- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Despite the disappointing loss to South Korea on Saturday, the Socceroos are not in crisis mode, and an earlier date with Japan is nothing to seriously lament. But if the aim was to top Group A then Postecoglou has to realise that he got it wrong.
In a lot of ways finishing second and facing Group B winners China instead of Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals could be a blessing in disguise. A semi-final place is in no ways a given, but there’s no doubt the Socceroos have the easier opponent.
It doesn’t hide the fact, however, that the team Postecoglou sent out against the Koreans was not good enough to beat them. And it doesn’t bode well that the team have failed to deliver against one of their direct rivals for the Asian Cup.
Winning instils confidence, and the boost of taking three victories into the knockout rounds, including one against a quality opponent, cannot be underestimated.
Thankfully the loss doesn’t spell disaster, but Postecoglou has to ensure it doesn’t happen again. He has to learn from this match, otherwise there will be a next time.
The Socceroos manager knew the importance of the South Korea match, and knew that avoiding defeat was required in order to stay away from playing tournament favourites Japan before the final. In true Ange fashion he refused to choose a defensive line-up and go for the draw, which should be commended, but he also failed to play his best side in order to ensure a positive result.
Before a whistle had sounded Postecoglou had put himself and his team in a difficult position. Win, and he would be lauded a genius, his vision to rest players vindicated by the squad proving its depth. Lose, however, and he would have to take the blame, and from seeing the team sheet the latter always looked on the cards.
Unfortunately, Australia proved that the squad depth is not quite there yet. Tomi Juric, James Troisi and Nathan Burns were injected into the starting line-up in place of Tim Cahill, Mathew Leckie and Robbie Kruse. All three failed to stake a claim for a spot in the first eleven, with Juric and Troisi in particular well off the pace.
Troisi was the weak link in the first half, clearly not keeping up with a midfield that was otherwise buzzing – both with and without the ball. He did well to fashion an opportunity for himself in the 36th minute, but failed to hit the target.
Juric was also found out. There is little doubt that he’s a bright hope for the future, and he will eventually find himself installed as our star striker – his flick on for Kruse in the second half evidence of his potential.
But this match showed that he’s still not up to leading the line. His first touch was poor, and his sloppy control meant that a number of half-chances weren’t capitalised on. His inexperience was evident and he needs more game time, both at club and international level.
Burns, meanwhile, was at fault for the first goal, failing to track his man, though the team as a whole switched off. He showed glimpses of his ability, however, particularly a mazy run and shot just before his substitution.
Going into the break at 1-0 down, it was clear that change was needed. Yet Postecoglou refused to budge, too steadfast in his belief of his players to see that it wasn’t working. One of Ange’s greatest traits is the confidence he instills in his players, but that unwavering support can’t overrule common sense.
He eventually made the substitutions, the first decision to pull off Troisi spot on. But by then it was too late, South Korea had already been given the opportunity to organise their shape and structure, and they were too settled for Australia to truly trouble them.
It’s also been glossed over that Korea were denied a clear penalty when Trent Sainsbury collected Lee Jeong-hyeop without touching the ball. That happened between Leckie entering the field and Cahill and Kruse coming on as a double sub. If Australia had gone 2-0 down, the late response would have looked more foolish.
Full credit to the Koreans, they carried out their game plan superbly, particularly considering the injuries to key players and an obvious struggle to deal with the heat. They were thankful for wasteful finishing, Kruse’s shot in particular should have been converted with the keeper making a routine save, but they still dealt with all the Socceroos could muster.
Again, this is just a lesson to be taken on board. Postecoglou, despite his burgeoning reputation in Australia, is still inexperienced at international level, and is still growing into the role. This bump is not catastrophic, it just needs to be used as part of the learning curve.
In a game like this, the strongest team should have been sent out. Taking control of the match – on the scoreboard not the possession stats – should have been the overall aim before then taking off star players to give them a breather.
There were still plenty of positives though. Sainsbury and Matthew Spiranovic continue to improve their partnership in the centre of defence, Mat Ryan’s distribution was absolutely superb, and Mark Milligan was an able replacement once again for injured captain Mile Jedinak.
Massimo Luongo also put in another impressive shift, though his set pieces still leave a lot to be desired. McKay was decent without excelling, and it would have been nice to see Marco Bresciano get a run in this match if Postecoglou was truly looking to use the full extent of his squad.
But the loss was still a blow. We can talk about how the team missed plenty of chances, and how the pitch wasn’t conducive to playing football, but it was still a loss.
Postecoglou’s gamble failed to pay off, let’s just hope he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. He would do well to observe experienced coaches in similar positions – the only changes Louis van Gaal and Jorge Sampaoli made in their final match of Group B at the Brazil World Cup were enforced, despite qualification for the knockouts already assured.
The team still has the quality to win this tournament, the optimism from the Kuwait and Oman games has not suddenly disappeared, and facing Japan should not be feared. If fans are arrogant enough to think a semi-final spot is a certainty, then they should have confidence that Postecoglou will lead the Socceroos to victory against the favourites, whenever and wherever that might be.
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.