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The post World Cup era begins for Australia, as Ange Postecoglou’s team aims for more than mere respect as they face heavyweights Belgium in the city of Liege. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 4.30am AEST on Friday morning.
Debates about the usefulness of international friendlies continue to endure, and gain even further traction when the games so soon after a World Cup. As players and fans can get resettled back into the routine of club football, international managers have their eyes firmly set on the next four-year cycle.
For Postecoglou, the cycle is limited to mere months. Friday’s match with Belgium takes on a proportion beyond a glorified training run, as the Socceroos boss begins his task of forming a team capable of lifting the Asian Cup on home soil next January.
In contrast, you could forgive Belgium if they decide to take this game on the easy side. Fresh from a very respectable quarter-final finish at the World Cup, and possessing one of the most promising squads in international football, the Red Devils’ players will see this match as a handy opportunity to gain further match fitness into their long club seasons, as well as a forerunner for their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
Despite the tendency to underestimate both the opponent and the importance of the fixture, Belgium coach Marc Wilmots has named a strong squad. While the likes of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini are absent through inury, Wilmots still has at his disposal names of the calibre of Thibaut Courtois, captain Vincent Kompany, Mousa Dembele and the opportunistic Kevin Mirallas.
Both in names and pedigree does Australia fall short of their rivals. Tim Cahill remains as ever Australia’s major shining light – both in terms of panache and goals. Despite this, as evidenced in the World Cup, Postecoglou showcases little hesitance in blooding fresh faces into the national set-up.
Following from the emergence of the likes of Matthew Leckie and Jason Davidson during the World Cup, Postecoglou has named four players without any international caps.
Chief among those are at the back, with Aston Villa’s Chris Herd likely to make his long awaited Socceroos debut, while on-loan Liverpool youngster Brad Smith has a wonderful opportunity to make the left back position his own. Robbie Kruse’s absence during the World Cup was well noticed, but he returns to take his place on the right wing, or in the space behind Cahill.
Progress for Australia should come in the form of either a strong defensive performance keeping out an enterprising Belgian strikeforce, or for the Socceroos to get on the scoreshoot via someone other than Cahill.
While friendly results are never to be taken too seriously, a win for Ange Postecoglou may verify the policy of regeneration he has embarked upon that his predecessors failed to implement. With the Asian Cup in mind, that may be progress enough.
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