During the Socceroos’ comprehensive 7-0 victory over Tajikistan on Thursday, it was obvious that without Tim Cahill in the line-up there was a distinct lack of composure in front of goal.
The scoreline could and should have reached double figures following Massimo Luongo’s early strike, yet the Socceroos were guilty of some astonishing misses. The dominant performance deserved more.
Mathew Leckie, in particular, was and is a concern for Ange Postecoglou. He missed a few decent opportunities on Thursday.
The former Adelaide United forward has been a mainstay in Postecoglou’s squads, making every single one, and is there for good reason. Leckie’s speed and work rate are critical in Postecoglou’s gameplan to harass opposition out of possession and provide a direct route to goal on the counter. His outside-of-the-boot crosses are a delight as well.
But he does not produce in a crucial area – the scoreboard. He has just one strike during Postecoglou’s reign, while for Bundesliga club Ingolstadt he has only contributed two goals and zero assists in 25 appearances. That output has to improve, otherwise his place in the team will start to be questioned.
Counterpart Nathan Burns netted twice, and Leckie must start producing similar numbers.
There were other glaring misses from the Socceroos too, the most obvious being Mile Jedinak’s shank at the far post just before half-time. Jedinak’s output for a defensive midfielder is remarkable however, he has netted nine goals during the Postecoglou era, trailing only Cahill, who has 16.
That Australia’s second highest goalscorer is a defensive linchpin is slightly concerning though, especially as Cahill ages.
The good news is that the duties have been shared around, and there are numerous threats in the Socceroos midfield, where Postecoglou has a gluttony of choice. It is undoubtedly a strength of this team.
Aaron Mooy’s set piece deliveries are near perfect and the A-League star continues to grow into his role with the Socceroos. His balls into the danger area against Tajikistan deserved many more marks in the assist column.
Tommy Rogic entered the field in the 67th minute, and soon found himself with two goals, his second a truly beautiful effort. Picking the ball up on the edge of the box, he evaded one challenge by switching feet and then hit a delicious outside-of-the-boot shot past the Tajik keeper.
Rogic’s threat gives the Socceroos another genuine threat from midfield, alongside Mooy, Jedinak and of course Luongo, who looks much more confident and comfortable back in the twin No.10 role rather than pushed out wide.
So with these heavy midfield stocks scoring more than their fair share, and Cahill still defying age and producing the goods, should the Socceroos be worried about their lack of striking stocks? With so many goal threats, do the Socceroos really need a ruthless finisher to support Timmy?
Yes, they do. In the upcoming game against Jordan, Australia will have to be much more productive with their chances, and you cannot substitute a predator in the box.
Earlier in the week former Socceroo Jason Culina made the valid point that the Socceroos must start to establish a more familiar feel to squads. It is fantastic that Postecoglou has cast out a vast search for talent and chopped and changed extensively to build depth, but at some point the selections must settle in preparation for Russia 2018.
The only problem is that Postecoglou’s policy is down to necessity – he has not found the sufficient ingredients yet. Fullback has remained a long-term problem – as it does for many nations – yet hopefully Josh Risdon, Alex Gersbach, Jason Geria and Brad Smith can provide some much-needed answers.
Elsewhere, central defence is fairly safe along with midfield. Bailey Wright put in another assured display, Trent Sainsbury and Matthew Spiranovic have proven themselves beyond doubt when fit and a hopeful return of perhaps Australia’s most gifted defender, Rhys Williams, in the near future would add depth. Curtis Good’s lengthy recovery is hopefully nearing an end too.
So that really only leaves the centre forward role now for Postecoglou to build up. Which makes it strange as to why Jamie Maclaren was snubbed for the recent squad.
The Socceroos are light in the front third, especially of a genuine goalscorer who has a knack for scoring the spectacular but also the opportunistic. You can say that Maclaren will eventually get his chance, but I say give it to him now. Get him immersed in the setup, build his confidence and he will flourish. The sooner the better.
Tomi Juric has not been overly impressive for Australia, but he has shown his strengths in patches, certainly enough to excite fans about his future. If he can stay fit and put together a solid six months of goalscoring form, the Socceroos may have another genuine striker.
And that brings us lastly to Apostolos Giannou, the new kid on the block plucked from the Greek Super League (though now in China). He may not have scored in the rout of Tajikistan but Giannou truly impressed as the centre-forward leading the Socceroos line.
He held the ball up well, looked on the same wavelength with his teammates despite limited time with the Socceroos and also showed a lovely turn of pace, which is sorely lacking from most of our centre-forward options.
Giannou was extremely unlucky not to get on the score sheet, his turn and shot in the box in the 62nd minute was unfortunately straight at the keeper. But he did notch up four assists, including winning two penalties. It will be intriguing to see him up against better opposition
If Giannou can translate his early promise into goal returns, the Socceroos’ dilemma up front is looking bright. With the depth in defence, emergence of promising fullbacks, goal threat from midfield, continued goals from Cahill and emergence of Giannou and (hopefully) Maclaren, Postecoglou may indeed be ready to follow Culina’s advice.
A settled squad has to be the main aim over the next year, as it is the best route to breeding a successful team ready to switch tactics against better opposition.
As the Socceroos near qualification for the 2018 Russia World Cup, Postecoglou’s patience and flexible attitude towards selection is slowly starting to pay off.
Punter
Guest
We have both watched a lot of football over the years, this is where we have the difference!!!!! We have highlighted the A-League players who are now playing for the Socceroos, yet you continue to downgrade the A-League by saying their dependent on foreign players!!!!!!
j binnie
Guest
uj and Horto- Both your arguments have worthwhile considerations but to be honest this comment you both make about the HAL not being good enough is an observation I have never stated ,rather my point is that there are certain factors to be considered when assessing the standard of the HAL that both of you tend to ignore. Most successful teams in the HAL at the moment are populated by players who have learned their trades elsewhere. Our system is set up to allow that and it is here the old argument is brought up that our young players have to play wih better players if they are to learn. If that is accepted why is it after 11 years we are still looking to players like Corona,Fornarolli,Novello,Keogh,Sandor,Castro,Sanchez,Cirio,Corona,Castellen,Alberto,Dimas,and Andreu et al to lift the standard of our top football competition?. UJ ,that is not a whinge, as you try to point out ,itis a fact of life that points to the fact that we are still not producing the players "at home" to fill the positions that these players fill. My thoughts tend to go in a different direction from you .I would love to see the standard of the HAL MAINTAINED without the continued dependency on imports,and even more so without the need for our younger players to continually travel overseas because of the perception,rightly or wrongly,that they need to do that to improve their game If those aims ever came to pass I think we would see an Australian coach picking a team from players mostly playing their football in our competition.Am I wrong in hoping that will come to pass????Maybe,but hope springs eternal as they say. Cheers jb ps Re. your reference to Geria and Risdon you will note I said "run-on sides" not "squads". jb
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
It's interesting JB. I'm on the fence.. I have agendas that suit both sides.. Your argument is in one way flawed because mooy risdon and geria currently play in the Aleague..,.therefore by your logic the HAL is more fruitful than the bundes liga, as only 2 players in the squad play in Germany... And we can't trivialise or gloss over the fact that most of the squad cut their teeth in the HAL... Without dissecting the whole squad, Rogic is a ccm boy.. Kruse is a roar boy.. And Milligan although he journeyed around is every bit Aleague..an important part of his development as a player (and individual) and becoming an NT fixture is his time at MV when he had greatness thrust upon him with captaincy....and he's still technically the premier and champion of Australian football as we speak right? I'll add that McLaren had every right to be in this camp, but having to fast-track the capping of Giannou and bringing kruse back from injury took precedent in the grand scheme. We're damned if we do damned if we don't, best summarized by UJ "If players are all from Aleague it’s because Aussies aren’t good enough to play overseas. If players are all from outside the Aleague it’s because Aleague is not good enough." Now the flipside.. All of the "discrepancies" of our domestic game add up.., amount of clubs...squad sizes, timetable, season length.. The self imposed stifling cap.., antiquated marquee rules.,lack of an open competition etc etc...all contribute to the lack of quality we're seeing here. Your concerns are real. How they impact the NT.. Now that's an article waiting to be written! And yes I'm far too lazy!!! Janek? John?
Uncle Junior
Guest
jb, it's "meaningless" that current National Team players are not in the Aleague. Why? For the same reason we were keen to have more National Team players playing overseas than in the NSL. If all 23 Australian team members were playing in the A-League the response would be "the standard of the squad is so low, no one plays in Europe like they did in 2006". If players are all from Aleague it's because Aussies aren't good enough to play overseas. If players are all from outside the Aleague it's because Aleague is not good enough. The only consistency is: some Australian football fans are perennial whingers.
j binnie
Guest
Kaks- Thanks for the reply.Leckie has all the attributes to make a successful flank runner or winger if you prefer the term.You talk about Ange's system and I put it to you that that same system calls for wingbacks who go forward at every opportunity and therefore the "pure" winger as such is no longer needed. You mention the lad's final ball is suspect I would put to you that his first touch is in an even more dangerous state and in the modern game when playing against packed defences this skill is almost necessary if success is to be achieved. I felt that's what happened the other night and resulted in him being replaced. Cheers jb
Kaks
Roar Guru
Ange plays a high press with the forward line, Leckie is great for this due to his energy, speed and stamina. Ange likes to play a quick counter attacking game with players getting in behind the defensive line. Leckie is perfect for this with his speed, he is also very good with his positioning in attack - he is always in a position to receive the ball from the defence/midfield. Leckie's only weakness is his final ball, but that can be said about a lot of players in the Socceroos. He is definitely ahead of all players in his position IMO
j binnie
Guest
Punter - Did you read anything into my statements where I said the Socceroos played badly?????? No,because I never said that, I hinted that their second half display was better than their first simply because they scored more goals.Isnt that usually how success is measured on a football field? Did you notice that Jordan ,despite playing that stiflng game when they beat us at home, managed to score 8 goals in their tie, once again pointing out the difference in standard between teams in the early rounds of the World Cup.Cheers jb
Punter
Guest
I get you point JB, now my point is the HAL are producing players who are trying to play the modern game, the issue is, in Australia we are a little way behind in coaching players of this irk in the moderne game, but we are trying to catch up, even the mighty England has some catching up. But despite this you are still so critical of the A-League. I saw in the Socceroos game a team of footballers mainly originating from the A-league playing a brand of football that I have not seen too often in a Socceroos shirt.
Punter
Guest
No, see this is the point difference JB, I don't see Tajiks being worse then those of Chinese Taipie & Hong Kong, it's just that I see Ange's team did not give them a chance & totally pass them & pressed them off the park. Now, yes you are correct, they are a very average side, similar to those I mentioned above as well as some of Oceania sides, but I have never seen a Australian side that totally dominate like they have by passing & pressing them.
j binnie
Guest
Horto - Agree with all you have stated except for your last sentence.While we agree on the fact that by now ,11 years into the HAL, most of our national team selections would have played in the HAL or even "late" NSL sides . That is indisputable but doesn't it concern you just a little that in " run on" teams we are constantly only seeing 1 or 2 "current" HAL players selected. This is surely a reflection on where the HAL stands when compared against other leagues,no longer necessarily European, but more and more Asian. How can that be described as "meaningless" ??? for if nothing else it means we are in fact the poor relations (in a monetary sense) of our new area of operation despite being the present champions and surely until the HAL can compete with keeping our players at home then the status quo does have "meaning". Cheers jb
j binnie
Guest
Punter - You continually try to compare players of yesteryear and pigeon hole them into where they would play in today's game which because of the inherent difficulty in doing so is almost impossible to do ,so leaving the statement as opinionative. Dave Mitchell,and Frank Farina fitted the style of play that was in vogue in those days,they could both score goals and were employed for that reason. Could they have adapted to the modern game???? That is a question no-one ,you, me, or any other student of the game can answer. I watched an English team playing in 1960 that was full of skilful,fast thoughful talented players who were almost totally dependent on one or two men to convert their football superiority into goals. Tottenham Hotspur with Blanchflower,White,Jones,and Mckay supplyng the ball and two totally different goalscorers, Smith ,a huge lumbering target great in the air,or Greaves the fast nippy "box man" getting the goals that were needed. Would all these players I mention,and I could add Law,Best and Charlton among others,only play 3rd tier football today???? we don't reallyknow, Get my point.Cheers jb.
j binnie
Guest
Punter - You have a bad start to the weekend or are you just looking for an argument.? Every grouping in every area where the World Cup is played has what could be termed weak teams,who because of the expansion plans behind FIFA's "World Game" have to be included in some sort of qualifying tournament to get to the "cream of the crop" You mention Chinese Taipie and HongKong so you obviously know what I am talking about but that doesn't change my thinking ,I don't think I have ever seen an international team during my lifetime that did not get one shot on target (the goal) in 93 minutes, That was the recent Socceroos opponents Nicholos Rupolo tabled these stats for you Australia shots 38 Takiks 1 shots on target Aus, 14 (not a great %of accuracy?) Tajiks 0 Corners Aus 10 Tajiks 0 % of possession Aus 73%; Tajiks 28% If those figures don't back up my statement I don't know what will. Cheers your mate jb.i
Uncle Junior
Guest
Totally correct on all points, Horto. My point was that it doesn't matter how many Aleague players are currently in the National Team. Rather, the strength of the Aleague will be in how many players started their career in the Aleague, or revived their career in the Aleague. What I would like to see is every National Team member in the future having "Played in the A-League" on their football CV. Just like every Argentinian player who started yesterday's match in Chile (apart from that bloke Messi) had "played in Primera División Argentina" on their CV.
Punter
Guest
JB, Dave Mitchell is a great example, loved at Chelsea & I think Rangers amongst others, how would this type of player have fitted in today's football? I think maybe tier 3 in England with that all elbows action, I play against in my youth.
Punter
Guest
Yes JB, but your memory is short some of the poor Asian teams like Chinese Taipie, Hong Kong & some other weak Asian teams in the 60s & 70s.
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
U junior "Harry Kewell never played NSL. Neither did Tim Cahill. They’re amongst the 2 greatest ever Socceroos." This isn't exactly an accurate portrayal. Tim Cahill was signed to sydney Olympic and played in their youth team.. And Harry Kewell spent 5 years in the youth team at Marconi stallions. "Similarly, not every player needs to go through the Aleague pathway. Luongo didn’t. Neither did Giannou." True. But it should be mentioned that Giannou spent a year at Oakleigh Cannons, and a year at South Melbourne FC in their respective youth teams. And then returned to oakleigh to play 7 games for their senior team in the NPL before heading over to the Greek league. So he definitely went through an Australian pathway. Albeit not the HAL. (Although we know that most people here don't view SMFC as Australian. Or they do when it suits them). "The fact that only 1 Aleague player started last night is meaningless." Agree 100%.
JR Salazar
Guest
1. Giannou and Timmy up top. 2. ????? 3. PROPHET!
j binnie
Guest
Bob -Don't know how accurate this figure is but it looks to be around 310 players have played Socceroo football in those years.from 1995 up till last year.I would hazard a guess and say many of them played NSL football Cheers jb
j binnie
Guest
uj -Correct in all you say with one minor correction that that could be construed out of your last sentence. I think that Australia has been producing players capable of playing "top" football a lot longer than 11 years,the tenure iof the HAL and I won't bore readers with details they already know, but.It is widely thought that the mass exodus started with Davie Mitchell who left Adelaide United in 1984 (32years ago) to go play overseas. Cheers jb.
Waz
Guest
I think he means South Britain lol.