How Holger will get the Socceroos out of their WCQ hole

Holger Osieck goes into Tuesday night’s crunch World Cup Qualifier against Japan needing a result.

Not only for the Socceroos ailing World Cup campaign, but with talk around in the press this week that his future may hang in the balance, it will be an important 90 minutes in Saitama.

Holger had had his critics, but he is not helped largely by the players at his disposal.

The Socceroos are an ageing list that was one of the oldest at the last World Cup.

Four years on and many of those names from 2010 remain, coupled with a younger generation whose development has been hindered by poor career moves, which have stalled their development.

Holger goes into the three biggest games of his tenure plagued with problems, so let’s get into some of them.

Formation

While Pim Verbeek wasn’t exactly popular with everyone in his time as Socceroos manager, he is fastly gaining more and more respect, given how easily in retrospect the Socceroos qualified for the last World Cup.

While the style of football he played was well known for being largely unattractive, it did manage results.

It wasn’t the most attacking style and didn’t conjure tons of goals, but his ‘anchor’ system ensured the Socceroos not only held their shape but were hard to break down.

Verbeek’s use of two midfield screeners was effective, and I would like to see Holger adopt the same approach, especially if he is going to go in with a central pairing of Lucas Neill and Sasa Ognenovski.

The Socceroos have had a tendency to be caught on the break in this campaign due to a lack of pace in our back four and the adoption of this formation will provide more cover for this.

We have to remember we are playing tournament football and it is all about results at this point.

The use of Brett Holman

The Socceroos can no longer afford to continue playing Brett Holman out of position.

Holman is generally being used as a wide player, at times on the left, given the preference to play Tim Cahill in his more natural number ten role.

Sure Cahill is the first name on the Socceroo team sheet but I feel Holman’s performances in recent times should see him claim that position. Cahill will still have a role to play, and that is leading the line.

The Socceroos are currently bereft of a quality striker and although Alex Brosque and Archie Thompson have been used by Oseick as a foil for Cahill, I feel a Cahill-Holman pairing could work.

There is no one else in the Socceroo line-up that can guarantee goals like Cahill and he will make it hard on any defence playing on the last man.

I don’t feel the Socceroos will lose any of his potency in making the shift, and if anything the move may even prove to prolong his career, as Holman becomes the terrier chasing down everything, when playing in between the lines.

We all know Cahill’s aerial prowess and he has the ability to hold the ball up well. The move is more designed though to accommodate both better in the same team.

It is worthless playing Holman wide as he is simply not a natural wide player and has a tendency to drift centrally, which causes the side to lose its shape.

There is no question both need to be in the side, but Holman is not the answer out wide. I would much prefer Holger turn to Tommy Oar or Matt McKay, who can cause damage in wide areas.

The age old question

Holger has faced criticism in recent weeks for turning to the older players for the final three matches of this campaign.

But this is certainly no time for risks and of course he is going to go with what’s proven.

While I have long been a critic of Lucas Neill and his lack of speed, no one has really stood up and done the job in his absence and his partnership with Sasa Ognenovski has been relatively solid.

I would be pushing for the inclusion of Mark Milligan, who always seems to lift when pulling on the Socceroo jersey, and can be deployed in either a holding midfield or further defensive role.

Holger’s job security relies on results and this is not the time to roll the dice.

Sure I would have loved to have seen more youth involved in the last four years, but you get the sense that Holger just doesn’t think the younger players are up to it.

You have to agree that the next generation aren’t exactly doing themselves any favours.

Most have made silly career moves which have hindered their development as they make moves to Europe that has seen them confined to the reserves team or the bench.

Instead of playing each week in the A-League, many have decided to chase the riches on offer in Europe, which frankly across the board have not transpired.

Matthew Leckie and Mustafa Amini are two examples who were in the frame for selection before their moves overseas, only for both to slip off the radar in recent times.

James Holland is another who has slipped well back following years wasted in the reserves in the Netherlands, but is starting to get his act together in recent times playing regularly in Austria, where his side won the league.

Dario Vidosic is another who showed so much promise, and finds himself back in the A-League, while names like Matthew Spiranovic, Nathan Burns, Nikita Rukavysta, and others have simply failed to kick on.

Tommy Oar, Tom Rogic and Robbie Kruse are perhaps the exception, but even Rogic has been a bit-part player since moving to Celtic, which may prevent Holger from using him here. I expect him to feature more regularly next season.

Players on the pine

Holger Osieck looks at his squad and finds many players who are not playing regularly for their clubs.

Brett Holman has been seeing very limited game time at Aston Villa, while Captain Lucas Neill doesn’t have a club. Some of the A-League players haven’t played a competitive game for months and many others are bit part players at best.

Harry Kewell

One thing Holger has done right in recent weeks is not include Harry Kewell in the squad for these qualifiers.

If Harry believes three games in the space of twelve months gives him any hope of playing some part in these qualifiers then he is sadly mistaken.

Gone are the days when Kewell’s name found its way into the side simply on reputation.

Kewell has been on a steady decline since his move to Galatasaray and although he showed glimpses in his time in the A-League with Melbourne Victory, his form was underwhelming.

While admirably Kewell had to make the move back to England to care for his wife’s mother, I find it hard to believe that he was unable to secure a club for the past 12 months.

Now sure, Kewell may not quite have the ability to go with the best in the English Premier League anymore, but I feel he would have proven a handy signing for a club in the English Championship or League One.

Edgar Davids is still trotting around in League Two with Barnet, so I’m confident he could have found a place at some club.

However reports of Kewell not being able to agree on wage demands and not wanting to drop down to the English Championship, prove either Kewell has been seriously misadvised or his ego is again getting in the way.

If Kewell really did want to play a part in the next World Cup then he would have found a way. Spending 12 months out of the game isn’t exactly going to help your fitness, sharpness or attractiveness at transfer time now is it.

While Kewell seems to have come around and decided to join the Melbourne Heart for next A-League season, at minimal wage, you have to ask the question – what was stopping Kewell for making a similar move at the back end of last season, like Lucas Neill?

I’m not prepared to say Kewell has no place in the Socceroos squad, all I’m saying is he must earn it.

If he can recapture the form he showed at the last Asian Cup, then he should be considered, but until then he needs to prove to everyone he is worthy.

Japan

Japan is one of the most improved sides in world football and I have them as genuine dark horses for the 2014 World Cup.

Now, a long shot at lifting the trophy, they will certainly be in the mix come quarter finals stage for mine. They are the standout team in Asia at the moment and have had some big wins over some of the world’s best in the last twelve months.

While Australia are looking for three points in Saitama, I would happily take one, which sets the Socceroos up for two must win games against Jordan and Iraq in Australia, and really, if you cannot beat either- then you do not deserve to go to the World Cup.

Follow Adam on Twitter – @adamsantarossa