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After Australia left football’s backwater Oceania for Asia five years ago, I never expected to find myself having any more “the glory days of Oceania” de ja vu moments. Yet the Socceroos’ convincing 4-0 victory against India this morning certainly provided just that.
Don’t let the scoreline fool you, this was always going to be a simple affair for Holger Osieck’s men. So when the result is almost certain before kick off, the focus has to fall on the process and how Australia played.
Unfortunately, I felt the Socceroos’ approach to the attacking phase of their game left a lot to be desired.
I expect Australia to ramp up their focus and concentration in their next game and therefore the performance to improve but I feel like this is was a wasted opportunity.
Quickly switching the play and putting a lot of balls in the air is easy to do against the 142nd ranked team in the world but won’t cut it against better opposition.
Watching Luke Wilkshire continuously put early balls into the box had me almost in “Verbeek era” convulsions.
However, considering they were up against a team 116 places below them, I’ll happily give Holger Osieck and his men the benefit of the doubt for now.
Speaking of which, despite this morning’s result I robustly disagree with those who argue that India shouldn’t be in Qatar
While the idea of putting in such a lowly team into a major tournament might not work in some parts of the world, Asian football requires Asian solutions.
India’s involvement in this tournament has helped to increase interest and investment in the game at a national level. That alone makes their involvement worthwhile (not to mention the rabid enthusiasm of their fans who so willingly cheered every Indian clearance).
Having a legitimate form of qualification that allows smaller nations a chance to step up to the plate and develop is a good thing. The problem would come if India continue to qualify for Asian Cups over the coming years but fail to improve.
As Scott McIntyre eloquently put it on The World Game radio show recently, “India is the future for Asian football, however that moment isn’t now.”
In the mean time, I am thoroughly enjoying this Asian Cup, one of my favourite football tournaments in the world.
The wide range of cultures and football styles on offer highlight what I love about the world game. It’s a wonderfully uniquely Asian event.
Something I hope the Socceroos will bear in mind for the rest of the tournament.
I’d much rather the Socceroos lose all their games form this point onwards with honour and respect then win the tournament with the offish behaviour we saw from some of the Australians at the 2007 edition.
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