The Socceroos’ success at the 2015 Asian Cup was supposed to herald a new bright era for Australia’s development under the FFA. Yet the federation’s youth teams have faltered, unable to match their senior colleagues at the highest level.
First the Young Socceroos were absent from the 2015 Under-20 World Cup, and now the Olyroos have floundered at the chance of securing a berth at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Many have hailed Australia’s youth – from the Joeys through to the Olyroos – for their fine technical skills and an ability to hold the ball and dominate possession statistics.
It has apparently prepared them for the next step up to the Socceroos, where they will be required to possess similar characteristics. However the results have far too often been missing.
Performance and results are not, and should never be, mutually exclusive. Let us get that out of the way. The argument that playing good football overrides results is understandable, but flawed. Both components should be given equal attention.
And even if performance does take an increased importance, the Australian youth teams have failed on that front anyway. That was most recently evident during the Olyroos’ doomed AFC Under-23 Championship campaign.
The performances may have been filled with fantastic possession stats and brilliant passing completion rates within the defending two-thirds, yet it has been safe, boring football.
Possession does not equal entertainment, or an indication of progression.
The blame for failing to mix performances with results has to fall to the coach, Aurelio Vidmar, but also to the overall system. How constrained was Vidmar, how strict is the FFA’s directive to stick with 4-3-3?
Vidmar must go, of that there is no doubt, two failed attempts to make the Olympics is unacceptable, but those above him should also be under pressure, including FFA technical director Eric Abrams.
At the AFC Under-23 Championship, similar deficiencies prevalent at all levels of Australian youth football were on show. The ball movement was too slow, the penetration lacking thought and the ability to adapt to opponents’ tactics worryingly absent, or restricted.
The defence was largely not a problem for the Olyroos, despite a shaky performance in the opening 1-0 loss to the United Arab Emirates. One goal conceded from three games is quite exceptional at international level.
Yet in attack the team was toothless, and a concerning pattern is emerging. The last time Vidmar led the Olyroos to Olympic qualification the team emerged with four 0-0 draws and two losses in their group of Uzbekistan, UAE and Iraq. Zero goals in six games.
Preceding the AFC Under-23 Championship, the Olyroos had lost three from four games, scoring thrice and conceding seven.
Against the UAE, Vietnam and Jordan this month, the Olyroos scored two goals, both from set pieces.
It is simply not good enough, and a focus on possession has blunted our attack.
You can point to the missing stars – Chris Ikonomidis, Brad Smith, Jackson Irvine, Milos Degenek and Daniel De Silva – but only one of those players, Irvine, was a consistent starter under Vidmar. Fans claim Smith could have provided width, but he has been a benchwarmer at best for the Olyroos.
That raises questions about identifying talent as well, another aspect the Australian youth setup, particularly at Joeys and Young Socceroos level, where overseas-based players are often overlooked for local talent, has to be addressed.
Back to the recent tournament, however, the Olyroos did not produce attacking football. They produced safe football.
Against Vietnam they created numerous chances, but that was down to their opponent’s gung-ho style.
Selections also have to be questioned, firstly with the decision to play Giancarlo Gallifuoco over Thomas Deng in the opener against UAE, despite Kevin Muscat and the Australian football public rating the latter as the better prospect.
Had Vidmar even been watching the A-League, or was he blinded by Gallifuoco’s English pedigree?
Against Jordan, Vidmar chose to pair Brandon O’Neill, Josh Brillante and Mustafa Amini in midfield. It meant instead of playing an attacking, adventurous 4-3-3 with twin No.8s, Brillante and O’Neill sat deep as twin holding midfielders.
The so-called Australian blueprint was not even implemented.
Stefan Mauk should have dropped back for Brillante in midfield, with Adam Taggart or even Jaushua Sotirio up front if Andrew Hoole was dropped due to exhaustion.
A similar mistake had been made for the loss to the UAE, where Ryan Edwards played in front of the deeper-lying Brillante and Steven Ugarkovic. The midfield lacked creativity, and it showed.
Lastly, Jamie Maclaren played all 270 minutes, despite looking out of sync with his teammates at times. Adam Taggart inexplicably sat on the bench throughout. If he was injured, why was he there?
The snubbing of certain players throughout the youth system – Panos Armenakas for the Joeys and Terry Antonis for the Olyroos – is also baffling.
Swinging once again back to the preferred style for our youth teams, Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou has expressed his desire to unearth players with big-game experience. At this level of football, surely it is essential for youngsters to develop a ruthless streak early and perform in the biggest tournaments available.
Technical skills will mostly be developed at a club level, international camps and a few games a year are not going to shape a player’s development. Instead they need to be given a free reign to adapt to match situations and be given license to shift tactics.
That does not appear to be on the FFA’s wishlist list, however. Style over results is favoured and it has resulted in our brightest talents missing out on the world’s biggest youth tournaments.
Even Postecoglou has come to the realisation that he needs a Plan B, C, and even D in order to overcome plucky opponents. If he can drift from a 4-3-3, which he has done increasingly during World Cup qualifiers, then his assistants should be following suit.
Australia not competing in the 2016 Olympics is a major blow, especially with rugby sevens coming back into the fold this year.
The class of Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 will not be repeated. While all but two of those campaigns resulted in group stage exits, at least we attended the show.
Previous Australian representatives have played against the likes of Lionel Messi, Andrea Pirlo, Sergio Aguero, Robert Pires and Raul Gonzalez at the Olympics – irreplaceable experience.
The next test for Australia’s youth comes later this year in Bahrain for the AFC Under-19 Championship, which will act as qualification for the 2017 Under-20 World Cup.
Coach Paul Okon faltered last time, with two draws and a win from a group consisting of UAE, Uzbekistan and Indonesia not enough for qualify for the 2015 World Cup.
Six players from that squad were present in the Olyroos, how valuable would their experience have been had they been part of a winning formula?
We do not need our youth players performing like robots in a one-dimensional system. We need them to experience big games and learn to adapt the skills they have learnt at club level. The best way to do that is qualify for the major tournaments.
The job to instil technical skills will always lie with clubs, rather than international setups. Most of the overseas-based Olyroos will have been exposed to multiple tactical setups, as well as some of locally based ones, but they have been restricted to one simple method while on international duty.
Coaches need freedom at youth level, a streamlined approach may sound good on paper, but once you realise that our youngsters spend most of their time at club level anyway, the logic becomes flawed.
Good players and good coaches can adapt to opponents, and tweaking tactics does not admit inferiority to another team’s system. It is simply smart practice.
Vidmar’s time has come to an end, two failed campaigns is not good enough. But he is not the root of the problem. How much is to blame on his ability is hard to discern, his hands may have been tied due to FFA policy.
Questions have to asked, answers must be provided. From tactics, to scouting, to selections, to results, Australia must do better.
This is not about preparing the players for Postecoglou’s system, because even the Socceroos manager has realised that his preferred Plan A can be ineffective and unsuitable against certain opponents.
Some of these Olyroos will pull on a green and gold jersey again, hopefully in Qatar in 2022. Those that do make it would be better prepared through exposure to the highest level of football – international youth tournaments – rather than playing a few games a year in an ingrained possession-based system.
Our future Socceroos need that big-game experience and they are being starved the opportunity. Changes must be made, both at a coaching and structural level, if our next generation is going to succeed.
AjaxCruyff
Guest
Didnt we win the Asian Cup playing 4-3-3, maybe its more to do with the type of coach? Aurelio Vidmar is more a structured coach who bases his game on defensive organisation but struggles to coach teams to break down opponents but can be successful if he's team park the bus and play on the counter. Also maybe the players are not good enough? Proper analysis on the players(technical, tactical and physical shape) is needed. Instead its about the lack of competitive spirit, blame it on the dutch coaches who come here and see aus football with different clean glasses not tainted ones and instead we get of people saying 'how dare you say that about our game'. Many of the media types show too much emotional rather than rational thought, disappointing. And shows aus football is still immature to progress the way it should. Coming from a fan who has spent 20 years in europe...
Cliffclavin
Guest
One reason our junior boys teams may struggle is that I dont think any competitive matches have taken place in Australia since we joined the AFC, except for 3 Olyroos qualifiers for London 2012 I keep half an eye on the junior boys teams details online but cant recall too many, if any, home games. The qualification stages have all been overseas (happy to be corrected). Our young boys of 15, 16,17 are dropped into countries with varied cultural and climatic conditions for 2 week tournaments with mixed results. Perhaps more money for U12 U13 U14 team tours to ASIA and Mid East might help out the Joeys once they are 15 and 16, or maybe hosting some junior boys AFC qualification tournaments. The on-pitch matters are of course more important than geography but it may help explain our spluttering junior success in our first decade in the AFC.
Jorge Hernandez
Guest
You would think after all these years with most teams in asia taking the park the bus approach against australia, japan and south korea at all levels some good tactics to breaking it down would have been developed by now
Tom
Guest
Pondering how this news WILL affect Kerry Strokes........................... But 'IF' this guy is telling the truth - and that is a big 'IF' because as a player agent, his breed can't be trusted to tell the truth on anything - and has accurately reflected what he read................................................................and then you consider that C7 is virtually bankrupt and the C7 boss currently generates ALL of his business conglomerates profits, from his heavy machinery division which is totally reliant on China for it's income and from whose profits he uses to cross subsidize the heavy losses C7 haemorages annually and which has decimated it's share price over the past 10 years and is directly attributable to it's ridiculously over-priced investments, particularly those in sports with limited futures .................................... The future looks 'absolutely bleak' for Mr Strokes. With his well known and long held animosity towards the world game and his relentless efforts to destroy the sport in Australia as well as overseas........................................this news can only be described as 'devastatingly bad' for his business interests over there and very likely sound the death knell of his company and sending it into insolvency by denying it, it's ONLY source of profitable income......................................and THIS will happen once the powers that be decide that he is considered an enemy of Football and therefore will NOT be allowed to do business in or with China any longer.
j binnie
Guest
Kaks - Don't ever forget that word you introduced into "numbers games" discussion ----FLUIDITY---- one of the better words ever to be injected into discussions of this type in these columns. Cheers jb
j binnie
Guest
Janek - Keep up the good work but you will have a hard,hard, job convincing Aussie fans,especially if you keep using European teams in your examples for they are only some of the best teams in the world. and our teams have been instructed to play 4-3-3 because it is the way to go albeit a sentiment from around 1968. Cheers jb
Kaks
Roar Guru
Personally Janek I consider the 4-2-3-1 as an adaptation of the 4-3-3 as the wingers act as forwards and the number 10 is effectively a centre mid
Tom
Guest
For what it is worth Kevin, I agree with you. It is the likes of Fuss, Midfielder and a few others, who own a not insignificant portion of the responsibility, for the problems currently besetting the game and which are holding back the game's development by continually excusing the incompetence of the FFA with it's non-existent 'leadership' and championing the shambolic mediocrity of it's administration since 2006. I remember many times over the years where Midfielder and to a lesser Fussball have assured the rest of 'us' ('us' - being the great un-cleansed of the on-line Football community) how the FFA took the enlightened decision, almost 10 years ago now, to cease all marketing and promotion of the A-League in order to divert those precious funds into the critical area of youth development and we would very soon be reaping the abundant rewards, from the FFA's far-sighted approach! Well Middy.................................we're still waiting for any sign of improvement in either performances or results from the youth revolution.......................when do think we might see some actual improvement? Another 10 years?............20?.......................50?..................................1000 years?? When Middy? You can't tell 'us' can you? It might be time again, to hold another inquiry into the maladministration of the FFA since 2006. But this time a 'fully independent' senate inquiry into the highest level of leadership - what a joke of a term that is! - of the FFA since 2006 is required and nothing like the previous farcical inquiries that have served as nothing more than a 'white washing' of the facts and covering up the corruption that is systemic in the FFA, as exposed by Bonita Mersiades on several occasions. A properly constituted inquiry before a 'fully independent' committee, would uncover incompetence and/or corruption on a grand scale followed by a 'fully independent' Royal Commission into the handling of the 2022 WC Bid would likely see a few of the very highest FFA chiefs facing criminal charges and finally getting their just desserts.
FIUL
Guest
Nice one, Middy. Asia is coming. Check out this article in the Hindustan Times (18 December 2015) explained how sport in India is also transforming, with kids moving away from cricket to football. Rahul Dravid said "I see more Indian children in cities taking up other sports. Cricket is not their first game anymore." Of course, at the commercial level, cricket in India is still way ahead, but a BCCI executive added: "But, I can't say about the future when the current kids grow up." Full story: "From monopoly to jostling for space" Leo Messi has the biggest advertising deal in the Indian market http://www.pressreader.com/search?newspapers=9115&query=From%20monopoly%20to%20jostling%20for%20space&hideSimilar=1&stop=2015-12-18&start=2015-12-18
Bob Brown
Roar Guru
The deafening silence surrounding this is mind boggling. The FFA should have sacked Vidmar and Okon by now and started looking for their replacements in time for the next youth tournaments. Craig Foster should be tearing them to shreds, like he did to Postecoglou. Maybe because they are old team mates he doesn't have the nerve. They are habitual losers and underachievers and developing a losing culture, not a winning one. This is damaging the future of the sport in Australia and the FFA has to take action now. They have to hire proven successful international coaching staff, not former players who got their coaching qualifications at a FIFA weekend booze up.
Janek Speight
Expert
Barca won last year not because of their formation, but because of their players. Juve actually negated them for a while with 3-5-2 until individuals took the game away. Real Madrid won the 2014 UCL playing largely fast-paced, beautiful counter-attack football. Bayern did not win the UCL under Heynckes playing 4-3-3. They used two holding mids. In fact, currently, under Guardiola, they don't even play 4-3-3. That said, agree that formation is just a basis. It is about how you adapt during 90 minutes that counts, Perhaps that did not come across strong enough in the article!
Paul
Guest
The issue with the 4-3-3 formation is that the coaches of Australian Football teams rigidly stick to it rather than be FLEXIBLE. Flexibility means adapting to the opposition rather than believing the opposition will play our game. Vidmar may not have had the best available but we are supposed to have a squad of players. In relation to Asian teams, we know they park the bus and play on the counter, so why couldn't he change to say a 4-4-2 formation by bringing Taggart in for Hoole with Borrello dropping back slightly to midfield. This may have unlocked the Jordanian defence but we will never know now. Our coaches need to be FLEXIBLE and change the formation from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 or even 4-1-3-2 as appropriate to the opposition, particularly in Asia!
j binnie
Guest
Waz - Thank you for the prompt reply and your problem is as I suspected for this was becoming a problem some 11 years ago when I coached a small sided game team in an organisation that had a registration of over 22 teams on their books and had been allocated a local park on which to train and play. What concerns me is that in fact you are now having to turn away players of an age when they should be developing their ball skills while at the same time being introduced to football in a totally "fun" environment. That to me is an extremely dangerous situation that not only the FFA should be getting involved in,not to mention local football identities and local council members to whom your parents should be ringing at ever opportunity. I know it is not an easy problem to solve but I wish you well in your efforts. Keep up the good work. jb
Kevin dustby
Guest
Nothing to see here, everything is great.
Kevin dustby
Guest
Never bagged football, just the self righteous supporters like FIUL that hold the great game back
Midfielder
Guest
Especially as we have a sell on clause ....
Midfielder
Guest
Ian I was using the Mariner example viza v we just assume a lost to an Arab team is bad because we are better ?????/ do we ever give them credit ... some will proudly point out they they only park the bus and don't play constantly... I say you try playing like the EPL in the heart over there... Can there be through that just maybe Jordan played well ...
Midfielder
Guest
Punter Agree
Fadida
Guest
Exactly scouser
Fadida
Guest
Agree with all of that Punter