- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australia's head coach Holger Osieck, second left, talks to his players during a training session. AP Photo/Martin Meissner
As the Socceroos embark on the qualifying campaign for what is hoped will be Australia’s third consecutive World Cup in 2014, the hope is they will do it not only through the accumulation of points, but through style which demonstrates that the team is moving forward.
While the ultimate objective for Holger Osieck will be to get the Socceroos to Brazil, you sense his remit is a little different to that of his predecessor, Pim Verbeek.
Verbeek, when he was hired by Frank Lowy, appeared to be under strict instructions to get the Socceroos to South Africa. His remit wasn’t so much about regenerating the Roos, but about generating points for the Roos.
After the joy of Germany and life under Guus Hiddink, the FFA wanted to consolidate, and Verbeek, well versed in the world of Asian football, was seen as an ideal candidate.
The big picture for him was to do his job; to qualify the Socceroos for South Africa.
What followed, as we now know, was a team I referred to throughout the 2010 qualifying campaign as Pim’s Accumulators.
Setting the stall out tight, home or away, Verbeek’s Socceroos managed the logistics of navigating the two phases of qualifying well, both on an off the pitch.
Often they would arrive in destinations high and far a few days before a qualifier, leaving Verbeek with little option but to put out an organised, defensive unit, there to do a job.
Indeed, it was as early as the first away game, back in March 2008, in Kunming, China, that the away strategy became apparent, as Verbeek went with a back five, three central midfielders and a withdrawn Mark Bresciano supporting sole striker Archie Thompson (who limped off early, to be replaced by a shadow striker in Brett Holman).
It was a team built to defend and counter-attack, and with Mark Schwarzer and Jade North proving heroic, and the team working itself to a stand-still, Verbeek had what he wanted, a 0-0 draw.
With the Socceroos only scoring one goal in four games against China and Iraq in the first phase, eye-brows were raised about the new manager.
Fortunately for Verbeek, Qatar proved a softer touch, with six goals and six points guaranteeing top spot in the group.
The next phase proved less problematic, but also featured some tough work on the road, including a great deal of fortune away in Manama, Bahrain.
Later, away to Japan, it was another 0-0 draw. Here’s how I covered it at the time;
“The stall set, a job done, tonight’s was another mechanical and methodical performance from a team that has warmed to Pim’s process of accumulating points and qualifying. Far from pretty, but effective, Pim Verbeek is proving himself the master of the clean sheet and the nil-all draw.”
By the end of the second phase, the Socceroos had topped the group, conceding only one goal in eight games.
In South Africa, of course, we learnt what we had suspected all along, that Verbeek, prone to wait, would struggle to break the shackles. He eventually did, but it was far too late.
Apart from not getting the Roos through their group at the World Cup, Verbeek, it could be argued, did everything else asked of him.
But there’s little doubt, at least to the mind of this correspondent, that his methods had an impact on the Socceroos popularity.
When Osieck was hired, you sense there were more dimensions to the message from Lowy; restore some of the verve of the past, rejuvenate the team, and get Australia to its fourth World Cup.
Hitherto the signs in relation to the first two points have been great, with the Roos adopting a far more offensive mantra featuring a higher defensive line, a higher team-press, central midfielders who take turns in breaking forward, more bodies in forward motion and quicker movement of the ball into the final third.
The aim, generally, has been to control games by getting on the front foot, and it is a template opposition sides have mostly struggled to handle.
For Socceroos supporters, watching Osieck’s 4-4-1-1 has made for entertaining viewing, and the players appear to have warmed to the more offensive flavour.
In amongst all this, Osieck has been able to seamlessly blend in some fresh faces including Sash Ognenovski, Matt McKay, Robbie Kruse, Michael Zullo and Neil Kilkenny.
While Ognenovski and McKay aren’t spring chickens, the manager has given them an opportunity, and backed those who perform. It is all any footballer can ask for.
Others, like Matthew Spiranovic, Adam Sarota, James Troisi and Luke DeVere have been thereabouts, and all feature in his latest squad, which kicks-off the qualifiers against Thailand in Brisbane on Friday night.
While these kids and others like Tommy Oar, Mathew Leckie, Chris Herd and Kerem Bulut wait their turn, Osieck has recalled an almost full strength squad to launch the campaign.
With a tough away trip to Saudi Arabia immediately after the Thailand game, this is smart business. While Thailand mightn’t pose a threat in terms of world rankings, they can’t be taken lightly. Indeed, anyone who remembers the effort they made against the Socceroos at the 2007 Asian Cup will know that Osieck must have his team ready to hit the ground running.
Of course, some stern tests await in the first phase, especially away to Saudi Arabia next week and Oman in November, but if the Socceroos can get off to a flying start on Friday, and then back it up with a good performance and result in Saudi Arabia, it would build early momentum.
Importantly, it would also give Osieck some breathing space to do his business. The German sees the big picture.
Of course, after the turgid qualification work of Verbeek last time around, as much interest will be in whether Osieck can continue to have his men flowing, and how much of a role the youngsters and A-League players get in the proceedings.
By the time the qualifiers are over, the hope is the German has built a Roos team not only good enough to accumulate enough points to reach Brazil, but that it will be a team on the rise, ready to make an impact there.
Catch up with Tony’s post-match analysis of the Socceroos opening 2014 World Qualifier against Thailand, here on Saturday.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.