One by one the Socceroos lined up to call their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Oman on Friday the loss they needed. “There’s absolutely no need to hit the panic button – what that result should be is a rude awakening,” said goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
“If that doesn’t give everyone a kick up the backside, then nothing will.”
Captain Lucas Neill agreed saying: “This might be the reminder we needed that things were going a bit too comfortable.”
Taken alongside the response to their poor performance when they last faced tonight’s opponents Thailand in September, the belief is this isn’t an attempt to deflect blame but healthy motivational channeling from the collective – turning a negative result into a positive motivator.
It may well be steeped in hindsight, but recent history also pointed to Friday’s game being a significant obstacle for the Socceroos.
While Oman had never won against the Australians, it took a last gasp Tim Cahill header to salvage a draw with the gulf nation at the 2007 Asian Cup and a solitary goal was the only difference between the two teams in both encounters during qualification for the 2011 Asian Cup.
But that’s all just lies, damn lies and statistics because Australia didn’t just lose to Oman; they were awful.
The reasoning of coach Holger Osieck upon arriving in Bangkok on Saturday was the Socceroos struggle to break down defensive teams.
“When we play, we hardly have any open games,” he said.
“We dominate, we pass, and the opponent is happy to just kick the ball away and go for the counter. That is what we have to face.”
This challenge is further compounded when the opponent is filled with quick, technical players able to scythe through Australia’s defensive structure on the counter and Asia is filled with these. On Friday, Oman’s task was made all the more easier when, on their goal scoring attack, three of the Socceroos’ back four were caught out of position.
While Australia is still well on track to progress to the next stage of World Cup qualifying, Osieck’s tinkering against Oman hints that there remains work to be done.
Who is the best defensive partner for Neill? Can the German tactician afford to keep trying to fit square pegs into round holes as he did by dropping left-back Michael Zullo for the returning Harry Kewell on Friday?
So, what went wrong against Oman – a bad night at the office or a reminder of where Australia is placed at the moment? Tonight against Thailand the Socceroos have an opportunity to answer that question.
Follow Davidde on twitter @DaviddeCorran
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