While the quality of the opponents in Costa Rica wasn’t particularly high, the Socceroos rounded off what has been a positive first week under Ange Postecoglou with a performance that gives them a building base and a bit of belief.
While the manager was upbeat in his praise post-match, no doubt keen to build a positive air around a squad that doesn’t have a lot of time before Brazil, Ange Postecoglou also recognised there is still plenty to do.
But he says he is happy for the nation to get carried away with the effort at the SFS last night.
Little doubt he wants to build belief among the Socceroos and in the Socceroos.
He says we shouldn’t fear anyone.
It’s an interesting strategy, and a first up win and positive showing certainly provides at least some fuel for a nation to get behind the team.
While it wasn’t World Cup class by any means, certainly there looked a foundation that at least gives us a chance of being more competitive than we have been.
While Costa Rica came here with an experimental squad and what looked a negative back five, you can only control what’s in front of you, and the Roos deserve credit for doing that.
This was a performance a world away from some of the recent regressive showings that brought an end to the Holger Osieck years.
Here was a team playing on the front foot, stepping up to press the opponents across the pitch.
Defensive pressure was the foundation of this first-up effort, suffocating the Ticos, not allowing them to gain any control of the match, let alone a strike.
‘Control of the opposition’ and ‘control across all the thirds’ were buzz phrases under Guus Hiddink and while there might have been a little more control of the final third at times, certainly there were plenty of good signs across the pitch.
Primarily, it was the squeezing of the opponents as a unit that gave the Roos the space to start stringing their passes.
Coming from a team that looked afraid to play under Osieck, there were some good signs that this team will have a crack and try to play under Postecoglou.
Certainly he is encouraging them to, and you could see a few smiles return, not that the skipper Lucas Neill was smiling when heckled by some of the fans in the eastern terrace.
While it will take Postecoglou time to build the confidence in possession, one of the most pleasing aspects, as he said post-match, was that even if there was an error in distribution and a lost ball, the team would work hard, and collectively, to win it back quickly.
Setting the pressing tempo were the two midfield anchors, the imposing Mile Jedinak and and composed Mark Milligan, who protected their back five with distinction.
This was Jedinak’s best game in green and gold for what seems an eternity and he reminded many, including this correspondent, he’s not giving up his spot under Postecoglou without a fight.
After a very nervy start on the ball, he started to stroke it around with more confidence.
Milligan continued his recent high standards, and is still, to my mind, the man for the armband.
There were encouraging signs also from right fullback Ivan Franjic, striker Mat Leckie, right sided attacker Robbie Kruse and substitute number 10 Tom Rogic.
Overall, there was a real hunger and enthusiasm about this camp, and the challenge for Postecoglou is to bottle that desire and take it to Brazil and beyond.
There is little room for complacency, and Postecoglou would do well to maintain a healthy and objective distance from his players, keeping everyone on their toes, assessing them and others in detail.
For example, the nervy start among the new look back five might have been punished by a team more in tune with their strategy.
While we shouldn’t get too carried away with last night, as greater challenges lie ahead, you can understand Postecoglou’s want to create a snowball.
Unlike Osieck’s empty rhetoric, there was enough to suggest Postecoglou has turned the corner and started trending the Roos in the right direction.
j binnie
Guest
bribieboy- "Coaching" at professional level is no longer a one man job. As an example lets look no further than our national coach,Ange. He has 3 qualified coaches helping him to look after 20-25 players,Vidmar,Hooker & Franken, the goalkeeping coach. So if he sees (& remember he is the coach who has selected the player) something that needs worked on,he simply allocates that work to one of his coaches to set up game situation exercises to improve that weakness.I think you sticking with- "how to kick a ball" -is pushing our discussion too far. Anyone who could not kick a ball would not have been selected in the first place but just remembr there is no such a thing as "a perfect player" Cheers jb.
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
"If you want to blame Mcgowan & Holland, a holding midfielder, playing right back up against 2 of the best players in the world go for it." Well then isn't that the point..? These players were outclassed (As Lucas reiterated, need to improve at this level)... However, for me the thing that stuck in my mind was Kruse and Oar when they lost the ball, failed to track back to help defend the midfield---they rather stay forward and ball watch.
mahonjt
Guest
A shame. He is a good guy.
mahonjt
Guest
That is a completely reasonable approach to making an assessment in my view. I, too, think Costa Rica were ordinary, but to be fair, we have been very ordinary for a while now also - so probably a reasonable test of where we are at if we accept the FIFA rankings tell us anything. That is another debate entirely.
Punter
Guest
McGowan played right back against Brazil, up against Neymar. http://espnfc.com/en/gamecast/statistics/id/381157/statistics.html?soccernet=true&cc=3436 Holland played right back against France, up against Ribery. http://espnfc.com/en/gamecast/statistics/id/377961/statistics.html?soccernet=true&cc=3436 If you want to blame Mcgowan & Holland, a holding midfielder, playing right back up against 2 of the best players in the world go for it.
nachos supreme
Guest
I like him too. Reason I commented was that he looked a bit out of sorts from what we're used to seeing from him.
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
@Punter maybe you should publish the actual line up against Brazil---the one you have presented did not resemble the team that played against Brazil. Did Org and Holman play in that game, wasn't Holland in the team somewhere---I reckon there were 4 youngsters in the team...? Anyway to me what was very noticeable were the young guys not tracking back to help defend when they lost the ball.
bribieboy
Guest
Binnie, It seems you and I are not on the same page. I agree with what you said about your three requirements but the coach has enough on his plate without having to teach a professional footballer how to kick straight. Once again I am not talking about when to pass. I am sure these footballers would be very accurate when they are at training but when they get in a match maybe they panic and just get rid of the ball because the accuracy drops off. It could be nerves but if they do it consistently as you said then I don't think they are ready for the big stage yet. Keep up the good work
Punter
Guest
You lose 6-0 to Brazil with a lineup of Schwarzer, Neill, Og, Mckay, Mcgowan, Kruse, Oar, Holman, Jedinak, Bresc & Kennedy & you pick out Kruse & Oar for criticism???? There was 3 young players in the team. Likewise losing to France you pick on Kruse amongst Neill, Carney, Wilshire, Jedinak, McKay, Cahill, Bresc as the problem??? There was 4 young players in team including GK. You are seriously delusional if you are blaming the younger players for those losses, where was the leadership against 2 of the best sides in the world, oh yeah he showed that when he critiicises the younger players for a lack of passion in public.
eric
Guest
I've tried this, I got Argentina ,Algeria,England in Australia's group.1 loss,1 win,1 draw? :)
dasilva
Guest
Yeah that's depressing Here is a good draw simulator to mull yourself over http://ultra-zone.net/2014-FIFA-World-Cup-Group-Stage-Draws
Griffo
Roar Guru
JAJI, a tweet came through not so long ago tonight that FIFA ran a simulated draw for the real event in 16 days time. Who was in Australia's group? Brazil, Netherlands, France...
j binnie
Guest
bribieboy- Based on your reply what would you recommend? every player who consistently badly passed the ball last night should now be dumped,(by half time we could be talking about half the team), & if you believe that why then do we have to have coaches with qualifications, qualifications to do what? To play the fast breaking, possession based football. that everyone seems to want these days there are 3 requirements, (1) good close ball control, (2) quick,accurate movement of the ball & (3) constant movement from your team mates to supply options to the ball carrier.If AP thinks someone needs to be taught how to kick a ball properly then it is in his interests to teach that player how to do so.That's coaching from 6 - 30. Cheers jb
Cameron Kellett
Guest
Stavros, if you're talking about FN343, he's said that's not him. I don't believe him at all.though.
Cameron Kellett
Guest
That would be very very sad if that be the case..not even worth the time, unless the Roar are paying him lol
brendo
Guest
whoops, you are correct Belgium is seeded, Croatia will be in Pot 2
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
Well he was the captain for the tour and he was criticizing their performance as he should---why have a captain in that case if he can't tell them the truth. They showed no passion and surrendered too easily to the opposition on the night. Kruse and Oar were not interested in tracking back and the backs were over run because of it. Telling them the truth was the only wise thing to do---otherwise they would go on thinking they don't have to lift their game. Lucas was only doing what a real captain of an Australian football team should do. Tell them the truth ie when you are given the honour of putting on the gold shirt you have to live up to it. (show me the hunger!)
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
I thought it was a poor decision at the time, and Captains have a key role in forging unity. The job of the Captain is to make the kids work, not lambast them publicly for failing to do so. He can castigate them privately, give them the hair dryer treatment if he must, however publicly he must be the face of unity. Lucas still has a lot to offer with his experience and his ability to distribute from the back. He is the sort of player a younger backline needs to have around to steady the ship when the going gets tough. He has has borne the Captaincy job admirably through some tough media scrutiny, however I think the job has become too much of a burden. It may be time to change Captains to relieve the pressure on Lucas and allow him to concentrate on forging the defence that we need for the future.
Tony Tannous
Expert
Any critique of the skipper's character in putting down the kids?
dasilva
Guest
FIFA could just change the system again to manipulate the seeds again. It's certainly not beyond them. I would be conflicted if they decided to do that as on one hand the current system is a joke but on the other hand changing system every world cup to manipulate which teams getting seeds can be abused and overly politicised something that should be straight forward. FIFA should have just left it like it was last world cup as it was already a decent system. Back in 2009 FIFA secretary Jérôme Valcke saying: “In the past the seedings have been determined by a mixture of world rankings and performances in past World Cups, but this time the feeling was that the October rankings most closely represented the best teams in the tournament. This is not a case of wanting Holland to be seeded instead of France, just that the feeling was that the October seedings represented the best teams.” So there is a precedent to change seeding criterias to manipulate the system However the arguments I made is based under the assumption that the same system that determine seedings would remain the same a the last world cup. Last world cup it was purely based on FIFA ranking and they removed the seeding system that took in consideration performances in previous world cup.