
"So at the Olympics we're gonna give it a good crack and hopefully come first."
Australian Associated Press
