It’s not at all what we expected, but a semi-final clash with the United Arab Emirates is not something to cheer about. The desire to avoid Japan has been bandied about way too much for a country tipped second favourite, and now there is no room for complacency.
While fans and critics have celebrated Samurai Blue’s capitulation against the Emiratis in the quarter-finals, you can be assured that Ange Postecoglou would have just simply switched his training plans for the following days in Newcastle.
The Socceroos’ manager has had to deal with constant criticism during his tenure, which soon turned to feet-licking after two dominant performances against inferior opponents. Continuous calls that Australia had to avoid Japan at all costs was just another thing he had to ignore.
Having called out Ange for getting his line-up wrong against South Korea, I’m still sticking to that viewpoint when considering a victory was the desired result. If he was aiming to win the game, he failed. Simple.
But the loss has panned out well for Australia. All three of the remaining rivals have had to go through gruelling 120-minute matches, and the Socceroos have been able to rotate players without disastrous consequences. Against the UAE, Postecoglou has a full squad to choose from, barring Chris Herd.
Negating Omar Abdulrahman has to be highlighted, and no matter how tempted Ange is to play his own brand of football he can’t ignore his opponent’s greatest threat. Omar is the undisputed player of the tournament so far, and his magical skill set has to be nullified.
Mile Jedinak had a shocking first half against China, and there would have been reasonable grounds to replace him at half time. But he grew into the game in the second stanza, like the rest of his teammates, and you would hope the initial performance was down to rustiness.
Jedi could play a crucial role in keeping tabs on Omar, but he may need extra support, so it will be interesting to see whether Postecoglou reverts back to the 4-2-3-1 that he favoured in his early days.
If Japan had been our semi-final opponents, a 4-3-3 with a two number eights would have been more likely, but given UAE’s blistering start against Samurai Blue, and Australia’s inability to begin games on top, playing two holders in the first half could be an option.
Mark Milligan is the obvious man to come in, if Postecoglou opted to down that route. A solid opening 15 minutes is essential, with the Socceroos conceding both their goals in this tournament in the first 35.
That’s where the return of Matthew Spiranovic will be essential. His place back alongside Trent Sainsbury, who produced his best performance in green and gold against China, will be key to a good start. Dealing with UAE’s balls in behind the defence to Ali Mabkhout will be no easy task, and Ivan Franjic in particular has to lift his game. Mabkhout is a predatory forward, and his pace and power will punish any slight slips.
The next question, if Postecoglou trumps for two holding midfielders, is who should play the number 10 role. Massimo Luongo has expressed his own surprise at playing so many games in this tournament, which could signal a possible master plan from Postecoglou.
Luongo may have been utilised in the opening games, where the stakes were less high, in order to ease Marco Bresciano into the team. It therefore would not be a surprise to see our veteran number 10 inserted into the starting line-up, with Mass coming off the bench.
Luongo has started every game, and given Postecoglou’s tendency to rotate the squad, perhaps this is the time to give him a slight breather. Bresciano is also a pure number 10, while Luongo plays the majority of his club football with Swindon Town as an eight.
Bresciano was widely lambasted for his performance against China on social media, somewhat unfairly. He looked rusty in the opening 15, no doubt, but like Jedinak grew into the game.
His set pieces were an upgrade on Luongo, and two of his pin-point deliveries resulted in golden opportunities for Jedinak and Sainsbury. He was easily the Socceroos’ best midfielder up until his departure, with Jedinak flailing and Luongo struggling to get involved.
Starting Bresciano in a 4-2-3-1 would not be a terrible idea, though it will restrict the Socceroos’ high intensity pressing game. And given Luongo’s blistering form in the group stages, you’d be a brave man to drop him now. Postecoglou is used to making the tough calls though, and it will be interesting to see where he goes.
As long as Australia start the game strongly, the quality of this side should shine through. Go behind early on, however, and it will be a massive task for the Socceroos to claw their way back. Some more Tim Cahill magic could be the difference again.
Victory here would put the Socceroos one win away from history, and would give Postecoglou vindication for a philosophy that has always been a long-term strategy. Success would undoubtedly be a huge achievement, given the amount of changes he’s had to make and the amount of pressure he’s been under.
Win or lose Ange, is here to stay, but leading Australia to its first international trophy would be a fitting reward for his revolution.
mattq
Guest
agree... this writer's articles seem to be slipping more and more into Tuckerman territory of late....
Kaks
Roar Guru
Frankly, the majority of people dont care about the Matilda's so stop trying to make it an issue.
Kaks
Roar Guru
That is what the article stated. Ange rotated the squad when he was able to and minimised the chance of fatigue. It was a gamble that may have just worked out for the socceroos.
Dinoweb
Guest
I don't think Jedinak offers anything that others don't, and was not overly impressed with him against China. As for Bresc, I am of the opinion you do not start players who are not capable of lasting a game. It effectively reduces your options for tactical change knowing that a particular player will have to be swapped regardless of the game situation. Bresc is not capable of running a full game. I agree that he played well in the first half against China, but when the team upped the tempo in the second, Bresc could not keep up. 10 minutes into the second half he was a passenger, and that is not acceptable. I would take McKay over Troisi but that is personal choice, I do not think it should be Bresc. Use him as a sub if we are behind, but otherwise, leave him on the bench. Sorry to say, but his time is past, and he should announce his retirement from international football ASAP. I can not see him being picked in a squad again.
Griffo
Roar Guru
I agree on playing systems to suit the opponent. Ange has mentioned more than once that the team has analysed their opponents and are well prepared. What I also detect is how much the game tactics are geared towards suiting an Australian style - which in part it is aggressive in an attacking and defensive sense - in not sitting back. Almost the antithesis of the past two World Cup cycles. We'll see later this evening...better go and kill 6 hours with sleep. Going to be a long work day tomorrow before the kids put on their green 'n' gold war paint and hair dye :twisted:
RBBAnonymous
Guest
Bresianos career is over. He wont get another minute playing for national team. He has become a passenger in the midfield and a luxury in the side we cant afford. He cant keep up with the tempo, loses possession too easily, jogs back when tracking his man, cant get back into position fast enough and everyone has to work harder because of it. Sure he gives 2-3 good crosses a match, so what. I need more than that to justify him starting. He has had an amazing socceroo career but he reminds me of a boxer who has had one too many fights and is going to get KTFO.
RBBAnonymous
Guest
Totally agree. I cannot see us playing two holding midfielders against UAE. Janek has got that call totally wrong. If anything we are more likely to play two holding midfielders against Korea should we happen to get through but I hope we dont. All we have to do is make sure Bresciano doesnt get game time anymore in the tournament. As much as I love Juric, his best work is coming off the bench with 30-35 mins to go. Everyone else in the squad can do the job although I do prefer Behich to Davidson. As much as I dont like McKay he is versatile and industrious so he will more than likely be in the midfield in place of Milligan. Its very rare for Milligan and Jedi to play well together in the same team. Unless you push Milligan further forward in the midfield then its not going to work. They did play together ok when they played against China so it might work but that was a rarity. As long as we dont play Jedi and Milligan as both holding midfielders then I am ok with them being in the same side. We should beat UAE quite easily, especially after UAE had a physically and emotionally draining match against Japan.
dasilva
Guest
"If he was aiming to win the game, he failed." Just wandering do you believe there any time where a team or manager outperform the opposition and yet still lose? While football is determine who is responsible to getting the ball at the back of the net, whether the team does that is outside the influence of the manager. The manager can coach movement by the players, defensive stucture but ultimately the ability to score in a pressure situation is out of the manager control other than selection. I guess you can blame the selection for the match but considering that this was squad rotation it was defendable for a bigger picture point of view. My view is that the scoreboard shows who deserve to win the match but the scoreboard doesn't always reflect whether the manager pass or fail Personally Australia played better football against South Korea than against China where China outplayed Australia in the first half without scoring a goal. Australia was out-manage under Verbeek when they won 1-0 against Bahrain away from home (Bahrain completely dominated the match and Bresciano) I thought Arnold outperform Postecoglu in the first Brisbane Central coast final but still lost in the penalty shootout. from an international perspective. Guus Hiddink out-thought Guardiola in the Champions League Semi-Final but still loss the two legs (chelsea vs Barcalona) I just don't see it as looking at the result and then assume the manager failed You can succeed what you can control but still get the wrong result. That's just part of the game.
Jack
Guest
agree about franij lifting his game. The guy gets hardly any cristizm but his basically the new carney on the right. All of our golas in last 14 months have come down his flank. Ryan McGowan has signed for Dundee and young briallante is in some other Italian side . To be honest herd lacks to much in attacj and franij is a horrid defender . We need to find a RB somewhere
Squizz
Guest
Yellow cards have been reset. Mile's rustiness could be down to not training because of injury added to a poor pitch and slippery conditions. All in all nothing to give you confidence in an injured ankle, Assuming Mile comes back in then Luongo and either Trioisi or Oar should be the other two players. while nominally a 4-3-3 Luongo will drop back and give Mile help when required. My preference would be Oar from the accounts of his form OS - but Ange is seeing them in training and hasn't given him a minute.
Paul
Guest
McKay shouldnt start and shouldnt be in the 23. Not there on merit but mates with postecoglou. Triosi made the team cohesive in the china game. Starting line-up should be the same as last game except Triosi on for bresciano. Possible to change Davidson on yellow card for behich. Remember yellow cards for Cahill and jedinak may change starting line-up!
Janek Speight
Expert
Completely agree that Mile and Milligan aren't ideal partners in midfield, but for the first half I wouldn't mind a 4-2-3-1 to settle the game. We've struggled so far to start strong in the opening 15-20 mins. The team could then move to 4-3-3 in the second half.
Janek Speight
Expert
Agree Griffo that moving to 4-3-3 was part of the transition, but applying certain systems for certain situations shouldn't be discarded. I think it's a strength that the Socceroos are now comfortable playing both formations, and that should be utilised. I'm not usually a fan of both Jedinak and Milligan playing together, but for the first half against UAE I'd be happy to see it. The Socceroos have been woeful at opening games, that needs to change in the semis and hopefully the final.
Janek Speight
Expert
Ange wanted to win against South Korea, he said he put out a team he thought would win. Regardless of stats, they lost. If anyone saw that same team line up against South Korea in a final and felt confident I'd be very surprised. They played some nice football at times, but that lack of experience at the highest level cost them. But while he got that game wrong, his grander plan has shone through and is paying dividends. Like I've already said, the loss wasn't a huge problem. Don't take the criticism as Ange bashing, it's necessary to avoid following your manager blindly.
Janek Speight
Expert
I would say any player coming back from injury, missing training sessions in a short space of time, would be rusty. I don't think Jedinak is a regular starter, but his role as captain can't be underestimated. The players look to him, as many said when the scores were 0-0 against China. Everyone knows his passing isn't top quality, but in breaking up play he's our best option, and Ange has chosen to ignore his weaknesses in favour of his strengths. Bresciano has the class for this level, McKay and Troisi don't. Troisi has not looked like he's up to this level all tournament. Bresc might be getting on, and this will be his last action in a Socceroos jersey, but he still has a part to play in the Asian Cup.
fadida
Guest
Agree LF. The author is alluding to the men's NT, not Australia as as country, or the whole of Australian football
Leland Facepalmer
Guest
Good point, except the article is obviously talking about the Australian men's football team. The team coached by Ange Postecoglou and featuring the very many players named in the article. It's convenient in context to refer them simply as "Australia", rather than "the Australian men's football team". Having even the slightest regard to context will prevent you from getting sad about utterly pointless things. If "the Australian women's football team" had a chance of winning this tournament, your complaint might have some validity.
AZ_RBB
Guest
I haven't seen every game but I reckon South Korea have looked more capable than Iran and Japan ever did in this tournament. I'm not sure if we're underestimating UAE or making Japan out to be a lot strong than they actually are.
Uncle Junior
Guest
Whilst I'd like to think the job is easier without Japan and Iran in the tournament, should we be that arrogant? In reality, if we only worry about Australia and not the opposition, nothing has changed other than UAE and Iraq have demonstrated they had the ability to beat Japan and Iran respectively so UAE and Iraq should really be considered with as much respect as Japan and Iran. Australia's job is just the same as it was before. To be champions of Asia we have to win 2 more matches.
Ed J
Guest
I would think that McKay will come into the midfield with Luongo and Mile, because he has the mobility that Mile needs in a midfield partner. Mile is a fine player, but McKay gives him a short option every time, and this will allow the front 3 (I imagine it will be Kruse, Leckie and Cahill) not to have to drop to far back but still keep pressing from the front. This would also allow Mile to physically manage Abdulrahman. Milligan and Bresciano are both excellent players, but it is a case of one or the other for the Socceroos (Milligan or Mile, and Luongo or Bresciano). If AP were to go back to the 4-2-3-1 he risks isolating Cahill, and making Kruse and Leckie run themselves out, and that will make the Socceroos task all the more difficult and be a retrograde step in the evolution of what could turn out to be a very good Socceroos story.