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Holger Osieck, the Socceroos manager, looked up into the steamy Bangkok night sky deep in thought. The first half of the World Cup qualifier between Thailand and Australia at the Suphachalasai Stadium was coming to a close.
His team’s performance was so lamentable that all he could think of was a song from the musical Chess.
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can’t be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me
Further down the sideline, Thai manager Winfried Schafer, was putting on a manic, virtuoso performance in his technical area. It was as if Klaus Kinski had walked off the set of Fitzcarraldo to take charge of The War Elephants.
Compared to hauling a massive river boat over a small mountain, overcoming the Socceroos with his 114th-ranked team was looking like a doddle.
Holger Osieck had chosen his company and he had chosen poorly. His dysfunctional midfield of Carl Valeri and Mile Jedinak and the inexperienced left back, Michael Zullo, were so poor in the first half he felt the devil, in the form of Schafer, was leading him to the gates of managerial hell.
In football, the line between despair and ecstasy (or in Osieck’s case, relief) is a fine one. Suree Sukha’s failure to convert, after a sumptuous pass from chunky pass master Datsakorn Thonglao, spared Holger Osieck.
The shrill sound of the half-time whistle snapped Osieck back to his senses. He walked into the dressing room humming the Benny and Bjorn tune. He had come to the realisation that he had chosen the wrong company. However, this was a game that was not to be lost at any cost.
He told the Socceroos midfield to work harder in the second half and not give the Thais time on the ball. The longer the game went the Thais would become more desperate and this and this would result in counter attacking opportunities against a tiring team.
Holger Osieck resumed his placed on the sideline for the second half and it played out as had predicted. The midfield lifted their work rate, Zullo was getting more support and the desperate War Elephants were tiring.
In the 76th minute, the Socceroos sat deep, absorbed pressure, denied the Thai team time and space and forced a turnover. The Socceroos countered, and with acres of space, Brett Emerton and Brett Holman did what players who are paid handsomely are expected to do.
A composed Emerton put the ball on Holman’s head who nodded the ball under the keeper from six yards out. Thailand’s gallant 2014 World Cup campaign was over.
If this was a game of chess, Winfried Schafer would have had good reason to call checkmate on his countryman. But, unlike chess, national football teams are not equal.
The Socceroos will come against stronger opposition in the next phase of World Cup qualifying and Osieck knows that he can’t head into it with the same company.
He needs to find a more dynamic central midfiled combination that can pass incisively and make intelligent runs forward, a stable left side of defence, and to work out the most effective way to use his attacking weapons.
Fortunately, Osieck has time on his hands. The Socceroos’ final match of this qualifying round is against Saudi Arabia in February 2012. Even more importantly, the next phase of World Cup qualification commences in June 2012.
This effectively gives Osieck over six months to improve the Socceroo’s quality of play with training camp and friendlies.
In that time he can give opportunities in the midfield to the likes of Chris Herd, Mitch Nichols and, if he keeps his rate of improvement, Terry Antonis. Down back he can find out if Luke De Vere is ready to make the leap and up front see what Nikita Rukavytsya can offer.
Holger Osieck must use this time wisely and be prepared to make brave decisions, because the last thing he wants is the devil walking next to him before Brazil 2014.
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