Japan will be the tournament favourites in January’s Asian Cup, regardless of Australia’s home advantage.
They have the players, the tactics and the movement that is vastly superior to anything else in the continent. Javier Aguirre has been brought on with the mission to retain the Asian Cup.
There was plenty to be heartened with in the Socceroos’ first half performance. Yet in equal measure, plenty was in display in the second period to suggest an Australian victory at Stadium Australia on January 31 is best described as fanciful.
Finally, do not underestimate the pressure now on Ange Postecoglou. It is now eight losses from 11. That’s the statistic. Save for either victory or admirable progression to the final in January, his job may be well called for time come the end of the Asian Cup. You’ve heard it here, so quote me.
FINAL SCORE:
Japan 2-1 Australia
It is the final hitout for Ange Postecoglou and the Socceroos before the Asian Cup, as Australia face rivals Japan on away territory. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 9:00pm (AEDT) on Tuesday evening.
Pitting this game as a friendly encounter does little justice to the recent history of this fixture.
Matches between Japan and Australia have come laden with big moments. Who could forget Tim Cahill’s double-strike in Germany 2006 setting the Socceroos on their way to paths untrodden, or the moment Tadanari Lee slotted home in extra time in the 2011 Asian Cup to deny Australia their first piece of Asian silverware?
The point is – don’t be fooled by the game’s friendly tag. There is little to be friendly about in a contest that may well likely be repeated at an Australian venue next January.
While both teams will recognise each other as continental equals, there is little doubt that Japan hold the form and aces heading into this game.
Home advantage is one thing, yet obliterating Honduras to the tune of 6-0 is another.
The starpower of Keisuke Honda was reinforced with a goal against Los Catrachos, while midfielder Shinji Kagawa continued his resurgence since returning to Borussia Dortmund with another fine performance.
With a team boasting a healthy mix of European regulars coupled with mainstays in the quality J-League, the Blue Samurai can rightly be considered the pre-tournament favourites for the Asian Cup.
Home advantage will play to Australia’s favour to some degree in January, but not to the extent it can nullify recent poor outings. If Ange Postecoglou’s side received admirable plaudits for their World Cup performances, the displays since have little to be inspired about.
A record of two losses, a nil-all stalemate and one last-gasp win does not make for good reading for the Socceroos, nor does it inspire confidence ahead of a game where winning seems inconceivable.
It is difficult to assume what the desired outcome is for Ange Postecoglou, given the Socceroos’ recent plight, and given that better teams have came to Japan and never left victorious.
As always though, one name will strike cold sweats for every vociferous Japanese faithful inside Nagai Stadium on Tuesday night – Tim Cahill.
In what could hypothetically be his last game against Japan, Cahill has often saved his best for the Blue Samurai – none more so than a steamy 2006 day in Kaiserslautern.
No longer the fresh-faced substitute, but Australia’s focal point in attack, Cahill will be relying on both the returning Robbie Kruse and the industrious Matthew Leckie to create much-needed offensive fluency.
Further concerns lie in defence, where three goals have been conceded against the likes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Postecoglou will likely show faith in Alex Wilkinson and Trent Sainsbury, even though Asian Champions League winner Nikolai Topor-Stanley is ready and waiting.
Captain Mile Jedinak is a critical figure to protect his defence against the dangerous Japanese forward threat, while Mark Bresciano, despite plying his trade in the anonymity of the UAE, is still Australia’s most creative attacking outlet.
The tactics Postecoglou’s employs will prove critical to the outcome on how well the Socceroos can nullify Japan on their home deck, and provide useful clues on how to set up his team against oppositions of similar quality come January.
He will likely shelve his usual attack-minded tendencies to seek a strong defensive effort, with the attacking threat mainly coming from counter-raids.
Otherwise, Australia could be in for a similar evening that Honduras endured.
j binnie
Guest
Fuss- Most of the comments regarding the WC games appear to emphasise how well we played and from a TV viewers perspective there is little doubt we appeared to play well in the earlier part of the game BUT, in most of the comments I have read the authors never mention the changes that opposition teams appeared to have made in order for them to gain ascendancy in the second half and I think that was apparent again last night and that was why I was referring to the "post-match summaries" you were having to write. Your mate jb
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
That was a competitive game! (Always are between Japan and Australia). Dare I say Ange now has a worse record than Holger, but I don't blame Ange for the current situation---I blame the youngsters for not having the same desire and hunger as the golden generation had. Tim Cahill, the last of the Mohicans---how long now can we depend on him, to keep us in the game?
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Fair enough comments from Steve and Fussie. I think in a sense we did play the 2nd half the way that we played the 1st -- it's just that Japan adapted and we didn't. We need at least 2 different games per game.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
jb Think you're being a bit harsh about the matches at WC2014. Against Chile, I thought that, apart from the opening 15' when we were simply overawed by the occasion, I thought we were terrific right until the final whistle we stroked the ball around with confidence & went forward with real intent. The Netherlands game was similar, although the mistake from Maty Ryan that gifted Holland the lead after we were leading 2-1, seemed to deflate the team & we never looked threatening in the final 20' So, I'm not totally despondent but just want us to get rid of the stupid mistakes that seem to deflate the team.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@Prof Rosseforp I don't agree with that summary of the 1st half. For me, it was close to the best 45' of football we've played under Ange. The only thing missing was the final ball. Japan resorted to long balls - a style that they seemed to adopt at WC2014 with spectacular failure. The 2nd half from Japan was terrific to watch - they reverted to the style that has made them the most consistently successful nation in Asia for the past 10 years. If Australia can reproduce what I saw in the first 45', for the full 90', I'll be overjoyed. It will take time. Let's hope Ange has it under control.
j binnie
Guest
Another interesting statistic is that up to and including last night Ange "has had a look at" 45 different players in his 12 squads. That is good from a young players point of view but from a team performance angle it has to be said Ange cannot possibly be satisfied after his first year in charge and now, with the Asia Cup pending, one has to ask,are we any better prepared??.jb
Postanoclu
Guest
Sack Postanoclu, he didn't even qualify for the WC. And let's stop being delusional about the A league, no coach is truly an international world class coach.
Steve
Guest
I'm not buying the whole "doesn't have a team". It's a lame excuse designed to give Ange a free pass. Costa Rica didn't have a great side leading into the World Cup (I doubt many people beforehand thought they were significantly better than us), but look at their results. Even Iran were a 903 minute Messi screamer away from drawing 0-0 with Argentina. Our defense is porous, and the coach must take some blame.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Fuss, I would say the first 15 minutes were excellent, the second 15 were average, and by the final 15 of the first half, the Japanese gradually moved forward as they realised their defence was solid and the Australian attack was limited. The second half was a total scramble/shambles, topped off by the bizarre substitution of Bresciano/Nichols. My observation fits in with MarkfromCroydon -- as in the Netherlands World Cup game, the opposition coach read the Australian game and adapted ; Postecoglou either cannot change tactics, or does not have a team capable of changing tactics.
Roarsome
Guest
There was no one on the far post from the corner which I think was the problem leading to the first goal. I noticed they also had a close call in the first half where the far post was left unmarked too.
j binnie
Guest
Fuss - Very observant.This is certainly not the first time you have had to report these findings,and in that fact alone there is a multitude of problems to be analysed. If we go back to the World Cup most of the games we played in we apparently were "playing great" in the first 45 minutes but what happened when the second half came on,we have been totally outplayed.And these are not the only 3 games where this "phenomenon" has been sighted,with much "lesser" teams appearing to allow us to play in the first half and then applying greater pressure to go on and win games.It's almost like the old adage ."show us what you've got and then we'll up the ante". In our last 12 games we have failed to score,despite some bright spells,in 5 of those games,and only 1 goal in each of another 4. When one considers the main aim in the game is to score goals I tend to doubt that the word"great" can be used to describe the overall play of these teams,manned by the way with over 40 players. "Better" yes,"more attractive" yes but "great",with that goal performance in 9 games "great"?? I'm afraid not ,no matter what these well paid pundits are trying to tell us. Sad,but true. Cheers jb
Eraserhead
Roar Rookie
True. I think it was actually Leckie's man on that occasion. Really though, given the questionable communication in this side I don't understand why we aren't using a zonal methodology on set pieces. Even playing amateur football with my club we quickly established man marking was just a recipe for concession on corners. Ned Zelic said as much after the game as well incidentally.
Martyn50
Guest
Time to sack the coach?
j binnie
Guest
Martyn- Since Ange took over the Socceroos have played in 12 matches and if we apply the normal "table" it reads as follows----- Played 12 Won 1 Drawn 2, Lost 9, Scored 11 Conceded 23 and "gained" 5 points from a possible 36. When you peruse these figures it is not hard to understand why we have slipped very badly in the FIFA rankings. jb
Eraserhead
Roar Rookie
Your bet is as good as mine mate :D Unfortunately the time for experimentation ends here. At this point I'll probably apply my remaining optimism to the conviction that Kruse is capable of a lot more than he showed in these last few matches, so ideally he can find some form with Leverkusen before January.
MarkfromCroydon
Guest
Ange was outcoached. Aguirre realised the roos defend too narrow and as a unit, and if you can beat the first man in the press, there's always room out wide on the wings. They killed us in the second half by utilising the width of the pitch. Ps. Franjic was marking No.8 at the first goal, and it wasn't solely his fault. it was the fault of the whole back line-midfield in not making sure every man was picked up
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Great 1st half. Crap 2nd half. Schoolboy errors to concede goals. Getting sick of writing this post-match summary in recent times.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
You are wise ... yet there is a sadness in your wisdom :-) Agree with your comments re attack + bizarre substitutions. I might as well say it -- wouldn't you have like to see a cameo from Archie Thompson? If Cahill could fit in 20 minutes of gametime and score, Thompson could have put in 15 minutes and at least made a couple of shots.
Eraserhead
Roar Rookie
Interesting to note that as soon as Cahill entered the fray, Japan substantively dropped the intensity of their press and immediately returned the game to us. It seems to me that their advanced positioning was attributed to an entirely justified fearlessness of our ability to play over their heads without him. If the opposition is wholly unconcerned with our forwards, they may concentrate principally on obstructing supply to our midfield. So Timmy still constitutes the lone route to scoring goals, which unfortunately bodes rather poorly in the final third for the less immediate future. Still, I honestly believe we would have won this match with him on the pitch. Was pleased for the most part with the selection of Jedinak, McKay and Luongo in midfield. We actually produced a genuine engine room capable of some intelligent play, which the inclusion of players like Milligan has impeded for some time. Bresciano (legend) and Nichols, were accordingly a bizarre substitution in my mind given that they both lack semblance of defensive mentality and simply don't fit into this system. I miss Holman.
paul
Guest
I couldnt believe Andy Harper's description of the game.............what was he watching Germany 2006 ?