New Zealand’s Chris Wood, center left, competes for the ball with Australia’s Matthew Spiranovic during their international friendly soccer match in Adelaide, Australia, Sunday, June 5, 2011. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
With two games in three days, and 23 players to assess, yesterday’s impressive 3-0 win over a lacklustre New Zealand will have given Holger Osieck plenty to like as he builds towards the start of World Cup qualifiers.
With some of the more experienced first team regulars being saved for Serbia tomorrow night at Docklands, this game against a weakened All Whites was an opportunity to cast an eye over the bevy of players knocking on the door.
While the match was a bit of a slow burner, which only picked up after the players found their feet on a slick surface, the Socceroos controlled much of the proceedings, looking comfortable throughout.
In part they had Glenn Moss to thank for coughing up an early goal, presenting Josh Kennedy with a poor first touch that the big Nagoya Grampus striker accepted sharply.
Perhaps the early mistake was a reflection on New Zealand’s mental state heading into this clash. No doubt they were exhausted after a long trip back from the USA, where they were beaten 3-0 by Mexico, and it showed.
In that sense, they didn’t quite provide Osieck’s men with the stern Trans-Tasman test the latter were expecting.
But Australia still had to get the job done, and it is one they did well.
After a hesitant opening, which featured a deep-sitting back four, no doubt feeling their way into the game, not wishing to take too many risks, the Socceroos soon settled down, and it was the usual source that led the charge.
Brett Holman, playing in the hole in Osieck’s almost standard 4-4-1-1, soon started finding space between the Kiwis midfield and retreating defensive line, and he was soon linking with the likes of Brett Emerton, Kennedy and James Troisi.
Looking to play one-touch combinations, it didn’t always come off due to the pace of the surface, but it was a delight to see the Roos looking to play with such verve.
For a player roundly ridiculed only a couple of years ago, Holman has progressed to the point he must now be among the first names on Osieck’s team sheet.
Mobility was the real feature of the final 20 minutes of the first half. Even Kennedy looked far more active here than he has for the past few years.
Clearly the confidence from playing regularly and scoring in Japan is having an effect.
Soon Troisi and left back Michael Zullo were combining, taking turns in getting beyond All Whites right back Ben Sigmund, and whipping balls in from the byline.
While not doing anything exceptional, both had very sound games and should get more opportunities under Osieck, even if they miss out tomorrow.
Troisi, in particular, grew with confidence as the game went on, taking more initiative on the ball, before rounding his night with a well taken spot-kick and celebrating in front of his home crowd.
Zullo, meanwhile, gives Osieck nice depth in what looked a light area. Ersan Gulum might be lost, but not all else at left back appears to be.
While it was youth down the left flank, the opposite featured the experienced Emerton and Luke Wilkshire from the start.
At the break they were replaced by the youthful duo Dario Vidosic and Rhys Williams, who had a telling effect, combining beautifully and giving Kosta Barbarouses and Jeremy Brockie a working over.
While Carl Valeri and Neil Kilkenny had a subdued first period, the mitigate was the slippery cricket pitch area. With footing so uncertain, it was a difficult night for any central midfielder.
But the Socceroos eventually adapted, recognising that the easiest way to handle the surface was to keep it simple by moving the ball quickly and getting bodies in motion.
One-touch angled passes soon became the standard.
With Robbie Kruse (on at the break for Holman) and Alex Brosque (on soon after for Kennedy) introduced, the Kiwis were suddenly facing a bevy of young, hungry Roos attackers, all keen to get into the box and make an impression.
This hunger extended to re-gathering the ball swiftly. The work ethic was strong.
Only when Marco Rojas came on late and carried the ball forward at pace did the Roos look under any sort of pressure.
Overall it was a very professional Socceroos job in wet and slippery conditions, one that will give Osieck some nice options going forward.
For now though some of the more established players get their chance tomorrow, and while Serbia suffered a 2-1 loss to South Korea on Friday, there’s every chance, being the enigma they are, that they will be right up for the clash.
Sterner tests, it seems, await for all.
Socceroos player ratings
Nathan Coe 6.5; Didn’t have a great deal to do, but kept his concentration well, not taking any risks with his kicking and catching the ball well. Bigger tests will follow.
Luke Wilkshire 6; Only used for 45 minutes and looked to be playing well within himself, rarely getting forward and keeping things simple. More to come, you sense, tomorrow night.
Jon McKain 6.5; Finished with the captain’s armband after a solid showing. While he defended a little deep early, pressed up more at the start if the second half.
Matthew Spiranovic 6.5; Looked a little hesitant early, but took the responsibility for dealing with Chris Wood and handled everything in the air.
Michael Zullo 7; Started slowly, but burst to life after 30 minutes, going beyond Troisi a couple of times. In an encouraging display, he showed some incredible pace, particularly to recover into defensive positions.
Brett Emerton 6.5; Only featured in the first half, but drove forward diagonally, linking well with Holman and Kennedy.
Carl Valeri 7; A tough night for central midfielders on a slippery pitch, and after a hesitant start, Valeri got going in the second period, controlling proceedings.
Neil Kilkenny 6; On a tough night in the middle of the park, Kilkenny might have missed a couple of passes, but kept presenting. Will hopefully get another opportunity soon on a better surface.
James Troisi 7.5; Grew with confidence as the game went on, taking more initiative, always looking to dribble and link. Nice finish for the penalty, it was a performance that should give him more confidence.
Brett Holman 7.5; While only featuring for 45 minutes, it was a rousing contribution, buzzing about in the hole, pressuring the All Whites’ every touch and then looking to link up in forward transition.
Josh Kennedy 7; Best performance in green and gold for many years, looking very sharp and mobile. Not only did he bag a brace, but combined well with Holman.
Substitutes
Robbie Kruse 6.5; Movement, on off the ball was a feature, popping up both left and right, and went on a great run to win the injury time penalty.
Dario Vidosic 7; Excellent 45 minutes, both in general play and at the set piece corners. Sharp on the ball, good movement and worked hard defensively.
Rhys Williams 7.5; Linked up beautifully with Vidosic down the right, solid in the tackle and good at carrying the ball forward. Won’t be long before he’s putting some serious heat on for a starting spot in any number of positions.
Alex Brosque 6.5; Good movement and very unlucky not to win a penalty after making a sharp run in behind.
Matt McKay 6.5; Came on at left back, got on the ball and started buzzing about in his normal way, looking to link and play with those around him.
Mark Milligan 6; Didn’t get much game time, but was very aggressive, biting into his tackles and spreading the ball well.
Bondy
Guest
Fussball. He Giggs always had me fooled when he said he was " doing " yoga to keep fit and active, it appears now he was " doing " a few other things as well . The Tiger Woods of the 18 yrd box .
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Bondy ... I don't think anything will beat this gossip ;-) You get the feeling there'll be a bit of "tension" at the Giggs X-Mas lunch this year? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1394652/Ryan-Giggs-affair-My-shameful-8-years-husband-Rhodris-brother-Natasha-Giggs.html
Bondy
Guest
A bit of gossip around the traps . http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/9506268.stm .
Bondy
Guest
Bottom. I dont like you, but i have to concede you are funny.
Bondy
Guest
Bottom. I was wondering when you appear. You said roughly ten days ago you would not entertain the thoughts of stupid people on this forum ,mainly me, and you've come here and tipped straight into my comment piece . There are just over thirty comments on this thread, though you've selectively chosen my comment piece . You've gone back on your theory you had less than ten days ago. See you next week mate.
Realfootball
Guest
Forget the Confeds Cup. A meaningless tournament played, for the most part, by B or C teams from the bigger football nations. The wins over Brasil and France were wildly misrepresentational. And don't forget the flogging by Brasil in 97. One win in the 2006 WC in total. The 99 Joeys U17 WC team was very poor. I saw the final and many other games at that tournament. The Joeys were one of the poorer sides. How they made the final I will never know. Doesn't add up to much.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
A number of those mugs have defeated us in the past though. Nothing should be taken for granted.
floppybottom
Guest
spiranovic is running out of chances to impress... news limited : there is everything wrong with monopoly capitalism... some 'philosopher' once wrote : "Remember the greatest injustice you can do is not speak your mind." (vomit) i would suggest it depends what is on ones mind. if it is comments such as "why don’t some of the midfielders try to make an effective dribble", then i think those higher order thoughts are best kept to oneself so as not to risk embarrassment and exposing oneself as a sham.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ The Cattery Can you please tell us "which teams are the mugs we are up against" to qualify for 2014. I'm really keen to know, since the fixture hasn't been decided! And, let's face it your opinions on football prowess are pretty worthless, which is not surprising since you don't follow the Game with any passion or depth. Prior to the 2010 WC you made the claim that: * Serbia would beat Australia comprehensively * Ghana's young team (the youngest at WC2010) would beat Australia's aging team, who were short of match conditioning. Of course, history tells us you were (as most of us predicted) well off the mark. I don't blame you. If I were to comment on a sport that I only followed superficially I, too, would make similar foolish prognostications about potential outcomes. But, it's good to know that even people, who are 100% negative towards Football in Australia and the Australian Football Team, still care enough to offer their opinions. PS: Looking back during the 30-year period to which you refer (1975-2005) Australia never qualified for a FIFA WC once. In the past 6 years we've qualified for 2 consecutive FIFA WCs. Those are the results that matter to football people.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Which results are you referring to? Looking back I see top four finishes in youth WCs in the early 90s, a second place in the 1997 confederations cup, a thrid place in the 2001 confederations cup (incl wins over Brazil and France), and a good 2006 WC campaign, having qualified for the first time in 32 years. The one saving grace for the Socceroos is that we're up against a bunch mugs in qualifying for 2014.
Realfootball
Guest
Osieck seems to agree with you, from his comments. I think we all do. Our midfielders don't offer enough in terms of finishing. The number of good chances Holman hasn't put away is staggering. McKay isn't any better - his scoring record for Brisbane is abysmal, and is repeating for Australia. Both get into good positions and then squander the opportunity. Troisi did the same against NZ.
Realfootball
Guest
Agree. And the Golden Age has delivered some awful football in recent years. The kids coming through look very exciting. World football has changed. Standards have risen across Europe and Asia. The mania for the EPL and where our players play is misplaced.
Realfootball
Guest
Zullo was an out and out winger - a more natural convert to wing back than the other two. Carney's key problem in the position is a lack of pace - once he gets forward, he can't get back fast enough and is thus caught out of position frequently. He is also a target for any coach with a quick winger, because he can always be skinned for pace down the flank, as we have seen so often. What I noticed with Zullo against NZ was that his pace let him recover his defensive position very quickly, and he will never be skinned for pace. Zullo is a metre quicker than he was at the Roar. His pace at times was blinding, by far the fastest player on the park. He must do a fairly decent 100 metres. Troiisi and Vidosic looked quick too. Along with Holman and Zullo, these players represent a welcome shift to a faster, more mobile Socceroos.
Bondy
Guest
One thing i have to say is why don't some of the midfielders try to make an effective dribble beat there man and shoot from say 28 yards out a half volley to the keeper on a greasy pitch can spell danger for keepers and for stikers to pounce on a loose ball. I haven't seen Josh Kennedy score a brilliant goal in my time watching him . I know some have made very valid points here, they have only played together once , some are very young, an exhibition game, new generation. I just have a concern nearly all Socceroos squads concentrate on not conceeding, more so than being a creative footballing nation in and around the final third . Im sure Osieck would give creative license to midfielders and forwards and too also play the channels but can they do it. Overall im pleased that our nation won but i have general concerns with quality build up and finishing. Remember the greatest injustice you can do is not speak your mind.
Bondy
Guest
Steve ellis. Nothing wrong with Roy Gate or News Corp .
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ The Cattery Why should that matter? If you actually follow football you would appreciate that results are the ONLY thing that matters during a FIFA WC tournament ... they certainly don't give any prizes for the team that has players with the best CV! Regardless, we already have more than 9 young players (u28) signed by teams in the top 5 leagues in Europe: Germany, Italy, Portugal, England & Holland
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Most pundits would probably agree with him. In 2006 you could put together a starting XI where nine of the eleven were playing regularly in the best six or so leagues in the world. In 2014, we might have a situation where nine of the eleven are playing in Asia, mabye Russia and Turkey if we are lucky.
steve ellis
Guest
Positive performance by the team overall...especially with some of the new faces.. Which then raises the question of why the Oz's Ray 'sockah glass is always half-full' Gatt came up with this gem of a comment: ..everyone agrees the golden age for australian soccer is coing to an end" loyal servant and always there to please his Limited news masters our 'football' Ray.... ..
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
To be fair Chipperfield, Carney and Zullo are all midfielders moulded into a left back position. I don't think Australia has had a true left back since Tony Vidmar.
Realfootball
Guest
The best thing, no contest, about last night is that we might finally be able to say goodbye to Dave Carney, who is a competent midfielder but a truly awful fullback. It is simply ridiculous that we have had a serial benchwarming midfielder as our left wing back since Chippers. Carney's club starts are about as common as Mourinho smile.