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Having taken the much-needed step of turning over the Socceroos squad, now comes the big challenge for Ange Postecoglou and his newly assembled technical team: getting his selections fit and in sync to be competitive at Brazil.
The defensive structure will be of primary focus, particularly in the early part of his camps in Gosford and Sydney.
Even though his preparation is at an embryonic stage and there may have been an argument for an experienced head or two, the manager has taken the responsibility to renew his side.
It’s why he’s pinning his central defensive hopes on a number of youngsters who have barely set foot in a Socceroos camp.
Postecoglou clearly drew a line in dumping skipper Lucas Neill last week, and is committed to speaking of the future.
That much was evident at yesterday’s announcement of a 30-man preliminary squad that will be whittled down to 23 in coming weeks.
His decision to deal with Neill last week looked a fine piece of media management, and he was equally sharp in dealing with a question about Mark Schwarzer yesterday.
The focus now is getting down to work, and given how little time he’s had in charge, it’s the crash course of World Cup preparations.
Yet he clearly understands the responsibility of renewing Australia’s love for the ‘Roos, and there is little talk of damage limitation.
Still, getting his defensive structures in order will take top priority.
Apart from Matt Spiranovic, who has been around years but hardly thrived under Holger Osieck, the other central defensive options are largely untested at international level.
I speak of the likes of Curtis Good, Bailey Wright, Alex Wilkinson and even Ryan McGowan, who is admittedly adaptable enough to play as a fullback.
Throw in the equally inexperienced fullbacks Jason Davidson and Ivan Franjic, and Mat Ryan between the sticks, and the back five that could shape up against Chile will have little more that 20 caps between them, the majority belonging to Spiranovic.
This is, of course, assuming Luke Wilkshire goes to Brazil as a back-up player, a ploy used by Guus Hiddink in rejuvenating the stale side he took over in 2005.
Indeed, there are a few similarities between the work of Postecoglou and Hiddink, not least the addition of a number of youngsters with an eye towards future tournaments.
You may remember Hiddink took the likes of Tony Popovic and Stan Lazaridis to Germany, but only as back-ups.
Defence was Hiddink’s primary focus early and you may remember he reshaped it to include Neill and Scott Chipperfield, players that had been used wide by Frank Farina, in more central areas.
That was largely about giving the defence more speed and ability to play high, be proactive and control the transition of opponents.
Postecoglou’s Socceroos showed against Ecuador that they want to play in a similar manner, taking a high defensive position in the first half.
At times you saw Spiranovic and Good, the starting central defenders, winning the ball in the ‘Roos attacking half.
While the second half was a completely different story, the evidence was clear that Postecoglou’s players understood his ideas.
With only two days to prepare for that match, that will have given him much heart and convinced him he is on the right path.
With one month to prepare for Brazil, he will feel he has enough time to build on the first-half performance against Ecuador and get the defensive structure functioning well enough to withstand the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Arjen Robben and David Silva.
Undoubtedly the biggest part of the equation is to get the team conditioned enough so that defence becomes a responsibility of the team rather than the back five.
To that end he has enlisted the support of Alan McCall and Mal Impiombato for strength and conditioning, and their work with tactical assistant Ante Milicic will be critical.
The reality is there will be no place for weak bodies in Brazil and the next week, at the Central Coast Mariners’ pristine training base, will be an opportunity to see who is strong enough.
It will give Postecoglou a chance to define who he feels are his strongest and weed out the seven who aren’t fit to see out the Brazilian adventure.
To that end it will be a big week or two for creative forces Tom Rogic and Mark Bresciano, both coming off limited game time this year. While Postecoglou will want to work them hard, he must also take the balanced approach of ensuring he doesn’t break them.
They look the most likely to share the creative burden in the number 10 role in Brazil.
Frankly, if Postecoglou can get each to the point where they are contributing at least 45 minutes, he will have done a good job. Apart from that, the focus will be on getting his men in tune with his game-plan and contingencies.
Everyone will need to be on the same page and understand their job in any given scenario.
Against ball-possessing teams like Chile, Spain and Holland, organisation will be everything, and the addition of pace in the front third through the likes of Tommy Oar, Matt Leckie, Ben Halloran and James Troisi points to the need to transition quickly.
These are teams that might leave a bit of space. Exploiting them effectively and relieving some of the defensive burden will be critical.
The work of Rogic and Bresciano in enabling these moments of transition will be key. But what if they are both struggling?
Postecoglou will need to plan and decide if adaptable options like Troisi, Dario Vidosic or Adam Sarota can do the job at 10 in that scenario. He will want to cover every eventuality.
Can Tim Cahill, for example, get through three games, or is it best to utilise a pacey number 9 like Leckie against Spain or Holland and leave Cahill in reserve?
What if Postecoglou’s chasing a late equaliser against Chile? Is that time for plan B, meaning a double-pronged aerial assault featuring Cahill and Josh Kennedy?
While there appears to be an overload of central midfielders in the current squad, it’s an important area, and being able to play in more than one position might help players like Sarota, Matt McKay and Oliver Bozanic.
Given the short time-frame, it’s not the easiest equation for Postecoglou, but at least he has a plan.
It’s not a squad that will put the frighteners through our group opponents, but the unknown factor could well be Australia’s biggest asset.
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