- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Tonight’s international friendly between Australia and Costa Rica is certainly a must-win for the Socceroos.
Not only because of the arrival of Ange Postecoglou as the new manager but also there are a lot of players who will be hoping to play well in order to get their ticket for Brazil next year.
Why is this considered to be a must-win match?
The Socceroos have had a substantial drop in form after the Asian Cup in 2011 and in my opinion they were lucky to be automatically qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup since they had a few lacklustre games which resulted in several draws and a few losses.
Along with this, Costa Rica are ranked 31st while the Socceroos are ranked 57th, 34 places lower than when they started their campaign to qualify for Brazil in 2011.
It became clear that after Australia qualified for the World Cup the team started to become complacent which was why they were given a rude shock against Brazil and France who convincingly smashed them 6-0 in both matches along with their shambolic display at the East Asian Cup.
The Socceroos were able to redeem themselves by winning against Canada 3-0 even though the game was played at Craven Cottage in Fulham, England.
The only thing which is great to see with the Socceroos has been the emergence of new players.
For quite some time the Socceroos have been relying too much on experienced players such as Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill and Mark Schwarzer to play their part for the success.
These players have been talented and have played their part in making the Socceroos a much better side over 10 years but the only way to achieve further success in the future is to play a wide variety of players.
So far, we have seen Josh Kennedy playing well and Robbie Kruse has provided some superb support in the forwards. Kruse has become a sensation for Australia which was shown with him winning the PFA male footballer of the year award a few weeks ago.
With the arrival of Postecoglou, do expect to see a completely different style of play from the Socceroos along with the emergence of some players who I’m sure will be ready for Brazil in 2014.
With the retirement of Mark Schwarzer, Mitch Langerak has been a considerably excellent replacement but he will need the defenders to make sure that the Socceroos don’t go back to their old ways which saw some sloppy defence that ended up conceding lots of goals.
Dario Vidisic has been great as well in the midfield along with James Holland which shows that the Socceroos are establishing talent in the future.
Of course, this game technically means nothing for the Socceroos as this is just an international friendly but they will be playing 100% all out to win, knowing that there will be a lot of pressure not just from the fans, but from international commentators and experts who shall be looking at the credentials of the teams that so far have qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
I’m sure that Postecoglou’s abilities of turning teams such as the Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory from mid-pack battlers to championship contenders can work well with the Socceroos but unlike managing about 25 players in one club, he has to manage up to 40 players who not only come from different clubs but each have got their own approach to the game.
As well as this, this game will also be used to interpret what needs improving for the Socceroos given that they have up until May next year to perform at their highest abilities.
Postecoglou will certainly be facing intense scrutiny and criticism if the Socceroos lose but he shall be looking at what sort of playing styles can suit the team as a way of eventually getting the necessary results that should come their way.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.