Australia’s Harry Kewell, center, controls the ball through Paraguay’s Claudio Morel Rodriguez, left, and Enrique Vera during their soccer friendly in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010. Australia won the match 1-0 . (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
Plenty of positives came out of Australia’s 1-0 friendly win over Paraguay on Saturday night, even if Holger Osieck’s new attacking style didn’t amount to playing two strikers up front. A commitment to entertain and an easy-going rapport with the media suggest Osieck is a very different coach to predecessor Pim Verbeek.
“Controlled football” seems to be Osieck’s mantra, and the Socceroos certainly controlled the tempo of the game against a frustrated Paraguayan side.
It was a measured display in Australia’s first match on home soil since the World Cup, with Osieck favouring a 4-4-1-1 formation that saw Tim Cahill play off the shoulder of beanpole striker Josh Kennedy.
That probably says as much about the goal-shy Scott McDonald as it does Osieck, although there’s no doubt Australia tried to make the most of Kennedy’s height from set pieces, with Cahill constantly lurking in behind to feed off any knock-downs from the Nagoya Grampus front man.
Indeed, there’s a predictability about Australia in the front third of the pitch, although that may change the more confident the likes of David Carney and Richard Garcia grow going forward.
Blackpool man Carney was arguably more solid marauding down the touchline than he was in defence on his former home ground, but on the whole the much-travelled defender looks an adequate long-term replacement for the retired Scott Chipperfield.
Jade North also had a good game in defence, and he and central defensive partner Jon McKain will be delighted to have kept a clean sheet in front the watchful eyes of the new coach, not least because it’s far from clear who will partner Lucas Neill in the heart of the defence at the upcoming Asian Cup.
Yet, it’s the Asian Cup that appears to have held Osieck back somewhat, and aside from introducing Middlesbrough striker McDonald with half an hour remaining, the German tactician refrained from making wholesale substitutions.
Rather than planning for Brazil 2014 by trying some untested combinations, Osieck looks likely to prefer a real tilt at the Asian Cup in Qatar, and he’s using much the same personnel we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few years.
That should come as no real surprise, caution was the watchword when Osieck took over from the care-free Guido Buchwald at J. League giants Urawa Reds, but it delivered results if the 2007 AFC Champions League title is anything to go by.
Hong Kong-based journalist Michael Church was a big fan of Osieck’s Reds during his time in Japan, but warns the softly-spoken German will need to keep egos in check inside the Australian dressing room.
“There were a lot of big egos in that dressing room, just as there are within the Socceroos, so it will be interesting to see how he handles those in the coming months and especially at the Asian Cup,” Church recently told me.
About the only disappointment in Sydney on Saturday night was the crowd of 25,210 – less than the derby between Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory reeled in at AAMI Park the previous evening.
Australian fans may have grown weary of Pim Verbeek’s dreary approach, but surely Football Federation Australia need to start looking at ticket prices if they’re to fill venues for friendlies.
Plenty of fans may have paid upwards of $80 for the chance to see the Socceroos in the flesh on a cool evening in Sydney, but just as many no doubt watched the game from the warmth of their living rooms or in pubs across town.
That’s only a minor gripe though, and on the whole the clash with Paraguay was a worthwhile affair, if only because it suggests the Socceroos are on an upwards trajectory once again.
GeneralAshnak
Roar Pro
Lets promote the Young Socceroos attack, midfield and wing backs with a Schwarzer in goal and Neil/Spira and the Og Monster in front of him. That is a side that should be able to attack all day and do it with flair and conviction.
GeneralAshnak
Roar Pro
Well said mate! We aren't being critical of the NT for the hell of it, what they played was uncultured and aggresive football. Saying that Spain is an example of perfect football is so far off the mark it isn't funny, I hope never to see Australia dish up their brand of anti football any time soon - almost as bad as watching a team park the bus and play 1-9-0-1.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
you and me both, mate
Andyroo
Guest
Cheers Ben I'm picking up a bit about the Eastern side of things since we joined the AFC but what I know about the west would fit on a postcard.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
I think most of them are playing in the UAE league or division 1, though I'm not entirely sure. UAE have a pretty good youth development programme. Certainly the kid that gave us the most trouble, Ahmed Kahlil, is a top striker in the league playing for Al Ahli.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Reasonable as the attendance may have been, it looks as though the FFA may soon start to consider their options. http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/socceroos/news/1026513/Sydney-risks-losing-big-games
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Realfootball I've found the 442 Forum to be a wealth of information about live streams during the u19 Asian Championships - someone usually starts a thread for the match and a live link soon appears. I'm not going to ask how they find out the link ;-) Last night was no exception and a link was provided that gave me an excellent live view of the game. Terrific goals (all 6 of them!) and those final 15 minutes of extra time was as nervous as I've ever been during a football match. The Semi Final is against Saudi Arabia on Thursday night.
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
Well I saw it via a dodgy internet stream. There were two available one a clean feed (no commentary) and the other from an Arabic TV station. Ben has already said the defence was poor...but that seems the deal at this level (though our Keeper Birghati is pretty good). It went to extra time and UAE were dead on there feet, I think our players involved in the A league (or better in Oar's case) had a huge advantage because I'm not sure what level the UAE boys are playing at but for South Korea they all play for there High School. Maybe it was just the poor stream but some of the UAE players looked about 30.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
www.vipstand.net and www.firstrow.net
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Some very interesting observations from all and sundry. I think there's a case for looking at it as either a glass half-full performance, or one half-empty. It was nice to see more of a direct style and urgency to go forward, but as many have pointed out, not a lot of passes stuck and the whole thing descended into a bit of kick-rush exercise. I think one of the problems for Osieck is that he can only work with the personnel at his disposal. Until we start producing the kind of players who can retain possession, string together several passes and reel off an accurate shot on goal in the final third, we might be left celebrating each small step along the way. And that includes a 1-0 win at home over a tough Paraguayan side.
Realfootball
Guest
Where did you find a telecast of the game, Ben? I would have loved to have seen it.
sharminator
Guest
exactly Akitod, Im an Aussie living in Paraguay ... we (Paraguay) were without our top players and goal scorers. As you correctly stated, Martino, the Py coach, took the best possible team for the Japan friendly, but for the Australia-NZ trip the real european stars stayed with their clubs and several up an coming players from the local Paraguyan league were included in the team, to give them a some international exposure, and to prepare the next generation for next years Copa America. It was a very experimental side, and nowhere near the best team Paraguay could present. There was actually a lot of criticism in the press here of the Australia trip, saying that the level of opposition i.e. Australia and NZ, are not football countries or of sufficient football pedigree for Paraguay to bother going there to play them, To their credit, the coaches disagreed and said it would be a useful trip for player development, and I think it has proved so. Hopefully one day though foreign countries will see Australia as valuable opposition and take full strength sides.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Just finished watching the u19's play UAE. We don't have to worry about pace and verve in the front third with that lot. The backline was a little more worrying though.
jimbo
Roar Guru
If everyone from both teams took their chances in the final third, the score would have been 12 to 5.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Fair points Realfootball. I guess, I've shared some pretty bleak times with our National Team for nearly 3 decades from 1977-2005 and even the worst performances under Pim Verbeek were much more satisfying than the empty feeling when your country doesn't qualify for the Greatest Show on Earth. In relation to Saturday's performance, I honestly cannot remember the last time our National Team created as many chances as we did against Paraguay ... perhaps, the 1st half against Qatar at Etihad Stadium, which was Pim's first game in charge of the National Team? So, sure, there's still some tweaking to be done before the Asian Cup but I loved what I saw on Saturday. As you would know, our young guns are currently in China and, as I type, they're playing the 1/4 final against the UAE in the u19 Asian Championships. I'm sure the cream of this squad will be part of the Asian Cup campaign. After 60 minutes our young lads are 2-1 up. If they win this match they've qualified for the u20 WC in Colombia next year.
Realfootball
Guest
Sorry Fussball, I thought it was turgid display with all the usual problems - lack of fluency, lack of pace, poor technique, an inability to threaten from general play, passes consistently going astray, way to much route 1 hoiks from the centrebacks, relentlessly one paced. And the reluctance of the manager to give his younger players a shot. Garcia? Honestly, why? When Vidosic was on the bench?? This was a very ordinary Socceroos side. Only Cahill, Culina, Mark S and Wilkshire of the starting 11 looked international class. The best I could say about that win was that it was workmanlike. For God's sake, let's get some of the young guns like Leckie into this side for some pace and flair. Kewell is finished. I don't know what he brings to this side anymore. He certainly doesn't work on the wing. Osieck has a lot of work to do. South Korea, and possibly Japan, will be too fast and too skilled for this 11. Carney will be targeted by every team we play at the Asian Cup. Holman and Emerton are desperately needed for the pace they bring to a painfully pedestrian side.
Midfielder
Guest
Just back on Culina's shot ... Timmy would have scored ... given he has now saved the world... enjoy goes for 1 mim only http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvO86dHRtFA&feature=player_embedded
Mister Football
Guest
Because people are too keen to settle personal scores, or because they are so keen to see something that isn't there in relation to the NT, some are losing all perspective. They are forgetting that Carney scored a very similar goal back in November 2007, playing from full back, in a 1-0 win against Nigeria. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj0QyNQYH1A It's the only game Rob Baan coached, in between Arnie and Pim (recalling that it was Arnie that turned Carney into a full back). You'll note that he has scored from 28 metres rather than 14 metres, but both have some similarities, especially the fact that the ball has squirted out to him from the right hand side, and he is all on his lonesome, and he has hit it with the outside of the foot to swerve it away from the keeper. One might say that Osieck's influence is clear in that Carney was so close to goal the other day - maybe. But I want to point out the clear differences here. The other day, Carney is the last man standing from a series of pin ball maneuvres that were more comedy capers. On the other hand, have a very close look at the clip from Nov 2007. Notice the very neat triangle on the right wing, deep, deep in the opposition third. Notice how we keep the ball under pressure, execute five clean passes around the triangle, before the ball is put into a very dangerous position - the point here is that it's those five clean passes that has attracted the Nigerian defence across like bees to honey - that's why Carney was in a position to line up the shot. The other day? Well, let's be honest, the Paraguayans will be wondering how they completely lost their shape and structure, let the ball bounce around for an eternity, and allowed Carney to be all on his own so close to goal. The critical point is that I saw nothing on Saturday that approximated those five passes in this clip - not even close - and that's what many of us are trying to point out here.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
A risky side to put out. "The ball comes in from the left, the Taegeuk Warriors are pushing forward. Ki Sung-Yueng has the ball, he goes to slide a through ball past the defence however crashes to the ground as Jacob Burns slides through his calf muscles leaving blood and shredded socks in his wake. Red Card. Jameison rushes up to the ref, hurling abuse & gesticulating wildly... and gets his second yellow for dissent. Red Card. Muscat yells and the prone South Korean to man up and ignore the mass of bruising that used to be his left leg.....and spits on him. Red Card. Robbie Kruse smirks and tells the ref he's soft.... Red Card. Down to 7 men the Socceroos fan out and adopt the 6-0-0 formation. Disappointed Griffiths makes his way to the back line and smacks the linesmen in the jewels in order to vent his frustration.......... and hence play is abandoned, leaving the mighty Taegeuk Warriors bloody but victorious."
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I just don't get why it's always so negative from people like you? What would the National Team have to do for you to give them a bit of praise for a job well done? What's wrong with the way we scored the only goal of the match? It was an excellent shot from Carney. Spain won the 2010WC and never really played to its full potential. So what? As you've rightly pointed out: "there's no such thing as 'perfect' football", so I just would like to know what exactly are the KPIs or benchmarks to keep you happy?