- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australia's Mark Schwarzer applauds the crowd after the Socceroos 2-0 win over Uzbekistan. AAP Image/Paul Miller
John Aloisi thinks Australia will win the Asian Cup. Mark Rudan says Scott McDonald should score a hatful of goals against India. Meanwhile, Socceroos coach Holger Osieck says his team are travelling to Qatar with the aim of having “the best possible success.”
All reasonable sentiments to express, and one would certainly hope the coach of the national team goes into a major tournament oozing confidence.
It’s probably been diminished a little by Wednesday’s scoreless draw against the United Arab Emirates, but the real action is yet to come, and the Socceroos will be pleased to have kept a clean sheet in Dubai.
“It could have been better but the positives are that there’s no injuries, we got some game time and got rid of some cobwebs,” said captain Lucas Neill after the match.
“We looked good in the first 30 minutes, but we probably fatigued and it’s disappointing we kept giving the ball away.”
All fairly perfunctory statements, any of which you’d expect to hear from a professional footballer following a routine friendly performance – even if the Socceroos really are guilty of turning over possession too meekly.
But seasoned Socceroos watchers could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu over some of the attitudes creeping into the build-up to next week’s Asian Cup campaign.
There’s been no bombastic rhetoric, no brazen proclamations about winning the tournament undefeated or putting opponents in their place, yet there’s an undeniable bravado slowly trickling down from the mouths of pundits and players alike.
It’s only subtle; surfacing in statements about winning some silverware and being the top-ranked team, or wondering aloud whether Osieck should field an under-strength team against less fancied opponents.
But it’s there, and it’s an uncomfortable throwback to four years ago when Australia’s form on and off the pitch won few friends within the region.
It’s no surprise that brashness can sometimes be perceived as arrogance by those less familiar with the ebullient nature of Australians, and the Socceroos’ opponents four years ago were spurred on by what they considered to be a lack of respect.
Respect is a two-way street, of course, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that some of Australia’s regional rivals are just as fond of engaging in a bit of pre-match banter as we are.
But the difference is most of those rivals are long established on the Asian scene, while Australia is still attempting to establish a foothold in the often complex and convoluted world of Asian football.
The best way to make a mark – aside from hosting a successful Asian Cup in 2015 – is to try and win this year’s tournament.
But win it with humility, and win it with some grace and good humour.
Such traits have sadly been lacking since that stellar night in Sydney in 2005, and it’d be nice to see the Socceroos let their football do the talking in Qatar.
Just like John Aloisi, I’d love to see Australia win the Asian Cup, and along with Mark Rudan, I too hope Scott McDonald bags a bucket-load of goals in the process.
But most of all, I’d like Australia to be humble in Qatar, and remember that in their quest for silverware, they’re representing not just themselves but an entire nation.
After all, no one likes a bad winner.