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Ange Postecoglou won’t be leaving Brazil with a smile on his face, nor will his players. They’ve got that sinking feeling that football so often instigates, crippled by hindsight.
So close to nabbing a point against Chile, surrendering a 2-1 lead against Netherlands.
Tim Cahill’s offside goal in game one, Mark Bresciano’s blast over from Matthew Leckie’s cutback in game two. So many moments will dwell on the minds of Socceroos on the flight back home.
They’re sincerely disappointed to have not emerged from a group containing the reigning world champions, 2010 runners up and world number 14.
At the risk of sounding brash, it’s a brilliant thing that they’re so deflated. We want them to hurt in defeat, not be satisfied with an assured performance.
Although we’ve all been quick to jump to the defence of the Socceroos – and rightly so – it’s encouraging to see that the players aren’t as content with three defeats, despite the circumstances, as the general population. If nothing else, their emotion is a brilliant indication that Postecoglou’s men exceeded expectations. And the man at the helm should take a chunk of the credit.
He had seven months to fast forward the future of Australian football, a task that should have begun three years earlier. It wasn’t so much a cavalier approach from Postecoglou, he sprung the odd selection surprise but mostly sent 23 players to Brazil that have had their hands raised for a while.
A series of demoralising injuries over the last six months served to derail Australia’s hopes pre-tournament, but Postecoglou met each challenge with aplomb. Tom Rogic, Josh Kennedy, Robbie Kruse, Rhys Williams, Trent Sainsbury and Curtis Good all on the injury heap – six first-team contenders that the gaffer had clutched from his grasp.
The starting XI against Chile was the best that Postecoglou could have offered. It was spot-on from the beginning. A shame then that nerves got the better of a scrambling defence as Chile surged to an early 2-0 lead.
How nice it would’ve been to have Kennedy replacing a fatigued Cahill late in that match, with the aerial route proving extremely fruitful for the Socceroos. How damaging Rogic could have been running at defenders late in the piece.
Still, Postecoglou made the right decisions with the players he had to his left. Ryan McGowan, on for the injured Ivan Franjic, was solid, Ben Halloran’s pace an apt replacement for Oar and James Troisi on for Bresciano to gain a few important touches.
The likes of Mass Luongo and Bailey Wright would have been gutted not to see a minute of playing time, but they’ll be better for the experience and will turn their attention to the 2015 Asian Cup.
Perhaps Postecoglou’s greatest trick was instilling belief into a squad that had plenty of reasons to be low on morale. So many setbacks, entering each match as rank outsiders, yet supporters back home were filled with an unexpected dose of confidence. This team made us believe they could do something beautiful – for two games at least.
At 2-0 down to Chile, they didn’t look void of confidence, they looked determined to claw the result back. There were more chances on goal than we expected and as soon as the Socceroos found their groove, their opponents were no longer a top-20 nation but just another bridge to cross.
Under the circumstances, this squad was the perfect blend of youth and experience. Ange’s sacrifices were justified. Pim Verbeek and Holger Osieck had selected Leckie at different times, but it wasn’t until Postecoglou’s introduction that he was truly given a chance.
Lucas Neill could have provided a boost in Brazil, but his omission wasn’t decisive. Nor was Brett Holman’s retirement.
Hindsight is a beauty, but with the displays against Netherlands and Chile, it’s impossible not to ponder whether the World Cup would have been more than a dress rehearsal for the Asian Cup if the best XI was on the park.
“I want to build a team that’s invincible so that they have to send a team from bloody Mars to beat us” – Bill Shankly.
Postecoglou didn’t have such a team at his disposal. But he and the players didn’t know that. To them, they were invincible.
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