Socceroos squad weaker than it should be
Roar Guru By Eamonn Flanagan, 3 Mar 2010 The Crowd is a Roar Guru
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Socceroo's coach Pim Verbeek chats with Harry Kewell during a training session at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Thursday, June 19, 2008. The Socceroo's take on China in a World Cup qualifying match this Sunday, June 22. AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Imagine if England failed to qualify for the Euro Championships. Would the coach stay on? Unlikely, isn’t it. But if Australia fail to qualify for our Euro equivalent, the Asia Cup, our coach, Pim Verbeek will not be shunted off as a failure.
Instead, he will still get to ride into South Africa as our leader.
If we don’t get a draw on Wednesday, Pim should be sacked. No ifs, no buts!
The A-League boys are in the international spotlight once again as Australia takes on Indonesia on Wednesday in a “must not lose,” game in the Asia Cup.
Australia were handed all their Christmas presents at once when they gained entry into Asia in 2006, but we seem to have become so used to football presents. Like the modern kid, we chuck the least interesting one away.
And games for our local Socceroos seemed to be devalued: by the coach!
Australia always goes to the World Cup. Well, for now anyway.
But what Asia should have given us is a clear and strong “technically and tactically” (borrowed from a Crystal Palace midfielder) developed A-League Socceroo squad. Yet after four years, what do we have?
Do you know who will play in your national team on Wednesday. Can you name 95 percent of the team after two years of Mr Pim? Sure you can name the tactics, but not the team.
Go on try it. Bet you can’t.
Do you think Japanese, Chinese or Korean fans can name their national teams without their overseas based players. I bet they can! And I bet they’ve had heaps of camps, learning the system with or without their overseas players.
On Wednesday, Pim’s Hotpotch United take to the field again:
Where is the planning: from Mr Pim and the FFA?
Craig Foster said this week that you get a Socceroos cap after you’ve played just three games in the A-League. Tommy Oar, Matthew Leckie, Daniel Mullen, and Shannon Cole could all attest to this.
But he failed to ask, why is this so?
Let’s face it, the system isn’t so amazing is it.
Pim is right to criticise the A-League if he wants to, but he’s been here long enough to get the Socceroos who are A-League based playing in Asia to win.
And wouldn’t it be great if we were so confident in our home-based players that to beat Kuwait or Indonesia on home soil we could rely on the home-based Roos.
We’ll beat Indonesia, everyone says. But the point is, I’m not as sure as I’d like to be, and this isn’t because of our local talent, it’s because of Pim’s lack of planning.
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March 3rd 2010 @ 11:00am
TheMagnificent11 said | March 3rd 2010 @ 11:00am | Report comment
The article makes a few good points but I don’t agree with its sentiment. Yes, there should be more camps organised for local-based players especially when you consider the A-League only has 27 regular season rounds. Pim and FFA should be doing more the raise the standard of our local players.
However, despite the pragmatic (even defensive) football Pim has served up, you cannot deny that the he qualified us for the World Cup pretty easily. And, you can’t just say the opposition wasn’t that good. We had to play in the altitude of China, freezing winter of Japan and the searing heat of the middle east. And, our European-based players have to fly halfway around the world to play these games. Peru and Bolivia might not be the greatest teams in South America, but Brazil and Argentina still struggle to beat them on their home patch because of the altitude and travel time. Pim’s man management and preparation has been impeccable (just ask the players).
Furthermore, you don’t sack a coach unless you have someone better to replace him. Who could we get to replace Pim 3 months out from the World Cup that is better than him?
March 3rd 2010 @ 11:43am
Gibbo said | March 3rd 2010 @ 11:43am | Report comment
if we’re going to constantly be trotting out the asia/a-league team for non fifa dates perhaps, in non-world cup years, we should run a tournament of Australia v A-league Australia – stealing an idea from cricket of Australia-A?
the players who peform well for Australia A can push for selection in the fully fledged version
March 3rd 2010 @ 1:06pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | March 3rd 2010 @ 1:06pm | Report comment
actually it’s in the FIFA calendar the same way that the Africa Cup of Nations is. Hence the clubs will need to release players however won’t be happy about it at all as they will be mid-season and playing. As a result few of the more senior players will play though the up and comings who aren’t regular starters for their clubs (Troisi, Djite, Rukavysta et al) will be sorely tempted.
Normally the Asian Cup is played in June at the end of the European season however it has been changed for 2011 to January as it is too hot in Qatar in June for football.
March 3rd 2010 @ 12:24pm
Axel V said | March 3rd 2010 @ 12:24pm | Report comment
Good Article, I agree with most it.
For Australia to not Qualify for the Asian Cup would be massive failure, worthy of a sacking, the only problem is that the World Cup is so close. Pim has got us results with the European Socceroo’s, but has failed with the A-League players.
You can put all the blame on the A-League players ‘not being good enough’ but they main thing is that they havn’t gelled together as a team, not properly understanding their roles, something that ALL international coaches should be capable of fixing.
One major issue with both European and Local Soceroo’s is how slowly they move the ball, there is no sense of urgency and give passes that their teammates didn’t see coming , this allows the opposition defenders to get into position. The Long ball is widely criticized but it does work, however you need to have more than just 1 tactic, having more versatility in how the team plays can get the opposition in a tangle.
I’d also love to see the A-League players being mixed with Fringe Euro players more often, e.g against Kuwait, Wilkshire, Vidisic and a few others, were brilliant and a class above to lift the team against Kuwait, some poor defensive error’s from Colosimo and Kemp combined with amateur keeping however cancelled that out.
In summary, we must NOT lose this match and Pim hasn’t done a great job so far. His been good in getting us to the world cup, but that’s it.
March 3rd 2010 @ 1:10pm
dasilva said | March 3rd 2010 @ 1:10pm | Report comment
Putting the blame in the A-league players saying they are not good enough is full of rubbish.
I can understand if we were playing against Japan, Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia. The powerhouse of Asia but not Kuwait or Indonesia.
Remember this, Vidmar coached Adelaide United to beat Korean, Chinese and Japanese clubs to reach the finals of ACL. He also coached Adelaide United to beat the reigning champions of Asia.
Jets and Sydney FC were also pretty competitive in Asia as well.
Tell me how many Indonesian and Kuwaiti clubs succeed in Asia and got anywhere near the knock out stages of the ACL.
Of course the foreign players in the A-league clubs have helped us success but if you take the best players in the entire A-league, we should beat Indonesia and Kuwait any time. The A-league is rubbish camp to deflect blame from Pim Verbeek in his performance with the a-league team has nothing to stand on.
Losing to Kuwait at home and heaven forbid if we lose to Indonesia at home would be an absolute disgrace and reflect poor coaching.
Pim Verbeek only has one excuse, that he wasn’t allowed access to have regular training sessions with the A-league player for them to gel as a team unlike the A-league clubs in the ACL campaign and other Asian Cup teams.
However Graham Arnold took an A-league team in a Asian Cup qualifier in 2007 and defeated Kuwait at home with similar limited preparation time.
Losing to Indonesia at home and failing to qualify in an ideal world (if there’s a coach to replace him) should be a sackable performance.
March 3rd 2010 @ 1:18pm
AndyRoo said | March 3rd 2010 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
Pim Verbeek only has one excuse, that he wasn’t allowed access to have regular training sessions with the A-league player for them to gel as a team unlike the A-league clubs in the ACL campaign and other Asian Cup teams.
It might only be one excuse but it’s a pretty good one.
It’s unfair to expect a coach to turn the A league team into world baters in 2 to 7 days. He then doesn’t seem them again for 3 months and doesn’t even get the benefit of a warm up friendly before an important game.
March 3rd 2010 @ 1:42pm
markwakefield said | March 3rd 2010 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
its called being an international coach… its his job… thus not an excuse at all…
March 3rd 2010 @ 1:42pm
dasilva said | March 3rd 2010 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
Andyroo
You miss the following line
“However Graham Arnold took an A-league team in a Asian Cup qualifier in 2007 and defeated Kuwait at home with similar limited preparation time.”
March 3rd 2010 @ 2:32pm
AndyRoo said | March 3rd 2010 @ 2:32pm | Report comment
Dasilva
I don’t think because it worked once that suddenly throwing a team together is the way to do things.
It is cutting corners and taking unnecessary risks, we might get some decent results with it but if you keep playing Russian roulette by skimping on preparation eventually it will get messy.
March 3rd 2010 @ 3:30pm
TheMagnificent11 said | March 3rd 2010 @ 3:30pm | Report comment
The A-League is completed by the end of March. There is no reason why the national coach cannot pick the best 20-25 players from the season and have a 2-4 week camp in April. This could happen every year. Players involved in the ACL might have to be exempt due to club commitments (there maybe exemptions for players trialling overseas as well). These sort of camps would ensure that best local talent are well prepared for when they have to make the step-up. This camp should supplement the week long camps used in the lead up to internationals.
March 3rd 2010 @ 5:52pm
mintox said | March 3rd 2010 @ 5:52pm | Report comment
Would England sack Capello if they were the second team to qualify for the World Cup but failed to qualify for the Euro’s with a team selected solely from the Championship?
I think not!
March 11th 2010 @ 2:35am
Colin N said | March 11th 2010 @ 2:35am | Report comment
Oh, England would, and being English, If Capello selected a team solely from the Championship, I would be incredulous.
March 3rd 2010 @ 8:56pm
dasilva said | March 3rd 2010 @ 8:56pm | Report comment
Australia won pretty comfortably and we qualified to the Asia cup against a pretty unmotivated Indonesian side.
Controlled the game in the second half. Too bad we couldn’t get the second goal.
Oar looks pretty awesome.
If he can just improve his crossing and get the final ball there, he will be a superstar.
March 3rd 2010 @ 10:07pm
AndyRoo said | March 3rd 2010 @ 10:07pm | Report comment
His crossing is normaly pretty good.
He certainly showed Sterjovski up.
March 3rd 2010 @ 9:11pm
Dickroo of Blacktown said | March 3rd 2010 @ 9:11pm | Report comment
now we know what the Indonesians are like….Love the Fox comments “Galekovic could have an cigar…”
should we sack Pim now because the only goal was too ugly?
March 4th 2010 @ 8:20am
Eamonn Flanagan said | March 4th 2010 @ 8:20am | Report comment
Dickroo
No the article said we sack him if we lost or drew..we won he stays:)
Football is a simple game.
Mintox: Have you lived in England?…wouldn’t matter who they put out, if the team didn’t win or qualify…queue national inquiry, queue media frenzy queue fan outrage……fast forward sacking. Works every time.