Marco Bresciano, up there with the most technically gifted Australians to pull on a Socceroos jersey, has recently announced his international retirement, less than a month after winning the Asian Cup.
The fact that the 35-year-old was one of only two players from the Socceroos’ ‘golden generation’ that survived the Ange Postecoglou cull indicates just how talented he was, and how his presence was such an integral factor in the team’s revolution.
It would have been fitting to see Bresciano given one last hurrah, the fixture against Germany in Kaiserslautern next month a more than fitting location. After all, that was where the golden generation proved themselves on the world stage, first in a battling victory over Japan before a heartbreaking but inspired loss to Italy.
Yet Bresciano has chosen to end on the high from winning the Asian Cup, where he started one match and made two appearances off the bench.
Coupled with international retirement, Bresciano’s contract with Qatari club Al-Gharafa expires at the end of this season, after which he’ll contemplate his future. The possibility of coming to the A-League has surfaced, with the player seemingly split into two mind frames.
“To come back and play in Australia, I would love to, honestly, but it’s not something I’m really hanging to do,” Bresciano said.
“I wouldn’t come back to just get on the pitch and play and finish my career in the A-League. I would want to come back and still be able to perform. It’s going to come down more to how I’m feeling physically and mentally.”
The midfielder also recently told Fox Sports that he had ruled out a return, however.
Even at 35, Bresciano likely still has a few years of football left in him. While it’s the right time to quit the international stage, especially given the emergence of successors, club football is still very much a reality.
The hysteria which surrounds players when they creep towards 40 is usually misguided, with many stars showing that through careful preparation and meticulous fitness regimes a career can extend long past the mid-30s. Think of Javier Zanetti, Stanley Matthews, Paolo Maldini and Kazuyoshi Miura.
Yet while many would doubtless like to see Bresciano come to Australia, though not as many demanding the arrival of Tim Cahill, it would be a move full of risks. Bresciano could likely find a role with an A-League club, and excel, but the history of former Socceroos returning home doesn’t bode well, unfortunately.
John Aloisi, Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell are the more high-profile former international heroes who received a less than deserved and unceremonious departure from the game. Each of them failed to achieve personal glory, with expectations high and scrutiny ruthless.
Bresciano deserves better than to put up with the potential vitriol from Australian fans, who could dish out similar treatment that his former teammates experienced.
For while it’s been easier for returning Socceroos that play more defence-minded roles to transition back into the A-League, for those who spent their careers in the final third it’s always been a bit of a struggle. It would be unfitting for Bresciano’s career to be tarnished with a less than exemplary showing in Australia.
The criticism directed at him during the Asian Cup, such as the sighs that were released when fans saw his name on the teamsheet against China, was completely unjustified. It also suggests that Bresciano would get a tough run impressing the detractors during a future spell in the A-League.
Too many have fallen into the lazily held view that Bresciano was completely past it. Too many failed to use their eyes when assessing his performances, instead bleating out tired lines on social media that he just wasn’t good enough, and too slow for Postecoglou’s new game plan.
Bresciano actually had a stellar game against China, despite a rusty opening five minutes. His set piece deliveries were spot on, and while his legs didn’t allow him to press as much as fans would’ve liked, he still made more crucial plays (defensively and offensively) than both Mile Jedinak and Massimo Luongo during his time on the pitch.
That was from my own assessment made during the game, though a lot of people appreciate the use of statistics to back up opinion. So if we look at the stats, pulled from the FFA website, we find a similar story.
Bresciano had a pass completion of 88 per cent against China, which was considerably more than Luongo, who had just 81 per cent. Jedinak also completed 88 per cent of his passes, but most of them were from his own half, under less pressure. Loungo and Bresciano played as twin eights, making their passes a lot more risky than Jedinak’s.
Bresciano completed three key passes, compared with Jedinak’s zero and Luongo’s one, while he also made four recoveries, equal with Jedinak and just one less than Luongo. For a 35-year-old, that’s not half bad, and nowhere near as apocalyptic as social media keyboard warriors were suggesting.
Those stats also don’t count Bresciano’s two set piece deliveries, which gave both Jedinak and Sainsbury decent opportunities at goal, which unfortunately both resulted in wayward headers.
There’s no doubt this is the right time for Bresciano to retire, but the calls that he was no longer of use for the Socceroos went a bit too far.
The truth is that Bresciano’s continued presence in the Socceroos set-up has helped Postecoglou bring through the next generation of stars, with Luongo front of the pack. And for me, his last appearance was a solid and committed send-off.
But even when putting in a decent performance, too many were quick to denounce his influence. If he receives the same amount of scrutiny during a stint in the A-League then he’d be best served taking his talents elsewhere, perhaps back to the lower levels of Italy, where they will appreciate his technical abilities.
Bresciano deserves his place as a Socceroos legend, let’s preserve that reputation. It would be a shame to see him share a similar fate with Aloisi, Kewell and Emerton.
There is so much to remember of his career so far, which has spanned two decades and included more than 80 international caps, three World Cups and two Asian Cups. He is easily the best ball-player to represent the Socceroos in my lifetime.
Bresciano’s ability to trap a ball dead and in the same moment let off a vicious drive at goal or slip through a pin-point pass will never be forgotten. Neither will his goals, which included bicycle kicks, cheeky flicks, set pieces and well timed tap-ins.
The volleys, however, will especially be fondly remembered. Those efforts where he was airborne as he met the ball could not be described as anything less than special. There are not a lot of players in the world that can hit a ball so sweetly while defying the laws of gravity.
And then there was his all-important goal against Uruguay. And that celebration, that ice cold celebration. Bresciano was doing the Mario Balotelli before the Italian was even out of school. That’s a memory that will stick with Socceroos fans for the rest of their lives.
Similarly, his opener against Jordan in 2013, in the penultimate World Cup qualifying match, came at a time when the Socceroos were in danger of missing out on a trip to Brazil. It was Bresciano’s perfectly timed run, complementing a fantastic Robbie Kruse build-up, that settled the nerves.
No one can take away Bresciano’s career, and so it would be unfitting to see it tarnished, even if just slightly, due to an unsuccessful stint in Australia. I would love to see him on home soil again, and feel he would be a success in the right environment. But history doesn’t provide much hope, and I’d prefer Bresc to forever remain in our memories for the right reasons. He deserves no less.
Football_Wunderkind
Roar Pro
Here here I have never been a fan of Jedinak as a footballer. For years I have bemoaned the fact he makes a Socceroos squad, let alone starts. Now he is our captain!?!? I wish I could say Ange has been faultless but selecting Jedinak to play and then making him captain is a huge flaw in the Socceroos master plan. I fear it could come back to haunt us in a critical game when he telegraphs a pass in a critical moment and the opposition punishes us with a goal. I don't want to see the day a reporter is going to have to tell Ange that "he made his bed by choosing Jedinak, now you have to lie in it". My brother has championed him for so long because "Premier League", then we scored tickets the Asian Cup final and I told him to watch Jedinak closely. Seeing him live finally opened my brothers eyes to the truth. Jedinak is a terrible passer with amateur technique. He has to look down at the ball every time he passes and it's a crap shoot as to whether the pass hits a target, get intercepted or hits a team mate under pressure. To be fair, Jedinak is an excellent destroyer and breaks up the play very well.... but I am reminded of that ice hockey movie Goon. Here is a quote by Ross Rhea who is a destroyer in his team. I feel like saying this to Jedinak (*changed for football of course). "Kid, you got this thing. The stuff. The sh*t. The f**kin' grit, you got it, like me. But like me, that's all you f**kin' got. And like me, you're no good to anyone doing anything else. All I'm saying is don't go trying to be a *football player. You'll get your f**kin' heart ripped out." The thing is... Ange has a ready made replacement ready to take on Jedinaks spot on the field. Mark Milligan, who is a much better passer and a very good destroyer of opposition play in his own right. Hell... Milligan is also captain material. Plus, if Ange wants two natural screeners on the field then Aaron Mooy can slot into Mark Milligans vacant spot. Mooy is arguably a better passer than Milligan and has a very cultured pass. Aaron Mooy is a great replacement for Brresciano as out set piece man.
j binnie
Guest
Rellum - think we are discussing 2 different things,Waz & I were discussing how "completed passes" are collected and entered into the match statistics. You are going into where a player ,faced with a choice ,may choose to pass the ball backwards in order that his team keeps possession.That could be entered as a successful pass if the recipient immediately got control of the ball and started a move forward on another part of the field, Failure to do this and finish with constant backward or sideway passes dominating the possession game is simply giving the defending team more time to re-set their defensive structure so advantage can be lost. Cheers jb.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Well I agree with you and I don't. In your hypothetical just say the Defender passes it to the goal keeper and the keeper just gives it straight back to the defender. Many people would consider that pointless passing but just say in that instance the passing between defender and goal keeper has allowed the Def Midfielder to move into space up the field to receive a forward pass from the defender. In that instance those sideways passes between the backs has opened up space/gave time for guys further up the field. Of course if the Defender doesn't have the courage to pass it to the Def Midfielder and just looks for the safe pass back to the keeper then yes it is negative football and any passing stats from that then become useless, unless you can quantify valuable and invaluable passing.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Your final point is a good one, j binnie, and we are fortunate that we can both have and express our opinions. My view is that Bresciano was under very little pressure at any time during recent games. It was noticeable (as I expressed on the Roar at the time) that the opposition teams were happy for him to hold the ball without challenging him, as he was ineffective with the ball and likely to pass it to them anyway. The question of opposition standard, like the question of fitness, is virtually irrelevant, since he was not pressured when surrendering the ball, passing the ball away, or kicking it out. It's down to Bresciano's performance, which was simply not up to it in front of an open goal, or in mid-field where he slowed the team down. How well can he run at opposition players in the A-League and dispossess them? It's unknown, because he did not even try at international level. This is not to take away from his many achievements, but it was obvious that every time he came on the field the Socceroos went off the boil, and every time he was absent, the team was more cohesive and more potent. Since opposition interaction was virtually nil, I would not expect this to be any different in the A-League.
j binnie
Guest
pro- again an opinianative answer without any substance to back it up.The players I saw making basic errors v Perth were not Socceroos,ex Socceroos or to be honest players who are unlikely to become Socceroos. What you were suggesting is that Bresciano couldn't cut it at local level but you used international standards of play to back up your argument..As I said, altogether a rather "tongue in the cheek" way to assess a player's possible impact. Cheers jb
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
No difference, so why bother bringing him in?
j binnie
Guest
Prof- My question was not to you but your attempt to answer if fails very badly due to a very important factor,my discussion point with "Roar" was over games to be played in the HAL,a standard of football far removed from that played in the World Cup or even the Asian Cup. You go on to describe instances in where Bresciano would be "caught out" and yet last night I watched current Roar players suffering exactly the same indignities.Where is the difference?????? Cheers jb
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
"could Bresciano supply the vision and execution of such passes???" I would say "no". Most of his passes during and after the World Cup involved 1 of 3 outcomes: 1. a quick tap back to the person who just gave him the ball ; 2. a quick tap over the sideline for an opposition throw-in 3. a well-timed pass to the opposition that led to a chance on goal (this latter was not as obvious in the Asia Cup because he didn't get as much game time) In addition, we could guarantee that there would be no blocking of opposition runners, no tackling of opposition runners, and no incisive runs at the goal. His occasional moments of holding the ball steady would definitely slow down his own attacking players, but would have to be kept to a minimum, since he has been consistently robbed of possession in the past half dozen games he has played. He would offer the occasional cross in front of goal, and when in front of an open goal, would pop the ball over the cross bar.
j binnie
Guest
Fadida -100% agreement and as I have said often,assessing a player's contribution is not a statistcal exercise it is an assessment exercise based on totally different criteria, Cheers jb
Fadida
Guest
Agree jb. Unlike other sports eg cricket, stats in football often lack context. Was it a pass under pressure, was it a 5 metre pass back to the keeper? A player can have a 95% pass completion it the 5% missed may have been the key passes eg missing a make able through ball which would lead to a goal. Stats don't show poor positioning, and players not shutting down when they should.
BES
Guest
Would love this to be correct but it wont happen. No way in the world will Timmy be on the plane to Russia.
BES
Guest
"Bresc still made more crucial plays (defensively and offensively) than both Mile Jedinak and Massimo Luongo"..... Love Bresc and I applaud and completely agree with the main point of this article, but seriously, my grandmother could make more crucial plays than Jedinak! And it seems finally, FINALLY the light is dawning as we look at where Jedi is spending most of his time back with his club team now..... I dont mean to be personal, he has had a career that is stunning in regard to where he has played and the notoriety he has received with such incredibly little actual football ability. Good on him I say - but please, PLEASE can we move on with the national team and give someone we can be proud of as an actual football player the Captaincy.
Justin Mahon
Guest
Amen to that.
j binnie
Guest
Fadida - You touch here on a problem that has been evident in football analysis for so long, the amassing of meaningful data. Let's buid a hypothetical to explain that. Take John Smith,playing as a fullback,and being analysed for "successful passes". John may find upwards of 20 times during a game where he is caught without any worthwhile targets in front of him caused by lack of movement of his team mates, and so is forced to pass backwards to either his goalkeeper or a sweeping defender. That unfortunately is counted as a "completed pass" though it has done nothing to achieve some sort of penetration but has simply allocated more time to a team out of possession to re-group. That is where "stats" can be misleading,great care has to be taken in analysing the question being asked (what is a successful completed pass ???) or in fact is the question, and answer, actually a misleading "stat". Cheers jb.
j binnie
Guest
Real - Let me ask you a simple question,could the Roar (your team) use Bresciano at this point in time.???? I know the answer could be we don't really know for sure but let your imagination take over for just a minute. Roar have a midfield at present comprising of Sarota who appears to have a problem, perhaps psychological,with how he has coped with serious injury,then there is Brattan,a player of huge potential but who lacks the real pace that separates good midfielders from the mundane, and Matt Mackay,he of the great heart, but who every defender knows is not a high percentage finisher,almost a necessity in today's game. With a game plan based on AP's version of tic-a-tac football what is lacking today in Roar's work,is a real playmaker around which that plan can be be built the missing link???? Franz Thijssen is faced with a problem,(he is far to experienced a player/coach to spell it out) but week in weekout he sees the failure to deliver a first time, killing pass through a resolute defence cause his selections to struggle. Back to my question. Surrounded by three other fit ,hard working midfielders could Bresciano supply the vision and execution of such passes.??? That is the root of whether this man has anything left to offer the HAL, that, and of course his inbuilt desire to still participate in the game in an onfield role. Cheers jb.
Wynter
Roar Pro
What does he have to give back to us? Almost every significant moment in Socceroo history since Bresc started playing, involves him in some way shape or form. This idea that professionals have to give back to the country they represented is ridiculous, he's given everything for us for 15 years (?) which is more than enough
Realfootball
Guest
"Even at 35, Bresciano likely still has a few years of football left in him." You're always in there for a dubious generalisation, aren't you Janek? What level of football, and upon what observations do you base this assertion, given that Bresc is clearly now lacking in pace and stamina. He is a shadow of the player he was even 2 years ago, and given rates of physical decline for athletes in their mid 30s... Do you really see Bresciano being able to match it in the A League at age 37? No, Bresc's career as an elite athlete is over.
Fadida
Guest
Agree his influence would be great at trai Ing and match days. On the field it's questionable though
Fadida
Guest
I'm not saying prioritise runners Franko. God no! A certain amount of mobility is crucial though. SFC last year were defending with 9 outfield players only. ADP was a cone, allowing teams to play out from the back easily , working 2v 1's and easy overlaps on his side. They couldn't hide him. The damage from this outweighed his fading contribution. I'm all for creative players, flair and individual brilliance (TM Ned Zelic). There comes a time though where they simply can't run. 9 men plus a specialist set piece taker won't win you anything. Team > individual
Rellum
Roar Guru
I am with you there Franko. If Recoba had come here instead of going to Panionios and had a full pre-season with our physio's he would have been near un-stoppable. The problem is I still think Aussie fans to a degree still favour perceived effort over skill. You can have skill but you need to run. Del Piero copped this during his time here. In some ways I can understand it because if all 11 guys are not defending then your team is at a disadvantage but I love to see extreme skill on display personally.