- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australia's coach Pim Verbeek reacts from the sideline during the friendly match between The Netherlands and Australia at the Philips stadium in Eindhoven, southern Netherlands, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. AP Photo/Ermindo Armino
Since signing on as Socceroos manager, Pim Verbeek has had his fair share of critics over his choice in formation.
Verbeek has come under constant scrutiny over his defensive mind set, consistently playing with four defenders, two central midfielders, three attacking midfielders and one striker in a 4-2-3-1.
Despite all the criticism, Verbeek has admirably stuck to his guns and has sent yet another message to his doubters with a 3-0 win over Ireland last Wednesday.
In addition to the impressive win, he guided the Socceroos through the World Cup qualifying process undefeated and in the process the side did not concede a goal until the final match – an achievement that can’t be underestimated.
Before Verbeek’s reign the Socceroos had qualified for just one World Cup since 1974 and only a penalty shootout saw them qualify for the 2006 tournament.
And if the World Cup campaign isn’t enough, since he took over as national coach in December of 2007, the Socceroos have climbed to an all-time high world ranking of number 16.
So why are people doubting him?
Many experts believe that he should be favouring a more attacking approach, but here are some reasons why Pim Verbeek is spot on.
Tim Cahill, Marco Bresciano and Harry Kewell are without question Australia’s three most potent attacking players.
During the Guus Hiddink and Graham Arnold era’s these three players never performed as a cohesive attacking unit and frequently one or more of them was on the bench or playing out of position.
The 4-2-3-1 formation allows all three players to play in their best positions with Kewell on the left, Bresciano on the right and Cahill in the centre.
The standard of attacking moves in the past few fixtures has been of a level that we have not seen for a very long while from the Socceroos.
Substitutes Brett Holman, Nick Carle and Dario Vidosic are all suited to the positions, as well.
Then there are the two central midfield positions. These two positions are almost tailor-made for experienced squad members Jason Culina, Vinnie Grella and Carl Valeri and even more players are proving they can seamlessly step in to the role.
In the friendly match against Ireland, Luke Wilkshire and Mile Jedinak slotted in to the positions seamlessly and controlled the ball in the middle of the park. Youngster James Holland has also been proving his worth in the position with club side AZ Alkmaar.
The back four is very much business as usual in terms of an Australian formation and even without captain Lucas Neill against Ireland, a youthful defence looked very solid.
The only question mark lingers over the fact that we are left with one striker. On ability Scott McDonald is the best we have but at just 5ft. 8, he has been battling as an aerial target given the height of some of his opponents.
But even McDonald was exceptional on Wednesday night creating Tim Cahill’s first goal with a superbly weighted pass. Of course, if McDonald can’t find the net Joshua Kennedy is the other obvious option.
Bring all these factors together and what Verbeek has created is a well balanced side. He doesn’t have to play his best players in makeshift positions and he doesn’t have to worry about having his stars on the bench.
The 4-2-3-1 formation gets the best out of Australia’s top players and Verbeek should be commended not criticized for the work he has done with the side in little over eighteen months.
Bring on the World Cup!
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.