There is no way to sugar-coat Australia’s loss to Jordan in this morning’s World Cup qualifier in Amman.
It was a shock loss and a shocking performance, and while it hasn’t torpedoed the Socceroos chances of qualification for Brazil 2014, it has seriously shaken them.
At the same stage of the last campaign under Pim Verbeek, Australia sat comfortably on top of their group, having not conceded a goal, and having “won ugly” in the Middle East.
This time around, the Socceroos aren’t even “losing pretty”.
Verbeek’s pragmatic approach meant the Socceroos defence remained watertight and his two screening midfielders – usually any combination of Vince Grella, Jason Culina and Walter Valeri – provided coverage to the back four so that the Socceroos never had to chase the game in any of the 2010 qualifiers.
In fact, they only fell behind once in the final phase group, in the last game against Japan at the MCG.
At the other end of the park, Josh Kennedy, Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill provided the strike power when it was needed, and Bret Holman started coming in to his own as an attacking midfielder.
But that was then.
Holger Osieck injected more attacking options in the Socceroos originally and even this morning they did create chances. But the Jordanian keeper was playing to the cameras for most of his saves and was never seriously tested. Alex Brosque was poor.
Tim Cahill worked his socks off as he usually does but I still think he is better utilised arriving in the box late from midfield. He’s not a natural striker – indeed no player on the park for this game looked remotely comfortable in the penalty area.
Getting rid of Osieck has been mooted from a number of disgruntled sources but I don’t think that is a wise short term strategy. But the experienced German coach does have some issues to fix before the next game against Iraq, who are a far better football team than Jordan, which is a bit scary for the Socceroo faithful.
I think Matt McKay and Brett Holman are both excellent players but were not utilised to their best effect in the positions they played in.
Holman is at his best playing behind the strikers, while McKay is a natural left-sided player with the enrgy to get beyond the opposing fullbacks, something the Socceroos did very little of.
It may be argued that pushing Holman to the centre means no room for Mark Bresciano and Timmy Cahill but both of those players can be used in other roles – Bresciano can play deeper and Cahill can play beside Holman in behind a striker if need be.
Defensively, the Socceroos have problems they did not face four years ago. Lucas Neill and Sasa Ognenovski are magnificent servants to the Socceroo cause but it doesn’t take a genius to see that pairing them together without the kind of coverage the tireless Grella used to provide leads to dangers on the edges of the area.
Luke Wilkshire can still go but David Carney is surely living on borrowed time. There were questions about his defensive capabilities but he was always an attacking force. Not this morning.
It will be interesting to see if Osieck turns to the A-League when it starts in less than a month. Maybe he can contact the Department of Immigration and get Besat Berisha and Thomas Broich their Aussie citizenship quick smart.
Add Erik Paartalu and Ivan Franjic into the mix and some of the problems evident from this morning might not appear to be so problematic. And of course James Troisi, James Holland, Tommy Oar and NIkita Ruykavitsia are waiting in the wings.
That’s something Pim Verbeek would never have done. But Osieck may have to.
Ballymore
Guest
For me, the 1-0 win over Bahrain in Nov 2008 will be the yardstick that all highway robberies are measured against.
Futbanous
Guest
Having grown up playing football,yet having local football heroes too look up too, Australia is a strange landscape to migrate too as far as sport goes. Bottom line is little has changed for the kids following football. Lucas Niell,Luke Wiltshire a bridge too far for the media to cover & therefore for the average Joe,including children too relate too. Home town support is where recognition of sporting heroes starts. That gets into everyday conversation,the media picks up on it & puts it out into the community. Sure the Socceroos are much higher profile nowadays,but Poms dont follow football & its the National sport because of the NT ,its because the Blades or Potters won last Saturday. Thats why A-League growth is paramount if you want the kids to have local football heroes & not sportsman from other sports to look up too. Admittedly its difficult in this country too get any competition truly national because the media has generally supported the sport with traditional strength in various states. Even when I was growing up in Northern England many moons ago you had local paper coverage of the local professional teams,but you could also read National newspapers covering Southern Clubs etc. If you lived in NSW Or QLD when I first came to Australia,you wouldnt have known VFL existed except for the derogatory "Aerial Ping Pong " comment. In reverse live in Vic,SA,WA & You wouldn't have known that RL/RU existed except the derogatory "Bum Sniffer" comment. So the media in each state has always been traditionally biased towards the traditionally mass supported sports. How the A-League & therefore football overcomes this as cricket did for instance is another debate.
apaway
Roar Guru
It's a good point, Bondy, but is unlikely to change in the short term while the populist media are so intertwined with the NRL in the northern states and the AFL in the southern states. This goes to my comment about Alessandro Del Piero's signing on another thread and that playing pedigree aside, ADP does not have the name value that Harry Kewell does to the peripheral fan. Football's other issue is that at the moment we have a four-yearly cycle of importance at NT level which is of course the World Cup. Our participation in the Asian Cup is great but does not capture the imagination of the general public in the same way. Hopefully the A-League will continue to build a fan base and those same kids may come to identify with the likes of Brett Emerton and Eric Paartalu as much as Brett Stewart and Benji Marshall. There is no doubt that the Socceroos have become much higher profile since 2005 but more home games at accessible times in accessible stadiums will help the cause. I remember going to the SFS to see Australia and Bahrain in an Asian Cup qualifier after the 2006 World Cup finals in front of a close to full house, thinking, I would have never expected to see 36,000 people coming to see a game against Bahrain. I remember the days when it was the Socceroos opposition that was relied on to draw the crowd, rather than the Socceroos themselves.
Bondy.
Guest
Jason Culina is a big miss for the national team he's passing was far better than anything probably currently out there. What concerns me greater is that most of those players on the park didn't have or dont really play club football "now thats bad". Football in Australia is enevititbly set up to not succseed we've just played a world cup qaulifier the last domestic A League game of football played in this country was four months ago almost impossible to fathom from any sports angle,some would suggest what are we still doing in this qualification stage with a set up like that. How and why are we ranked 25 th in the world when kids who participate in the sport cant actually see the sport on F.T.A. to learn from there heroes and idols " if you cant see it how do you have heroes! " and really havent had a sophisticated tv coverage of the game in Australia ever,only now are we seeing a national team truely play like cricket a truely national sport, its insane on F.T.A.s. Apaway are we seriously asking ourselves whats wrong with football in Australia where most kids growing up where I come from who play football/soccer have a greater knowledge and undrstanding of Brett Stewart and Benji Marshall than say Lucas Neill and Luke Wiltshere,and some who even play the sport adults and kids may even say who's Luke. And we walk around scratching our heads in this sport.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I've always maintained - in competitive matches at international level - only one thing matters: RESULTS. Apart from the 1st half in Pim's first match against Qatar at Docklands Stadium and the last half of Pim's last match against Serbia at WC2010, I don't think I enjoyed a single minute watching the AUS NT style of play under Pim Verbeek. But, apart from the "disaster in Durban", Pim Verbeek produced results. So far, under Holger, we've also produced results. Under Holger, we've played 15 competitive matches: W:9 D:3 L: 3 The only difference I've seen between Pim's & Hoger's results have been "luck". Under Pim, AUS had some incredibly good fortune (Schwarzer saving a penalty at the death against China, Brec's last minute goal against Bahrain, etc.). With a bit of luck, AUS could have had 9 points instead of 2 (also, we could just as easily be ZERO points from 3 matches). Archie's misses an open goal against Oman; half a dozen spectacular saves by JPN GK; Tim, Robbie, Jedinak miss chances against JOR. We wouldn't have deserved a win against JOR but under Pim we won games we never deserved to win. Yes, we were awful against JOR. But, I thought we played worse against THA ... and we won that match - that's football.
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football
Guest
Thought the same thing when I read it Cat. Fozzy's inclusion in this eclectic bunch is also a little questionable along with one or two others.
Daniel
Guest
We all need to face up to the fact that Australia isnt the side it was six, or even four years ago. At the world cup in Germany practically all of our starting 11 played in the top leagues of Europe as first team regulars. Of the squad that took to the park last night only Schwarzer, Holman and Kruse play in the recognised top leagues of Europe. Former greats such as Neil, Cahill and Bresciano are well past their priime but their obvious replacements are yet to step up to the same level. Berger was right in his critisism of the our youth development the other day. Our disjointed system will only produce players like Viduka, Emerton or Grella through blind luck. We need to study the changes made by countries like Germany who seem to be producing world class players from a production line.
dasilva
Guest
Well the same German side lost 2-1 to Serbia and had a hard fought victory over Ghana where Ghana had their chance to take the lead in that match as well. England and Argentina disgrace should not be used as an excused for our disgraceful performance. Venables reign is defined by the 2-2 draw to Iran and Verbeek reign will be defined by the 4-0 lost to Germany. Sure both managers did some credible performance outside those games but the coaches are remembered on their performance on the games that really matter. To me the main difference between Verbeek and Osieck is that Verbeek had good luck such as the Schwarzer save and the Bresciano last gasp winner over Bahrain after being comprehensively outplayed whist that luck is missing for Australia to be able to grind a result after a poor performance where we should havel ost.
apaway
Roar Guru
True enough, Ballymore. The Durban game was a disaster but given Germany put 4 goals past both England and Argentina, neither of who had one of their key player sent off after 50 minutes, it almost didn't look so bad.
whiskeymac
Guest
pim didnt have the cattle but the choice was at least younger at the time. still losing to korea or japan is one thing, jordan another. the roos have lost 5 out of 6 now? only winning a friendly against lebanon. there are some options out there, holger needs to consider if players at Villa or Atalanta are worthy additions or to retain some of the people who dont get a game.
Siege
Guest
Could not beleive David Carny is even in the Squad let alone in the starting XI. Bring back Zullo, hes been doing so well in Left Back. Get the youth into the team! who cares if they are not ready. No point keeping the oldies around if they arent even going to qualify. Such a waste of these past 3 years. Better yet give the job to Ange, he knows who the best of our youths are and will get the team looking forward to Brazil, Aussie Asian Cup and Russia.
Ballymore
Guest
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Ballymore
Guest
I would enjoy the likes of Franjic, Paartalau and co. getting a run in the WCQs, however only one (1) WCQ occurs during HAL season. That one is March 2013. (I'm not counting OCT since HAL will only be 1-2 matches old). Perhaps Vidosic, McKain or Djite's ACL efforts means they'll be at top gear come the Iraq game? Also, I always thought it unfair that Pim's inpressive reign was defined by a 90 minute car crash in Durban. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
TC
Guest
heh, heh - now that makes a whole lot more sense! Including Zelic definitely strengthens your argument - how we'd love someone like Zelic now - no one comes even close. TC
Me too
Guest
oops, meant zelic. no disrespect to zdrilic, but oops.
TC
Guest
God-zdrilic?? Are you having a laugh?? TC
apaway
Roar Guru
Good pick up, Pete. Playing Walter would really have the ageists in a spin!
Titus
Guest
I disagree.......I think the end of NSL/beginning of a-league caused a massive upheaval but I think the next generation is starting to come through. Unfortunately they aren't being brought through because we are persisting with players who are old and not playing.
Me too
Guest
we no longer have the cattle. doubt we ever will have again. our 'golden' era over. bosnich, schwarzer, cahill, viduka, moore, neil, vidmar, kewell, bresciano, grella, skoko, okon, chipperfield, foster, agostino, muscat, lazaridis, tiatto, emerton, zdrilic, popovic, sterjovski, culina, aloisi, kennedy, kalac... i could go on but it's too depressing. Especially when you add that that same generation the talent that decided to play for other nations like croatia and even italy. of our current list, only holman would get near that squad. And all we got from that list were two world cup qualifications. the reality is we don't have the talent to expect anything more than hope we may upset the odds and qualify. good luck guys!
Titus
Guest
It was a slow disintergration beginning with Pim. There has been no regeneration and there is still no regard for the a-league where the bulk of your young players playing regularly are.