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After watching the Socceroos compete so well in their friendly against world champions Germany on Thursday morning, I was particularly impressed with the proactive high-line football that Ange Postecoglou has the national team playing.
However, after watching Matthew Leckie spurn a number of gilt-edged chances, I couldn’t help noticing that I came away with that old familiar feeling; pride mixed with frustration.
After doing so well against much-fancied opposition, our unfancied, underrated, underpaid (?), unheralded (in Australian media) underdogs had real chances to win the game (see Netherlands 2014, Italy ’06, etc).
I’m not one of those directionless optimists who think because the opposition keeper made a few saves that we were in the game. No, I mean we had effective possession. We moved the ball around with purpose, got behind the defence in the attacking third, played dangerous, defence-splitting final balls, and created real scoring chances.
We also defended well structurally and individually, and won possession in all parts of the field.
So why didn’t Matthew Leckie score a hat-trick? Why weren’t we 3-1 up at half time?
Leckie is a very good player: fast, skilful, fearless and strong, and Ange said of him, “‘Lecks’ was almost the complete performance, all that was missing was a goal.”
While Leckie plays second division in Germany, he showed in this game against Bundesliga, La Liga and EPL players that he can get behind defences with his speed, agility and technique. So what is it that he and the Socceroos are missing, and why top-flight club coaches aren’t interested?
It’s the lack of cut-throat finishing, turning half chances into goals, and good chances into sitters. It is the same reason we became so dependent on Timmy Cahill’s goals over the last five or so years.
Is it something that can be coached, is it natural ability, or is it something that our coaches can’t see or don’t put a high enough value on in a junior footballer? That’s probably another article.
Our goal-scoring options all suffer from differing levels of the same malaise. As Ange has been talking so much about squad depth, this is a critical consideration.
When Leckie, Tommy Oar, Robbie Kruse can’t get into the squad because of their lack of finishing is when the depth in our squad will move from a team of good footballers playing proactive football and punching about their weight, to a world-class team that can challenge for the World Cup.
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