A tough introduction for Holger Osieck
Columnist By Mike Tuckerman, 13 Aug 2010 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert
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- Brazil 2014, Bruce Djite, Holger Osieck, Pim Verbeek, Slovenia, Socceroos, Socceroos coach
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Australia's James Holland reacts after Slovenia's second goal against his team during their international friendly soccer match in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Wednesday, Aug., 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
They say you only get one chance to make a first impression, so what must Holger Osieck have thought after watching the Socceroos lose 2-0 to Slovenia on Thursday morning?
Australia were rusty in defence and lacklustre in attack, and Osieck must have slowly realised just how much work lays ahead of him to mould a new-look starting eleven into a cohesive unit.
The appointment of the German coach sparked a flurry of “Holger who?” headlines in Australia, a fact which did not go unnoticed by the ever watchful German media.
But even in his homeland Osieck remains a relative unknown, with German football writer Uli Hesse telling me that he virtually dropped off the radar after helping West Germany win Italia ’90 as an assitant to Franz Beckenbauer.
“His biggest claim to fame is that he was Beckenbauer’s assistant when we won the World Cup and then followed him to Marseille. He had a brief and unsuccessful stint at Bochum, then he went abroad and was rarely heard from again,” Hesse said.
Those of us with an eye on Japanese football certainly knew what Osieck was up to, and my friend Scott McIntyre wrote a wonderfully detailed piece for the Sydney Morning Herald on just how the strict disciplinarian lost the support of the Urawa Reds dressing room in 2007.
I remember seeing a forlorn Osieck in the press conference after Urawa were knocked out of the Club World Cup by Milan and thinking it was a surprise that the Reds didn’t sack him on the spot, after talismanic defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Brazilian striker Washington had both publicly slated the German – the latter going so far as to depart for Fluminense in a huff.
But it’s onwards and upwards for Osieck from here on in, and even if first impressions of the new coach were slightly underwhelming, it’s not hard to warm to the idea of him having a strong hand in youth development.
Anyone who caught Bruce Djite’s nervy performance yesterday is well aware that the Socceroos need to start bringing young players up to international standard, and with plenty of them plying their trade overseas and in the A-League, it will be fascinating to see just who Osieck picks in the build-up to the Asian Cup.
The continental championships have suddenly taken on a whole new dimension for the Socceroos.
While most of us would like to see them challenge for some silverware, there’s also a growing sense that the tournament really is the perfect opportunity to build for Brazil 2014, particularly with Osieck having signed on for the full four year cycle.
Whatever happens, the new coach will hope to see his team markedly improve on their performance from Thursday morning, even if most of the squad looked rusty given the lack of post-World Cup match action.
Plenty to do as Osieck gets set to criss-cross the globe then, but no one said coaching one of world football’s most remote outposts would be easy.
Just ask Pim Verbeek.
Mike Tuckerman is a Sydney-born journalist and lifelong football fan. After lengthy stints watching the beautiful game in Germany and Japan, he has settled in Brisbane and has been a Roar columnist since December 2008. Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman
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The Crowd Says (21) | Page 1 of Comments
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- Brazil 2014, Bruce Djite, Holger Osieck, Pim Verbeek, Slovenia, Socceroos, Socceroos coach
August 13th 2010 @ 8:14am
chocolatecoatedballs said | August 13th 2010 @ 8:14am | Report comment
i do hope this year is used as a building year, in which case i am sure there will still be some of the experienced contingent to mentor anyway. i just hope he gets commended for it, rather than criticized if things go pear shaped.
like our last friendly, we lost to Slovenia, but Berger played a lot of young players the public have been calling out for, it was only a friendly and it was a good hit out for the younger guys to try to impress, now at least we know we might have to look elsewhere other than the FFA favorites. it is an exciting time, the HAL is looking better than it ever has and the Socceroos are going through a transitional phase, exciting times.
August 13th 2010 @ 9:20am
Tom said | August 13th 2010 @ 9:20am | Report comment
Good piece Mike.
It hammers in why Australia can’t really have the pick of the world’s best managers. The Socceroos position is only for those who like to be challenged.
I still maintain we should be trying to win the Asian Cup. Its a full three and a half years before Brazil 2014 so the squad should have plenty of time for development.
Plus how good a development opportunity would the Confed Cup be?
August 13th 2010 @ 9:33am
AndyRoo said | August 13th 2010 @ 9:33am | Report comment
I think we will get some rumbling about Osieck because he’s going to have to cut some older Socceroos who also happen to have big egos and many friends in the press.
Uruwa and Canada don’t seem to have gone on to bigger and better things after giving in too player power and I’m not too worried that he has a reputation of being tough. It’s an approach that has worked for us in the past…. the big concern is that type of approach only has a limited shelf life before players need to hear a fresh voice. A 4 year stay might be too long but their will be a high turnover of players between now and 2014 anyway so it was never going to be plain sailing.
August 13th 2010 @ 9:42am
Ben of Phnom Penh said | August 13th 2010 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Given that the Asian Cup is held in January, it going to be a big ask to forge a team before then. If we had an extra six months I would be feeling much better however after watching South Korean dissect Nigeria the other night I am less than confident. I think he has the cattle, I don’t think he has the time.
August 13th 2010 @ 9:43am
Fussball ist unser leben said | August 13th 2010 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Sure I, too, was one of the “Holger who” brigade when I first heard the news, but after doing a bit of research I’m not only happy with this appointment, I’m actually excited.
What we need now is a someone, who develops the next generation of elite Australian footballers and, Holger Osieck’s credentials as a developer of football talent is exceptional.
Thank heavens we didn’t go for guys like Martin O’Neill, Marcello Lippi, etc. These guys are obviously good tacticians who are excellent at working with established players but, in my opinion, they don’t develop young talent.
The Argentinians – José Pékerman and Marcelo Bielsa – would also have been a terrific choices, but I’m actually glad we’ve gone for a German.
To me, at this stage of Australia’s cultural development (both football and social), I reckon we’re more aligned to the Germans than the Latin Americans.
I cannot think of a better “football culture” to copy than the German, which places an emphasis on players who are:
, as you can often get with some of the Latin Americans!
* physically strong
* technically sound
* tactically disciplined
* creative expression in the midfield that is not “self-indulgent”
Finally, I’d be surprised if Herr Osieck even gives a 2nd thought to the result of the practice match against Slovenia.
August 13th 2010 @ 9:59am
AndyRoo said | August 13th 2010 @ 9:59am | Report comment
Fussball
I think the German style would be the one Australians would naturally migrate too if were good enough tactically and technically. And hopefully the youth development path we are going down will make it possible in the years to come.
I know plenty of us like to talk ourselves up as a nation that loves to attack with flair…. But I don’t think that’s the reality. It’s never really been the case in Football as we have always been mainly workmanlike with some individuals who were skilful enough be given more license.
I don’t see many other sports where we are naturally full of flair, not since Rugby went professional anyway. Take AFL, 100% of the coaches are Australian and 99% of the players and there are not a lot of flamboyant attacking teams (the Swans and St Kilda the most extreme examples). If theirs anything at stake we become pretty pragmatic as our competitive streak is very strong.
August 13th 2010 @ 10:17am
Ben of Phnom Penh said | August 13th 2010 @ 10:17am | Report comment
We have attacking flair in cricket and hockey, though crucially much of this is due to the fact we had achieved world class technical proficiency in those sports. We could afford to be less conservative.
August 13th 2010 @ 10:19am
Fussball ist unser leben said | August 13th 2010 @ 10:19am | Report comment
AndyRoo
You are spot on about flair!
To be honest, whilst I love watching guys with “flair” (C Ronaldo, Ronadinho, half the Chilean national team!) I get frustrated by “self-indulgence” and wonder why they don’t provide the easy pass rather than try to dribble around the entire back 4 and the goalkeeper! Of course, if their self-indulgence leads to a goal … I reserve the right to take back all my abuse and cheer wildly!
There is no doubt Australia can produce exceptional Goal Keepers and we’ve been pretty good at producing reasonably strong defenders.
Now, I I want to see us consistently developing fantastic No. 10s to break games open – guys like Nicky Carle, Marco Bresciano and, in the past, Oscar Crino.
I also want to us to produce defensive midfielders & sweepers, who are comfortable on the ball the way Okon & Zelic were able to play the ball out from the back.
And, of course, we need to produce genuine No 9s and, let’s face it, besides the V-Bomber we’ve been pretty poor in this position.
And, I’m excited that Osieck is the ideal man to develop such talent.
Occasionally, we may uncover & develop a true football gem with flair – like H Kewell – but, I won’t be holding my breath.
August 13th 2010 @ 2:08pm
Stevo said | August 13th 2010 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
Mr Carle is a guy who luvs the ball but I think falls into your category of “wonder why they don’t provide the easy pass rather than try to dribble around the entire back 4 and the goalkeeper! “
August 13th 2010 @ 8:00pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | August 13th 2010 @ 8:00pm | Report comment
Stevo
You are probably right but, for some reason, Nicky Carle can do no wrong in my eyes!
I simply salivate whenever he gets the ball (ok I’m probably exaggerating, but he is a delight to watch – except when he plays for Sydney FC against MVFC!) – from the sublime 1st touch, the vision to quickly size up the various options and then the provide the perfectly weighted pass.
These skills are often picked up playing by Futsal and, according to Arsene Wenger, they need to be developed between the ages of 6-12 years. For too long, our junior coaches have been stifling this type of “football expression” in favour of stodgy defending and the long ball.
I can only hope Berger & Osieck start a new and exciting chapter in the book of Australian football history.
August 13th 2010 @ 9:44pm
Farqwar said | August 13th 2010 @ 9:44pm | Report comment
One thing clear in the game the other night was Australia desperatley need someone in the central mid who can hold the ball and distribute it effectively, whether this is Carle, Killkenny or someone else I don’t know.
August 13th 2010 @ 10:29am
AndyRoo said | August 13th 2010 @ 10:29am | Report comment
Ben and Tom
Looking at where the Socceroos are right now I think the goals of development and taking a strong squad aren’t that far apart. Development wise I don’t think there is any point in just taking a team full of kids to get bundled out early but I also don’t see much point taking players from European clubs who are getting first team playing time just to be backups in Qatar.
Outside a strong and experienced first 11 I think you want young players, Asian based players and A league players making up the squad and there are a fair few of them who if they end up having to play because of injuries and suspensions would provide a welcome injection of pace. I think having quick players in the team really takes advantage of our advantage of European club experience a lot more than what we have done so far in Asia.
I also think the decision may be taken out Osieck’s because their will be certain players who aren’t that keen on the Asian cup. Young players just getting into their clubs first team and plenty of the older players (who having played two world cups now have little chance of a third) will probably be a little reluctant. We don’t want players who don’t want to be there.
Take the goal keeper position (and similar decisions have to be made in every position), I think if we pushed Schwarzer he would come to the Asian cup but if he’s in his first season at Arsenal with his big chance at a top club do we really want him physically in Qatar but with his mind in London, in that instance I think giving Federici the reigns wouldn’t have a negative effect on our chances. If Mark’s still at Fulham I would select him and then perhaps take the risk of leaving Federici in England to play 1st team football at Reading rather than sit on the bench in Qatar. In Langerak you have the perfect second goal keeper in that he’s a prospect but his performances in the ACL were fantastic and very recent so he’s good enough to step in if needed. The 3rd is unlikely to play so you could take a kid or play it safe and go with Galekovic. Personally I think Galekovic would be a good choice since he’s a quality keeper and citizen and it just seems to fit as Adelaide United even have Birghatti waiting for a chance.
August 13th 2010 @ 11:31am
Rob Gremio said | August 13th 2010 @ 11:31am | Report comment
Andyroo,
I have to agree completely with you on the keeper issue, in particular. If Schwarzer is at Arsenal, leave him there. If he’s not, take him. I agree with the idea of Langerak, too, if Schwarzer goes to Qatar, rather than have Federici lose his first team spot sitting on the bench getting a suntan.
As for the rest, I think there are plenty of Asian-Based players and A-League based ones with enough experience or potential to be taken along. For example, Spiranovic, Milligan and maybe the Og-monster (but again, he’s getting older, and perhaps we’d be better off blooding youngsters), in Asia, and in Australia we’ve got Carle, DeVere, Kantarovski, Jamieson, Brosque and others who would at least benefit from the training and experience of being at the Asian Cup if they don’t play (although I suspect a Nicky Carle could/would play at least some part – provided he lives up to the hype at Sydney.
I watched a replay of the Slovenia game yesterday, and I was shocked by one thing Andy Harper said (well, ok, more than one, but this one got my blood boiling!). He was banging on about the A-League players that will probably get a look in now that Pim’s gone, and in that group he included Liam Reddy. Of course, now that he’s at Sydney, guys like Harper will start waxing lyrical about his qualities, etc, etc. But I tell you what, I watched a lot of Reddy when he was at Brisbane, and he was one of the most inconsistent keepers going around. Not as much of a head case as McMaster, but equally prone to brain snaps and the like. I always felt his distribution wasn’t great, his confidence on crosses was average, and I never saw him do much decent communicating compared to say, Clint Bolton. I had the pleasure of seeing Mark Bosnich at Perry Park when he played for Central Coast against the Roar in a pre-season game, and the non-stop instructions and encouragement he provided were first class. Goalkeepers need to communicate, and Reddy isn’t up to it.
Is it just me, or is Harper only banging on about Reddy because he’s the Sydney FC keeper now? I really don’t rate him, despite the good form he showed for Wellington. Any player worth their salt will play well when they are playing for their careers, as Reddy was when at Wellington. Had he performed as badly for the Phoenix as he had for the Roar prior to his move, I seriously doubt that Sydney would have signed him, and Reddy would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle. For Harper to even suggest that Reddy should get a look in for the Socceroos is an insult to every keeper in the A-League. Bloody Sydney-Centric media!
August 13th 2010 @ 12:11pm
AndyRoo said | August 13th 2010 @ 12:11pm | Report comment
I don’t think Reddy will seriously end up anywhere near the Socceroos but with a new coach they will be talking up everyone. 24 year old debutants that score a lucky header will get a mention
Kanta, Cullina and Galekovic are the only A league players I would select if I could have the 23 I really wanted but Jameison would be really close (comes down to him vs Lowry).
The rest (Devere and Carle especially) would be close enough that only a few guys being unavailable would see them in Qatar.
The case against guys like Carle and Matt Thompson (one of my favorites) is they were not in the 1st 11 in South Africa so is it worth giving them caps and bringing them into the team when their going to be over 30 come Brazil.
August 13th 2010 @ 12:46pm
Rob Gremio said | August 13th 2010 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
I guess the whole thing comes down to the number of players from our regular starting 11 are going to be available AND in the frame for 2014. Already there are opportunities for players like Lowry, Spira, Williams, as well as Vidosic and (possibly) Tommy Oar, provided he is seeing minutes at Utrecht. I would probably pick Kanta and maybe Culina (though no guarantee, since Jedinak and Valeri are starting to come into their own, and Williams can play in that DM position and is probably a better prospect for the future).
I think Jameison is definitely worth a look in for a squad position, but DeVere could find the competition a bit tough for him, given the likes of Lowry and Spira and Williams can play his position, as can Milligan, who, despite all the knockers, is a decent player. He also has a handy knack of scoring from set pieces.
But yeah, guys like Carle and Matt Thompson might find themselves on the outer purely on their age, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Carle given a run, if only so that he can finally either prove that he is as good as Fink et al think he is, or to finally shut them up about the genius that they believe his is after he fails to deliver the Messi-esque football he is apparently capable of.
August 13th 2010 @ 9:34pm
jimbo said | August 13th 2010 @ 9:34pm | Report comment
Mike, good article and Interesting period in Australian football and with some mystery and intrigue.
Are we going to keep improving as a football nation or will we lose ground on our Asian neighbours and even fail to qualify for the next world cup through Asia.
The more I think about Holger the more I am confident he will achieve our goals – a lot more than I think Sven-Gorek Erikson or someone like that would have done.
They won’t fail to win anything for lack of trying.
August 14th 2010 @ 1:40am
Roger Rational said | August 14th 2010 @ 1:40am | Report comment
Jeez, lots of self-delusion in the comments above. I reckon some of you could talk yourselves into optimism even if Terry Butcher was handed the Socceroos post.
August 14th 2010 @ 8:26am
Fussball ist unser leben said | August 14th 2010 @ 8:26am | Report comment
RR
Whom would you prefer to manage, and develop the next generation of players for, the the National Team?
If you eliminate “self-delusion” from the sport, there would be only 3 teams bothering to turn up tonight to kick-off the 2010/11 EPL season!
August 15th 2010 @ 3:33am
chocolatecoatedballs said | August 15th 2010 @ 3:33am | Report comment
he he, nice one fussball, i too like Carle and just because some players weren’t selected under Pim to play in the last WC means nothing to me, Hiddink selected some young talent that was not picked and new ones were, i wonder if the FFA has to much to say on who gets picked, though that is purely speculation.
Osieck even though a hard taskmaster like all Germans will be fair and strong minded enough not to get bullied and will build this team as he see’s fit, put that together with his youth development and previous success, i am optimistic for the future.
August 18th 2010 @ 2:55pm
Mister Football said | August 18th 2010 @ 2:55pm | Report comment
I busied myself today trying to find out a bit more about Holger Osieck.
Let me tell you folks, it’s very, very hard to find out anything about him, in particular, what he has been up to the last two and a half years.
He did spend 5 weeks at the SA WC as part of the Technical Study Group.
Folks, I’ve tried to uncover something about the Technical Study Group that was involved in the SA WC, but details are very hard to come by.
It looks like they are the ones who decided the various awards at the end of the WC, and who determined such weighty matters as which player should be credited with a goal, and similar things.
Good background to become an NT manager? I guess in the manner that attending the President’s lunch on match day might equip you for coaching the team.
At least we know he was doing something during the 5 weeks of the WC, but what’s he been doing in the other two years? Only heaven knows.
August 18th 2010 @ 5:53pm
AndyRoo said | August 18th 2010 @ 5:53pm | Report comment
He’s definitely qualified to be a technical/coaching director though and we probably need to give Han some extra help.
If he’s no good at the Asian cup then we can move him into that type of role and go with plan B….. my plan B would be Stratka