How to fix Australian Football: Rebuilding the Socceroos

Holger, we have a problem. A big problem. The Socceroos, for so long the glorious face of football in Australia, have grown stale.

Not long ago, in the 2006 afterglow, every national team game was a national event. Now they are national chores.

While other countries evolve, the Socceroos coach Holger Osieck – and before him, Pim Verbeek – has largely stuck with the tried and true.

Only thing is, the old guard is too old and too guarded. Too slow. In the words of U2, it’s all been said – there’s no new ideas in the house and every book has been read. Australia is in a rut.

This has been the suspicion for some time but the 2-1 loss to Jordan earlier this month, among other results, exposed the Socceroos as a languid, reactive side waiting for it all to happen.

Even if we do end up making it to a third consecutive World Cup with these players, the team we will take to Brazil in 2014 will make Dad’s Army look like One Direction.

Australian fans are begging for the next generation of talent to be blooded. And the squad is begging for a shot of energy too. Yet it can’t happen all at once. So how can Holger actually get it done?

Defence

Problems everywhere. The first step: accepting that a centre-half pairing of Lucas Neill (36 in 2014) and Sasa Ognenovski (35 in 2014) is too slow today, let alone in Brazil.

This is probably the toughest call of the lot. Neill has been an inspirational skipper for Australia over the years but is a shadow of his former self, while ‘Ogre’ has never been a paragon of pace.

Obviously, neither are suiting to playing a high defensive line – even though Osieck is trying to jam square pegs into round holes. Playing them both against a nimble Iraq side will be suicide.

Both, however, deserve to stay in the national team set up for their influence alone. Just not as starting players.

The baton needs to be handed to Luke DeVere, who is killing it for Gyeongham FC in Korea. His permanent partner should be Middlesbrough captain Rhys Williams, already a 10-cap Socceroo – but he’s injured, and unlikely to be seen until 2013.

Meanwhile, Matt Spiranovic has not nearly made enough of the chances he’s been handed.

It would be too much, too soon to throw Neill and Ognenovski both out of the side without the relative national team experience of Williams. So Neill gets a reprieve – but only this once. He is not the future.

Neither is Luke Wilkshire, who has been the national team’s Mr Dependable for years – but at a time when more and more is being asked of fullbacks in the modern game, Australia needs to freshen up.

Chris Herd should be the heir to his throne, and sooner or later Osieck has to sort out whatever differences he has with him and get him in the side. Ryan McGowan, however, is a more realistic option. A fit Williams can also provide cover here.

In the meantime, Wilkshire can remain in the squad, just reaching back to a different nickname – Mr Fix-It – to put his versatility to use off the bench.

On the other side of the four is where Australia has its biggest conundrum. Soon-to-be-clubless David Carney is no left-back and is arguably not up to international standard.

So who comes in? Good question. Jason Davidson is in the mix and plays regularly for Heracles Almelo in the Eredivisie, but is still only 21 and is too big a gamble. Michael Zullo is unproven and rides the pine for FC Utretcht too often to be considered.

There is also Shane Lowry at Millwall, who has been a fixture of their nPower Championship side this term. But he’s uncapped, so he’s as much of a dice roll as the aforementioned two.

Until those three establish themselves, Josh Rose is the best candidate. Someone has to come in to stem the bleeding and it may as well be the Central Coast stalwart.

Despite being inexplicably ignored by Osieck and, before him, Pim Verbeek, the 30-year-old has the experience and the ability to smoothly integrate himself into the Socceroos set-up and do a job.

Mark Schwarzer, as long as you’re playing for Fulham, you’re staying between the sticks. Any arguments? Thought not.

Midfield

A little easier to work out. Mark Bresciano’s stunning game against Saudi Arabia earlier in the campaign reminded everyone just how influential he is on his day.

No Australian player can touch him for pure class and passing ability. He’ll be 34 in 2014 – but unlike the other Socceroos veterans, he’s somehow getting better with age. So who is his best partner?

The answer is Matt McKay. Alongside Bresciano in that friendly win against Lebanon, Osieck finally stumbled upon the right combination. Both are creative, intelligent players and compliment each other well.

The Jordan game was more a result of poor tactical preparation rather than an inability on their part to control the midfield.

Australia hasn’t really recovered from the loss of Jason Culina here, but those two present the best opportunity. Mile Jedinak and Carl Valeri are not quite dynamic enough and fall into the trap of playing too many sideways and backwards passes – although both should figure in the future, depending on the varying demands of whatever the opposition.

In terms of back-up, Herd, Wilkshire and Williams can all play in central midfield as well, but it’s high time Erik Paartalu was brought into the Socceroos frame. He’s currently angling for a move from Brisbane Roar at the end of the season, although it may take that before Osieck truly considers him.

Attack

Forget Harry Kewell. There is no denying that Aston Villa’s Brett Holman is Australia’s talisman in the final third, and possibly the most damaging player in the Socceroos side today.

His best position is in the hole behind another striker, feeding off the service of Bresciano and McKay and helping the Socceroos surge forward with his daring runs and ability to get in between the lines.

You can’t fit Holman and Tim Cahill in the same side. But there might still be an opportunity for the New York Red Bulls man to save Australia’s skin like he has done so many times – only off the bench, as an impact player.

In front of Holman, the first choice has to be Josh Kennedy, the reigning J-League Golden Boot for the past two seasons. A long-ball lightning rod he may be at times, but he is still Australia’s best out-and-out striker.

When he is injured, though – as he so often is – the next in line appears to be Robbie Kruse. After that, there really is a dearth of frontmen.

On the right side of midfield, Alex Brosque is the right player to add a bit more attacking thrust while not going overboard. The former Sydney FC star has been known to play deep in midfield for Shimizu S-Pulse, so he’s responsible enough not to commit forward at the wrong times. If not him, then perhaps James Holland.

However, the Socceroos need further penetration. The man to bring it is Tommy Oar, who must be given another opportunity on the left.

The fleet-footed 20-year-old is breaking back into the first-team picture at FC Utrecht and has the kind of X-factor Australia sorely needs. It is time his international career is given a boost – and just maybe, he can give one back to the Socceroos in return.

Summary

Future injuries permitting, and accepting that Rhys Williams will be sidelined, this is the side that should take on Iraq in Doha next month:

————————-Schwarzer
——–McGowan—Neill—DeVere—–Rose
——————Bresciano—–McKay
——–Brosque——–Holman———–Oar
—————————Kennedy

Bench, from: Langerak (gk), Jones (gk), Spiranovic, Ognenovski, Davidson, Lowry, Herd, Wilkshire, Valeri, Jedinak, Paartalu, Emerton, Holland, Sarota, Rukyavytsa, Cahill, Kruse.

This is an evolutionary XI, not a revolutionary one. Unfortunately, a complete reboot may have to wait until after 2014. Blame Pim Verbeek for that.

Add in Williams for Neill, though, and all of a sudden the back four is fresh, and arguably better than the defence that is currently failing to repay Osieck’s seemingly misplaced faith.

There are also more than enough options sitting on that bench to tweak the team for just about every fathomable challenge.

This is more makeover than plastic surgery. This is gradual and meaningful change and it’s well overdue. It’s adapt or perish time for the Australian national team, and this is the best way to avoid the latter.

This is the third in a five-part Solutions series running this week on The Roar. Our football experts will be answering this question: “If you were in charge of football in Australia, how would you fix the problems you see and make football a bigger professional code – and could this help the National Team? What are your Solutions to the big issues Australian football is facing?”