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After riding in on a wave of optimism following last week’s 4-0 win over Oman, the Socceroos crashed back to reality with defeat to Korea Republic, a result that sparked far more outrage than was warranted.
Lest we forget the Koreans sit 31 spots higher in the (albeit, farcical) world rankings, have finished third at the last two Asian Cups and have competed at an Asian record nine World Cups.
The complex that we should have easily accounted for them is a flawed one. They were the better team and deserved to take top spot. Perhaps the pre-tournament permutation predicting an Australia-Japan final was rammed home just a little too severely.
This tournament was never going to be easy, but now the Socceroos must do it the ‘hard way’, as though the alternative would have been a walk in the park.
All thinly veiled excuses – Suncorp Stadium pitch, Postecoglou’s rotation – can be put aside. It’s sleeves up from here.
As Janek Speight wrote on Monday, Ange’s tactics against Korea left plenty to be desired. And there will be much deliberation in the coming days over where the Socceroos must most rapidly improve.
One of those areas will undoubtedly be the feeble starts that have characterised this team over the last 12 months. Only twice in the last 13 games have the Socceroos scored first, a trend that has been well and truly validated during the Asian Cup.
The early game jitters were in full swing against Kuwait, Hussein Fadhel pouncing on some lax defending after just eight minutes. It took a solid 15 minutes for the Socceroos to get into the match as Kuwait effectively diffused every initial raid from the hosts.
Of course, it proved a mere matter of fact in the grand scheme of things, the final result salvaging the blushes of an opening period where the Aussies were well and truly outplayed.
It must have been given scarce attention leading into the Oman game, though. The Omanis had clearly done their homework and ran vigorously at the Socceroos defence early on and asserting their dominance.
The saving grace was that Oman lacked composure in the final third and the Socceroos found their feet before Maty Ryan’s goal could be seriously tested. This time around, the lapse lasted around 10 minutes. An improvement but still a noteworthy factor.
Deja vu returned against South Korea. Matt McKay, Aziz Behich and Trent Sainsbury were all given stern tests in the opening five minutes, with Ryan called into action far earlier than he would’ve liked.
The Socceroos backline seemed second to everything as the Koreans kicked off with extreme gusto. They should have gone ahead after 12 minutes when Kwak Tae-hwi was given free reign from a corner; the defender’s errant header offering a reprieve.
Again, it took 15 minutes for the Socceroos to bite back and establish some control, although it wasn’t a luxury they were afforded for much of the contest.
They were fortunate in that South Korea failed to pounce on that early trademark lapse in concentration, but it isn’t a risk the Aussies can afford to take for the remainder of the tournament.
We saw during the World Cup how easy it is to be undone when you offer quality opposition a half chance.
A sluggish start against Chile allowed the South Americans to score two goals inside 15 minutes, making the Socceroos’ later efforts redundant. It was a similar case against the Netherlands, although on that occasion a bright start was ruined by momentary negligence.
Postecoglou’s men have played their best football during the Asian Cup when they have been in complete control. This isn’t a side that thrives on counter-attacking football, but rather needs to be dominant in possession.
It means the Socceroos must kick off Thursday’s quarter-final against China on the front foot and minimise the chance of being found out early on.
Alex Wilkinson will play his first match of the tournament and needs to be on high alert from the outset, as do the fullbacks – whichever combination Postecoglou opts for. The wide channels have been the Socceroos’ most vulnerable position defensively and it’s highly unlikely mistakes will go unpunished from here.
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