Here’s why:
– Victory in the Asian Cup would have been a fitting reward and possible farewell for the Socceroos’ golden generation, namely Mark Schwarzer (38 yeas old), Harry Kewell (32), Lucas Neill (32), Brett Emerton (31) and Tim Cahill (31) – key players in the Socceroos’ return to the World Cup stage with consecutive qualifications, the brilliant 2006 campaign in Germany, and the assimilation and rise in Asian football.
After years of great service and as they approach the end of their international careers, they deserve a major trophy to mark their time in the green and gold. As age catches up with them, the 2011 Asian Cup could have been their last crack at silverware with the Socceroos. They deserved a title.
– Victory could also have prompted some of the golden generation to consider retirement from the national team; going out in style having taken Australia to the top of Asian football.
Neill, Cahill and Schwarzer all said in the immediate aftermath of the defeat that they will continue their international careers, while Kewell has previously said he is eyeing the World Cup in 2014. But age will weary the thirty-something group.
Carl Valeri and Mile Jedinak (both 26) emerged as key cogs in the Socceroos midfield, while Matt McKay, Robbie Kruse and Neill Kilkenny made big impressions in their ability to adapt and, in McKay’s case, thrive at the international level.
If victory had swayed Kewell and co into retirement, there would be more opportunities for younger players, namely Tommy Oar, Mathew Leckie, Nathan Burns and Matthew Špiranović, to feature for the Socceroos. This would speed up the rebuilding progress beyond the golden generation as Australia looks to the 2012 London Olympics, 2014 World Cup qualification and the 2015 Asian Cup on Australian soil.
It would have been a fitting end for the golden generation while ushering in a new chapter for the national team.
– Mark Schwarzer became the most-capped Socceroo in the Asian Cup final, surpassing Alex Tobin’s mark of 87 appearances. Schwarzer has been to vital to the Socceroos over the years; the saviour on so many occasions, the hero of the penalty shootout against Uruguay in 2005, and such a fine ambassador off the field. Following such a brilliant tournament, he deserved to mark his significant personal milestone with a cleansheet and the Asian Cup.
– With Australia losing the Ashes over summer and the locals making little headway in the Australian Open tennis, there was a chance for the Socceroos to do what Lleyton, Ricky and co couldn’t – win. Victory would have generated some much-needed positive headlines for the game at a time when Australia was yearning for some sporting success.
They may have gone some way to make amends for the disappointment of the 2007 Asian Cup and 2010 World Cup. The manner in which Holger Osieck’s Socceroos play compared to his predecessor Pim Verbeek is so much more appealing and we now know that the next generation of Socceroos are more than capable of stepping up and performing. But considering the recent disappointments, victory in 2011 would have been so sweet and lifted the Socceroos back to their 2006 World Cup-level recognition within Australia.
Also, a win involving Matt McKay and Robbie Kruse would have acted as even more of a boost to the A-League heading into its finals series, with the pair key figures for their finals-bound clubs.
– Australia hosts the next Asian Cup in 2015, and it’s vitally important that in the build-up to the tournament wider Australia develops a greater appreciation for Asian football and Australia’s place in it. After all, selling Jordan versus Syria at Skilled Park to mainstream Australia will be difficult – and it wouldn’t surprise if there were as many empty seats in Australia as there were in Qatar.
As some fans have noted, the response from certain sections of the media to the Socceroos’ progression to the final in Qatar was disappointing relative to World Cup coverage, which says a lot about the Australian media’s failure to grasp the significance of the Asian Cup. Winning in 2011 would have accelerated the perception of the tournament in preparation for 2015.
Also, playing in the 2013 Confederations Cup would have given the Socceroos another major tournament to participate in, helping with preparations and squad development for the 2014 World Cup (assuming we qualify) in Brazil.
– Finally, I, like so many I spoke to, had a real sense that the Socceroos were destined to win, given all of the above, the way they improved throughout the tournament and how many chances they created in the final, making the defeat even more difficult to accept. The game can be cruel but it’s the rollercoaster ride of emotions that has us coming back for more.
A gallant defeat it may have been, with many positive signs for the future, but on so many levels the Socceroos’ Asian Cup defeat really did hurt.
Follow Adrian on twitter @AdrianMusolino
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
General consenus that it was a good Asian Cup. One described it as a "boutique tournament". Mention of Holman being disappointing in the context of his WC heroics.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Speculation that breezing through a 6-0 semi final win was perhaps not the very best preparation for a final (although let us remember that Japan had to go through extra time in theirs, hard to judge which is preferable).
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Kewell's limitations as a target man/centre-forward mentioned.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
442 podcast runs the rule over the Socceroos' performance at the Asian Cup this week: http://au.fourfourtwo.com/podcast/default.aspx
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Socceroos move up to 21 on FIFA rankings, but Japan have overtaken us, moving from 29 to 17.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
"One thing that is very apparent is Asian sides struggle against the physicality of Euro men like us" If you mean SE Asian and South Asian sides, yes. If you mean West Asian and North East Asians sides then it's off to the optomotrist for Mr JS. Japan, Iraq, Korea and Iran have all accounted for us at one time or another and the former three matched us for physicality in Doha. Incidentally Nagatomo, the Japanese left back, has just been signed by Inter Milan for a loan from Cesena.
jamesb
Guest
Well if people want young players, I have a couple of players i need help with. Whats going on with Julius Davies and Theo markelis. I heard that Davies might have difficulty playing for Australia, while Markelis was once with Valencia. Does anyone have an update on these two players
Twatter
Guest
To Matsu. Interseting story (history) being an Australian football supporter the Asian cup is new to me apart from the last one we contested, id never really know a great deal about it taking into consideration we weren't part of the Asian Football Confederation. Regardless of the outcome i would strongly suggest that Australia ,Japan and South Korea are going to be at the forefront of qualification for the next world cup representing Asia. Regardless of age those three nations stood out in this tournament.
Roarchild
Roar Guru
Ha ha good banner. Well last time one of the Refs was Australian and he sent two players off so we will soon clean up the tournament Matsu. North Korea didn't play the last one (Hong Kong was the 4th team) which is why I thought we might have a chance of getting an invite since Hong Kong are miles behind even China so I don't really think they get much out of participating. In a 4 team comp if 3 of the team are hard but fair there will be a much better spirit than what their is now.
jamesb
Guest
the australian cricket side have retired their old players out in the space of 12 to 18 months , and look at them now, losing test series left, right and centre. Holger is slowly changing the team in this tournament, with the likes of Mckay, Kilkenny, Burns and Kruse. What should happen with the socceroos, is for this year, Holger should bring in another 2 or 3 young players in the side, in 2012, bring another 2 or 3 more young players, and in 2013, bring another 2 or 3 players. By then you may have 2, or 3, or 4 retirements from the veterans, and by the time 2014 rolls around, (if we make it) the socceroos will be a different team. That I think would be the ideal sucession plan.
Twatter
Guest
To banaba. Has Australia added a positive or negative effect in and for the Asian Football Confederation . Yes or No.
Matsu
Guest
Roar-inho, I think you underestimate how much poor officiating can affect the situation. When players (esp those from China and N.Korea) know they wont be punished for brutality, they tend to get carried away with their fouling, and really dont need to have any "historical reasons" to create mayhem. Speaking of "historical" payback, it appears that a few Japanese supporters finally got revenge for the "Japan-Forever in our Shadow" banner at the final WC qualifier match in 09. http://www.the-rising-sun-news.com/news/images/stories/socceroos.jpg
Roarchild
Roar Guru
My comment was in reply to Matsu’s suggestion to cut the Golden generation right now and move forward. In regards to your list of seven Myleftfoot I think that list of seven going into the Asian cup is now down to five with Emerton and Culina who are good tournament players (can cover multiple positions) now out of the starting 11 and I don’t think they will get back in. Most of our attacking prospects (Burns, Ruka and Vidosic) would be a bit sus as a main striker but could play as the second striker already but while Cahill’s still breathing ….. Matsu I watched the Korea vs Japan game from the last East Asian games and it was spiteful. But Korea vs China while intense was much less charged and I would hope that’s where Australia fits into it. I think we both know that Japan vs China and Japan vs Korea are not “friendly” rivalries because of the non football stuff/rubbish around the game. In China they even boo the Japanese under 17’s girls side…. sad really. China, Japan, Sth Korea and Australia would be a fairly strong tournament.
banaba
Guest
Only right that an ASIAN country won the Asian Cup !!!, not a country from a different continent !!
Matsu
Guest
Australia would be a great addition to the East Asian Cup. A lot more fun than playing North Korea. But at the same time you have to have a clear strategy for building the team, if you start playing those matches. Not only is it a low-profile tournament at a difficult time of year, but the officiating and the tactics of teams like China and the two Koreas makes it a hazardous tournament to take part in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVL45uWO-R0 To say the least . . .
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Obviously 7 of 11 of the starting line-up aren't going to be thrown out together in one fell swoop. I'm simply saying that it's incorrect to view the Asian Cup as signifying some sort of rejuvenation of the Socceroos. It has not signalled that in the least.
Roarchild
Roar Guru
I don’t think just throwing all the older players away would be the right way to go. Our most exciting prospects are in the u17 and under 19 team. The best players from those sides will be looking at playing in the U20 World cup this year as well as Olympic Qualifiers later on and then the Olympics proper in 2012 hopefully. We have to manage the amount of football they play and not burn them out like what happened to Kewell. If a player is doing well for his club and playing at a high level it doesn’t take them long to fit into the team. Prior to the Asian Cup Sasa only had one cap and now looks like he’s been in the team for years. Looking at our team that played Japan the entire midfield should make it too Brazil, and age isn’t a concern for the fullbacks. It’s the 2cbs and Goal keeper as well as the 2 forwards who are the older statesmen. We need to push for entry into the AFF cup to give the A league guys tournament experience as well as perhaps trying to wriggle into the East Asian Championship as well rather than one off friendly’s. A tournament of China, Korea and Japan would be a great test and give us a chance to forge our best prospects from the guys too old for the 2012 Olympics into the side. Spiranovic, Langerak, Devere, Rhys Williams, Chris Herd, Nathan Burns, Rukavytsa and Vidosic between them just about cover those positions above where we rely on older players. Edit: Cullina and Emertons time looks short but I don't think Holger will give them the bullet. It's more likely by October they won't be starters and Chile will be their finale. Edit2: And don't rise to the bait Matsu. Comfort yourself with Asian cup glory and let it slide :)
Matsu
Guest
"I was quite happy to congratulate Japan yesterday for winning but let’s get some perspective .. Japan were ok in this tournament but they were nothing special." Absolutely. They were far from impressive. I think youd find that most Japanese viewers agree on that point. But we arent going to blame a bunch of second stringers for the fact that they were unable to look dominant, after Nakazawa, Tulio, Makino, Kurihara, Abe, Komano, Morimoto, Sakai, Matsui, and several others all pulled out for injuries, club commitments or some other reason. Let me put it to you this way: If Australia had excluded EIGHT of the players who started most of their WC2010 matches from the squad before even leaving for Qatar, how impressive do you think they would have been. Please . . . dont even START trying to belittle Japan's performance. Thats a losing proposition no matter how you approach it.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Matsu I was quite happy to congratulate Japan yesterday for winning but let's get some perspective .. Japan were ok in this tournament but they were nothing special. Let's not forget that, in the opening game, Japan were minutes away from being beaten by Jordan and they won their semi-final on the penalty shoot-out. The way you're talking about Japan you would think Japan smashed Australia. In fact, over 120 minutes, Japan had one shot that really caused Schwarzer problems ... alas, it went in! The fact that Japan's GK, Kawashima won the Man of the Match award indicates just how many times Australia penetrated Japan's defence and the GK was the only saviour. So, yes, CONGRATULATIONS again on your victory but, please, how about a bit of magnanimity in your victory, particularly, since by all KPIs apart from the score(!), Japan was not the worthy winner on the night. In fact, Sth Korea, Bahrain & Iraq caused more problems for our defence than did Japan in the final. And, lets not forget, prior to the Final, in the previous 4 matches against Australia, Japan has not beaten us in normal play.
Matsu
Guest
Actually, Twatter, Japan never contested the Asian Cup prior to 1992. Before that it was viewed as mainly a West-Asian competition and the only team from the East that really was involved in it was South Korea. Not only did Japan win it at the first attempt, but they didnt contest in 1996, as holders, because they preferred to focus on the Atlanta Olympics (prior to around 2004, the Olympics has always been the priority for Japan, not the Asian Cup). So to really put it into perspective, Japan has won the Asian Cup four of the five times that they have taken part. On a positive note, from an Australian point of view, that means you finished a close second to the team that has been far and away the best in Asia, over the past 20 years. But the comments about the lack of youth are very valid, in my opinion. If your coach is smart he will toss out everyone over 30 right now - even if that means a few weak performances over the next year or two. Japan and Korea played you with understrength squads (though Koreas wasnt as understrength as Japan), and with a majority of players under 26. All of the "stars" are even younger than that. Kagawa-21, Uchida-22, Nagatomo-24, Honda-25, Yoshida-23, Okazaki-25, Lee-25, Hosogai-24, Kashiwagi-23. If you look at rising teams like Jordan, Qatar and Uzbekistan youll see that they are also full of youngsters. If Australia aims to stay competitive, they need to bid the golden generation a fond farewell and get on with the task of building a team for the future. The longer that process is delayed, the more behind you are going to be when you finally get around to it. . . . .