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Australia's Mile Sterjovski scissor kicks to set up Australia's 2nd goal by David Carney during their World Cup Asian qualifying match against Bahrain in Sydney on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Australia defeated Bahrain 2-0. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
If the ability to grind out victories is the hallmark of a great football team, then the Socceroos should win the World Cup with ease. Once again Pim Verbeek’s team turned in a workman like performance as they laboured to a 2-0 victory on a bitterly cold evening at ANZ Stadium in Sydney overnight.
The positives just about outweighed the negatives: some decent performances from former Sydney FC duo David Carney and Mark Milligan – the latter of whom recovered from a fairly nervy start – a full length run-out for Harry Kewell and another clean sheet for stand-in captain Mark Schwarzer.
But despite the victory, Socceroos fans won’t be able to shake that nagging feeling that the team could have done so much more.
Watching Scott McDonald try and get his name on the scoresheet in the second half was like an exercise in sadomasochistic torture.
At one stage the Celtic striker appeared determined to go it alone as he embarked on a mazy run to slalom through the Bahrain defence, only for McDonald to step on the ball at the crucial moment with an unmarked Kewell to his left.
The diminutive striker had earlier missed a glorious opportunity on twenty-five minutes to open his account for the Socceroos, ballooning a volley over the crossbar when he had ample time to steady himself in front of goal.
He’d been played in by the extravagantly coiffured Brett Holman, who despite the questionable hair-do turned in one of his better performances in a Socceroos jersey.
Once again it was Mark Schwarzer who stole the headlines with another clean sheet, although Verbeek will be pleased with both Mile Sterjovski and David Carney for ultimately boosting Australia’s goal tally.
The Socceroos never really clicked into gear against a willing but technically limited opponent.
The game was played at a fairly leisurely pace throughout, and the lack of intensity wasn’t helped by the dearth of atmosphere inside the cavernous ANZ Stadium – or Stadium Australia to give it it’s FIFA-preferred moniker.
Football Federation Australia were caught between a rock and a hard place when it came to scheduling this fixture.
The Socceroos dream run through the qualifiers ensured they had already booked their place at the World Cup finals going into this match, making it a dead rubber for the home team.
While that’s a best-case scenario that the FFA will no doubt have envisaged, many fans would have missed out if the Socceroos still had something to play for and the match was scheduled at the far smaller Sydney Football Stadium.
Personally I’d have preferred to see the game played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, but with the Socceroos roadshow a lucrative cash cow these days, it comes as no real surprise that the final two qualifiers were booked for the country’s largest two cities.
A big crowd is expected to turn out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next week, and Australia can seal top spot in the group by taking a point off the Blue Samurai.
They’ll hope to take all three, of course, but a repeat of some of the individual errors that crept in at the back could see Mark Schwarzer’s long run of clean sheets broken.
Japan will be desperate to try and knock the Socceroos off the top of the standings, but their 1-1 draw at home to Qatar means they must beat Australia to do so.
Even a win over Takeshi Okada’s men may not be enough to silence Pim Verbeek’s critics – with the laconic Dutchman blasted by the tabloid press for his decision to enforce a media ban on his players.
That won’t bother the results-oriented Verbeek, and nor will his team’s performance against Bahrain following what was ultimately a comfortable win.
Socceroos fans hoping for a spectacle in Melbourne could be disappointed, however, if the performance in Sydney is anything to go by.
Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman
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Realfootball said | June 11th 2009 @ 9:59am | Report comment
It is unfortunate that as long as Verbeek keeps the draws and the ugly wins coming – and the extraordinary luck – he will be untouchable. Unfortunate because the way he has our national team playing is harming the code in our country. Compare the poor crowd at last night’s game in Sydney to the pack out crowd for a similar dead rubber in Japan. The comparison is very, very worrying, and Verbeek becomes less flexible and more negative in his selections and tactics with every match. Bringing on Carle with 7 minutes to go looked uncomfortably like a deliberate single digit salute to his critics. I found it hard to interpret it any other way. If I had to say what for me characterised this qualifying campaign, it would be firstly the extraodinary ugliness and tedium of the football our team has played on the one hand, and the extraordinary luck that has gone with it game after game. It may well be that Verbeek’s hotline to God is his greatest asset.
Midfielder said | June 11th 2009 @ 10:13am | Report comment
Nice article MIke… but if that was one of Holman’s better games … by heavens he must have been bad in the others…
I through that Jedi did not step up either… and its a worry as Vinney can not keep going forever and if I look around the only position we IMO do not have cover is a defensive mid.
Milligan had a great game and I hope he can get his head together as he is a class player.My best on park was Cullina.
Given our run of strikers maybe Ruka could be given a run a trial….
Anyway work calls so off for now…
Tom said | June 11th 2009 @ 10:13am | Report comment
I thought it was a strong performance, considering the line-up changes and the long trip from Qatar a couple of days earlier.
And considering Japan could only muster a 1-1 draw against a lesser team on the same night.
I thought Bahrain looked a very worthy opponent. They were organised, physical and showed some technical flair if not any composure in the front third.
Sure, the first goal was from a basic error, but the build-up work by the Aussies was still strong, as it was on a number of occasions over the night.
The response to this game from most people seems to range from critical to lukewarm. Honestly, I don’t really understand why. I thought they looked pretty good and got a good result.
Slippery Jim said | June 11th 2009 @ 10:42am | Report comment
Probably the wrong photo to post if you are trying to make out the Socceroos ‘grinding out a workmanlike performance’. The second bicycle kick shot to hit the post in two matches is pretty remarkable!
It is true the match was not high octane throughout out but it was a far better spectacle than last years China dead rubber that we lost with a team of nearly all fringies…
whiskeymac said | June 11th 2009 @ 10:44am | Report comment
“Socceroos never really clicked into gear against a willing but technically limited opponent” – I agree. This seems to be happening quite a lot, and at times has threatened the highly vaunted clean sheet record being amassed. The same approach against Japan might be the loss of Shwarzer’s smile and Pim’s seemingly irrefutable argument of pointing to the score board.
Yes, it was a shame that Jedi didnt step up, but he is still learning the ropes at international level. given some time and further euro exposure he may develop into a more reliable player – if not a regular at east a solid squad member. that position isnt that badly filled with Valeri, Grella, Culina, Burns and possibly Wilkshire/ Neill (?) able to play a defensive midfield role. Next WC might be problematic, but then again maybe some one else will step up by then.
i would still like to see Carle, Vidosic and Williams and Spira given some decent game time. IMO it’s unfair to judge Carle on 8 minutes or so, and i for one would like to see if he has more to offer since his time in Europe and the much discussed reverse back heel pass fall over game. I was certainly unimpressed by that game but would like the chance to see him play again.
onside said | June 11th 2009 @ 11:12am | Report comment
I thought the commentators were pretty negative , continuously highlighting the Socceroos shortcomings both
perveived and real. This was a knock together team playing a world cup qualifier against a seasoned squad.
Bahrain did not play just to make up the numbers.They needed to have a dig because there was still; a chance
of qualifying through repercharges.I disagree with those that think the current style is harming the code in OZ.
It makes little difference one way or the other.The growth of the game in Australia is linked to the A League and
that is a ten year journey.Another ten seasons.Its not long really.But back to Bahrain ,if we have to play what
seems to be stodge to win,then so be it.South Africa is the dream of all nations.There are only 32 seats at the
table.Australia is there.You little beauty.
Midfielder said | June 11th 2009 @ 11:15am | Report comment
Onside
Good post
Slippery Jim said | June 11th 2009 @ 11:19am | Report comment
Whiskeymac, it is hard to judge Carle based on 10 mins on the field, however Nicky just seemed to come across as a less energetic version of Holman, without the defence splitting passes Holman served up in both halves. He also tried to beat a defender and got shut down immediately on the left of the box…Holman, in comparison, with any decent striker up front to finish, should have had two assists to his name.
Bill said | June 11th 2009 @ 11:33am | Report comment
Can someone please explain to me the common scenario in football matches for the manager to bring on 1 or 2 substitutes right near the end of the game? It doesn’t make much sense to me due to the very limited time (such as Nicky Carle had last night) to have an impact on the game. Is it primarily due to concern that if there is an injury and the team has already had 3 subs that you will have to play the rest of the match with 10 men?
AGO74 said | June 11th 2009 @ 11:42am | Report comment
I was at the game last night. Laboured is about right the way to describe it but didn’t expect anything else to be honest as we’d already qualified 3 days before on the other side of the planet. To expect a swashbuckling performance was a bit optimistic considering the mental and physical drain that would have followed the Qatar match and all the travel and jetlag that would have accompanied even for those who didn’t play in Qatar. Bahrain were pretty good I thought considering they were the away team and to their credit didn’t really do the shameful timewasting that we’ve seen with some of our other friends in Asia. The reason the atmosphere was so subdued was partly because it was a dead rubber but mainly because everyone was freezing their n#ts off!! Geez it was cold!! Next week will be more of a test. Technically, there is a nothing at stake but there is a real rivalry there and you don’t want to give anything away. Makes me think Pim will play for the draw….and the crtics will continue.