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For those who are yet to hear, former Australian coach Pim Verbeek has been very vocal in his almost disdain for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Although I respect every man’s opinion, his recent comments are full of bitterness after he was removed as manager of the national side.
Verbeek made absolutely no secret of his dislike for blooding younger players, instead relying on the tried and tested, and sometimes past their best, players.
Verbeek came under a huge amount of fire after the nation’s humiliating performance against European powerhouses Germany.
Although not even the most optimistic fan expected the Roos to beat the Germans, the manner in which we were defeated frustrated the majority of fans.
The general feeling was that Pim had sent out a side that was defeated before a ball was even kicked, such were the lengths of his negative tactics.
For the Socceroos, who ended their campaign with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Serbia, the damage was well and truly done.
Verbeek, a Dutchman, has every right to believe his side will tear the Socceroos apart, after beating world champions Spain 5-1 in their opening game of the campaign.
He has no right to mockingly put his hand over his heart as the Aussie anthem plays.
He made multiple references to how “inexperienced’ the Australian side was, showing the trademark refusal to turn to younger players, insisting on picking an ageing squad, and outpaced, squad.
Many will argue, that although there were a few highlights during his tenure, that Verbeek’s time at the helm of the national side stunted future progress and development.
I myself see no argument for such a statement, as Verbeek flatly refused to turn to young players, and spent more time openly bagging the local A-League, rather than encouraging its development.
The difference between the reaction to Australia’s recent 3-1 loss to Chile, which has been extremely positive, compared to that of the 4-0 thumping at the hands of Germany four years ago, prove just how highly regarded Postecoglou is.
The performances of Matt Leckie and company prove the future is bright. Coming off a hammering at the hands of the Germans made us wonder what the next four years would hold.
As it turned out, Verbeek was removed from his post and only now are we starting to see the kind of development of younger players that we should have seen under Verbeek all those years ago.
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