As a coach the easiest thing to do is tell defenders to block passages, even if they aren't good, just being in the right position scares people enough to avoid them, scary players will take the challenge and do something unpredictable. The pass was too predictable, even if it was a heel pass. A curved shot to the upper right, a lobbed through pass towards the goal, or even a feint pass then shot, would have all been surprising to the defenders and keeper.