To avoid regurgitating a synopsis of the Chile match and offering praise for the Socceroos – which has been done to death among all media outlets – I want to shine a torch on the future.
Now that the World Cup has commenced, I am looking forward to the Asian Cup (on home soil) more than ever. Mainly because I think we’ll win it.
Let me explain why.
All the way across the ocean in Australia, we could see that our young boys were overawed and anxious against Chile. Scared even, perhaps. Given the reputation of the opposition, you could almost say it was unsurprising.
Under the lenses of the cameras and through the screens of our televisions, the Socceroos were like ants under a microscope.
But with the calming influence of veteran Timmy Cahill, we scrambled back into the contest. And then, in the second half, against all expectations, we dominated.
2-0 down before the 15 minute mark, I feared a repeat of the Germany debacle. However, even then, I still knew Ange was the bravest coach at the World Cup.
It is only in the cauldron of international football, in the world’s most prestigious tournament, that our boys can grow up. For this, we can thank Holger Osieck. Without making the World Cup, football in Australia would have been stunted.
For real competition, we need to step beyond the inconsistent gulf nations of the Asian federation.
Since Ange has usurped the insipid Osieck, the problem has been consistency.
In every game there have been periods where we have been on fire. Unstoppable. Whether in the first half against Ecuador or the second half against Chile, exuberance and confidence has oozed from yellow shirts. If we can play at our highest level for 90 minutes, we can win the Asian Cup.
Equally though, there have been moments of self-destruction. Over time, however, this will change as our young players become more experienced.
Early on players like Tommy Oar were guilty of running at their marker when they should have slowed the tempo down. We were clearly not sticking to the game plan. Long balls over the top were always an option, considering the high backline of Chile, but they were chosen at the wrong time (usually, in a panic).
Young players are often pictured as over-exuberant. They make poor decisions. I don’t necessarily agree with this. But, judging from the Roos performance in the first half alone, I’d agree.
To use Jason Davidson as a microcosm for the Socceroos, people seem to have forgotten that it was his back pass to Alex Wilkinson in the first half that almost led to a comical goal. He learnt from his mistake, however, and performed admirably.
Even in the second half a couple of his passes went astray but he was eager to get on the ball. He was running the overlap out wide. He was putting in fantastic crosses for Cahill’s noggin. The archetypal Postecoglou player.
We have the World Cup and subsequent friendlies to make sure we can perform more consistently. This is why the World Cup and our grouping with Spain, Chile and the Netherlands is a gift from the footballing Gods.
I am sick of the pessimism surrounding the national team (social media sites like Facebook are bristling with it). We are, in my opinion, the only team at the World Cup that has an opportunity to use it for rebuilding. Fortunately, we have a bold coach who has recognised this.
This is not to say losing should be lauded. Articles asking us to disregard the score line and praising Australia’s greatest footballing moment are ludicrous and plain disrespectful to the players. Such a defeatist attitude in the media is unwelcome.
The Postecoglou reign has given me hope. Football is far from stagnant in this country. Our national team is no baby. Nor even a child, despite its infancy. Right now, it’s in its adolescence, trying to discover its identity. Exciting, erratic, innovative, rash, courageous? Yes.
It is fitting that the Socceroos can grow into men in (likely) their last game, against Spain, in an affluent city of trimmed hedges and office blocks. A city strangely reminiscent of the urban coastal metropolises of our own nation. Curitiba has one of the highest Human Development Index ratings of any city in Brazil. With half the population not born in the city, the city is the perfect metaphor for Australia and for the Socceroos who have the opportunity to burst into adulthood.
And if they don’t, there’s always the Asian Cup.
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