If this Young Socceroo team is the most talented in years, then I’d hate to see one perceived as run of the mill, with their opening game at the Under 20 World Cup making for pretty poor viewing.
The Australians’ were lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw, thanks only to one of the most outrageously brilliant goals in Socceroo history.
Tommy Oar’s late free kick saved what was in reality a deplorable evening for the team, who were outplayed from the start and created few opportunities.
It was Ecuador’s game to win and it was a genuine mystery how they were not up by a couple of goals by the time Oar struck his free kick, with a minute to go in regulation.
The names that comprise this edition of the young Socceroos are individually impressive, but collectively look a long way off the requisite international standard, based on this morning’s performance.
For all the talk of the Australians playing a more sophisticated, possession orientated game, the truth is Australia’s youth teams appear incapable of living up to the rhetoric.
Instead of bringing the ball out of defence competently and with structure, the Young Socceroos appeared petrified of coughing the ball up, which they inevitably and repeatedly did.
Far from advocating a long ball approach, one wonders whether they would have been better served with anything other than the panicked delegation which prevailed in defence throughout the opener.
To be fair, Australia’s injured Captain Ben Kantarovski seemed calm, composed and committed to a more responsible role prior to being substituted, and beside him, Dimitri Petratos got better and more influential as the game progressed.
Mustafa Amini on the other hand seemed out of position and lifeless, subbed off in just the 55th minute having hardly touched the ball.
Similiarly, Kofi Danning drifted in and out of the game while if Tommy Oar hadn’t scored the equaliser and covered himself in so much glory, his game could have been interpreted as poor and scattered as well.
Up front Kerem Bulut looked sharp, though starved of opportunities. When Bernie Ibini-Isei joined him in attack, a sharpness and unpredictability emerged.
Coach Jan Versleijen’s second substitute, Sydney FC’s Terry Antonis looked good, and in combination with club teammate Petratos, provided the impression the Australians still had a pulse in the middle of the park.
These youth World Cup and regional tournaments are of serious importance to football in Australia.
They are the product of a lot of planning, the result of a lot of money and the recipient of an enormous allocation of intellectual resources.
Indeed it is these tournaments which work as the sport’s debutant ball, showcasing to both the football and wider sporting world just what the youth ranks have to offer.
In Colombia, our darling stumbled onto to the dance floor, seemingly drunk and with lipstick smudged all over her face.
Again, if not for Oar’s sublime goal, the embarrassment would have been total, rather than partial.
If there is a consolation, apart from salvaging an improbable draw, it is that the Australians have two more games to make up for the poor showing against Ecuador.
That opportunity will arrive Thursday against Costa Rica, who are reeling themselves, from a 4-1 rout at the hands of Spain.
A win by the Australians would indeed have them back on course, however a game played in the same manner as their debut will surely result in an early exit.
When and if this young team sobers up, they will have some serious questions to ask of their performance and overall philosophy.
Hopefully Oar’s freakish goal won’t mask some of the serious questions that must be addressed.
jamesb
Guest
Nathan when i first heard of Tombides' illness, as a man, i certainly felt sick in my stomach. Anyway with what hes going through, he''ll certainly come back stronger, not just on the field, but off it. But when i had a look at both Tombides and Antonis, they both looked comfortable on the ball, and very sound technique
Nathan of Perth
Guest
I have a lot of hope for those two in the Socceroos in the future. Was shocked when I heard about Tombides cancer, though, that's a rough pill to swallow at that age. He'll be back though!
jamesb
Guest
Titus If Antonis gets game time for Sydney and strikes a partnership with Petratos, along with Carle and Kisel, Sydney could surprise many people. ATM, Antonis is the standout in the young socceroos, while in the joeys, Tombides was also pretty good. Who knows in the future, Antonis and Tombides could be key players for the senior side. I might be ahead of myself, but one can hope.
Titus
Guest
I could sing Antonis' praises all day, but I don't think he needs to be hyped up, he just needs game time at Sydney this season.
jamesb
Guest
I believe terry antonis, if he realises his potential, he could become the best midfielder Australia has ever had. or at least the most versatile. Amini is the player thats getting all the attention ATM, but I believe Antonis will go past him Antonis can play holding midfield, attacking midfield, winger and striker and he would be comfortable in all positions. The reason, he is very quick when he has his back turned from his home goal to his opponents goal. He also has sound technical ability. Antonis and a fit Kanta can form a healthy partnership for many years to come.
Stevo
Guest
Spot on report. I nearly turned the telly off early in disgust at how poorly we played. Amini better pull his head from his ass if he has any hope of impressing his new German club. That was an insipid performance from him, not one to inspire confidence. The difference between just a good player and one that will make it in major leagues was illustrated by Danning's pitiful early attempt on goal. He couldn't hit the side of a barn from 5 paces. A proper player would have made the goal keeper work hard to keep the ball out.
Futbanous
Guest
With Australia generally producing defenders in the mould of the old Anglo/Celtic school, the tradition is one of destruction rather than construction. Nothing wrong with that on one level,you can certainly stifle attacks if your good enough. Craig Moore for me stood out in this respect. Positioning, tackling in his prime a joy to watch for me. He was also skilful when passing,but was he ever taught to be constructive/creative as a defender. Certainly playing out from the back requires a different mindset in Australia for defenders than what has occurred in the past. I dont believe it cant be learnt at a later age if you have sound technical ability. Of course the higher the technical ability the better you can carry it off. I remember watching the Roar in Season 5 when Ange was obviously trying to change their playing style. Lots of passing by defenders,then midfielders,occassionally the forwards received it . The passing was more frequent,but often not accurate & across field,but I could see what he was trying to do. Possession was the key word. Fast forward season 6 & we could build from the back via midfield to the forwards. Can be done but it takes time & perseverance. Perhaps Jan isnt such a crap coach in actual knowledge & knowing what he wants, but maybe not so flash in letting Australian players know what he wants.
Realfootball
Guest
Poor team selection and poor coaching were certainly part of this performance, but there were problems everywhere. The fullbacks are not up to standard, nor are our centre backs. One full back was a midfielder and one centreback was a fullback. Nice work, Jan. Our whole back 4 is substandard, particularly MacGowan, who has been a disaster every time I have seen him turn out for this team. So how can we possibly play out from the back when the back 4 are all short of class at this level? It is simply not possible. These players are just not good enough. Petratos was played out of position. Why? Again, we come back to the coach. What was Versleijan thinking? A couple of home truths were exposed. Amini was outclassed. He lacks pace, his control is nothing special at this level, and he lacks strength and - yesterday - work rate. I think he has been vastly overhyped. The same with Oar. I have been saying for 2 years that he is not fast enough in this position at the top level, which is why he has failed to make an impact at Utrecht when Zullo, who is markedly faster, has. Oar really isn't particularly quick. His limitations were clearly on show against Ecuador's excellent right back, who had Oar in his pocket. For my money, Kanatrovski is significantly overrated too. Regardless, he shouldn't be playing, as he is neither fit nor match fit. His A-League coach said as much after the game, and Culina knows what he is talking about. Danning's touch, as always, was poor. He struggles to run with the ball at pace. Perhaps Ange can do something with him at club level, but I am not optimistic. Bulut worked hard, but lost the ball too often, and his passing was often wayward. Of the entire team, only two players looked up to standard - Antonis and Birghitti. Perhaps Ibini Esei, though he too was out of position. Antonis is shaping up to be the best midfielder this country has produced for a long time. The Versleijan experiment hasn't worked, and he needs to go after this tournament. Under a good coach, a team is more than the sum of its parts. His only achievement has been to coach the youth sides to be less than the sum of their parts. And the future at the top level for this group of players? Only Bulut, Antonis, Ibini Esei and our excellent young goalkeeper look to be prospects. Amini will need to get bigger, stronger and faster, which he may or may not. Oar, however, is not fast enough for the position he plays, and never will be at elite level. Farina knew this when he began to convert him to a more conventional midfield role in his last days at the Roar. Unless Versleijan does something about our back 4, these kids are going to take a hammering in the next 2 games. They won't get this lucky again.
Cpaaa
Guest
Just have a listen to how Tommy Oars goal sounds in spanish, my better half has translated it for you from Gooooooooooal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIHwZg9NORg "Gooooooooooooooooallllllll de Australiaaaaaaaaa. Oarrrrrr, how did you kick such a ball, to the corner and what a strike it was señores." ...and the guy on the end says " i want to know who touched it "
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Thanks for the kind words, Fuss!
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Yup. Watch the video from about 1:35 ... ref has left arm raised all the time to indicate an INDIRECT free kick is being taken. All players - particularly the Ecuadorian GK - should have been aware. Source video: http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/highlights/video/video=1484551/index.html
Nathan of Perth
Guest
I tell you what, Tommy Oar didn't half make that little ball sing, didn't he? When you compare that to the free kicks Ecuador sent sailing twenty meters over the goal, was tremendous precision.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ Natahan Thanks for the info. This is not the first time you've impressed me with the depth of your knowledge of the LOTG. Have you considered refereeing ... or, perhaps, you are already an accredited match official?
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Well, strictly speaking the old Dangerous Play wording was removed, instead you have only the Playing in a Dangerous Manner and there is an interpretation that if no contact is made its IFK for Playing in a Dangerous Manner, but if contact with another player or official is made, you should "carefully consider the high possibility that misconduct has occurred).
Nathan of Perth
Guest
"I’m not sure why everyone is presuming it was called an indirect free kick." Weeeell, from what I was told the ref had his arm way raised, so...
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
QsAF A direct free kick is only awarded when a player commits specific offences and, as far as I know, "dangerous play" is not one of those offences. So "dangerous play" can only result in an INDIRECT free kick. And the ref did everything correctly (he seemed like a guy, who would do everything by the book) to inform the players (and spectators) that it was an INDIRECT free kick - i.e. he indicated an indirect free kick by raising his arm above his head and he maintained his arm in that position until the kick was taken. I reckon the players from both teams didn't bother to check. I know, when I was playing, I rarely bothered to check and always assumed it was a direct free kick! It is only when playing Futsal, I always make sure I get verbal confirmation from the ref.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
apaway If I had written my analysis at half-time ... it would have been littered with less than optimistic phrases! I should state I was very disappointed with yesterday's game, but it could have been worse. I looked at it this way. Would I have been any happier if Australia had played like Ecuador and we ended with the same result? The answer is a resounding "no". I believe that this team is supremely talented (ok ... I'm not yet convinced about the talent of our defenders!) but we had an off night. I noticed the Croats had an off night against the Saudis - had many chances, played some delightful football - and lost 0-2. Birighitti is outstanding and I'm sure he'll be picked up by a big European team after this tournament - he is wasted sitting on the bench for AUFC.
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
Fuss----like Tommy, and the Ecuadorian GK, I hadn't realised the ref called it an indirect free kick. I can only recall the ref blowing his whistle for a free-kick. No matter, who gives an indirect free kicks out side the box these days? It should have been a direct free kick in any case for dangerous play. I'm not sure why everyone is presuming it was called an indirect free kick. Obviously he did not convey it to the players it was an indirect free kick. So in the light of all of that, for me it was a direct free kick for dangerous play and a great goal at that.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Okay, due to having to leave for work I only caught the first 30minutes, but going by your comment... If he was stooping like you say as someone is attempting to play the ball would constitute dangerous play by part of the defender (counter-intuitive, I know), which is penalised by IFK. True, by rights the keeper should have let it sail on by and taken his goal kick nice and slowly. I wonder, was Tommy hoping for a miracle deflection or did he forget? Love to know what the keeper was thinking, as well. God looks out for drunks, fools and the Australian U-20s football team, I see :)
apaway
Guest
I'm glad you have cast an optimistic eye over proceedings, Fussball, but what I saw alarmed me. Lack of cohesion, poor passing ability, little support play in midfield, and a pedestrian back four who gave the Ecuador front men far too much latitude. If not for the Young Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Birighitti who was outstanding, Tommy Oar's late wonder strike would have been the consolation goal, rather than the equaliser. As Kimon Taliadoros said in the post match sum up, I hope the late equaliser does not serve to paper over the cracks that were evident in the performance. JV has some work to do on the training pitch and the whiteboard before Thursday.