Ange will have Socceroos relishing tough qualifying group

In a week where we’ve timidly celebrated the anniversary of the 31-0 world record demolition of American Samoa, the Socceroos’ draw for the third round of World Cup qualifying is a fitting sign of the progress made since.

Ange Postecoglou is eight games away from making it four consecutive World Cup appearances, but it certainly won’t be easy.

Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and old foes Japan stand between the Asian champions and a spot in Russia. It’s undoubtedly the more difficult of the two groups – and that’s the way we should like it.

Postecoglou is an ambitious man. For him, it seems, football isn’t just about winning. It’s about winning, and improving while doing so.

After the Socceroos thumped Oman 4-0 at the Asian Cup, he used it as an example to prove to his players exactly what they are capable of. If they could step up to that level with ease, why not aim higher?

The Aussies lost 2-1 to Japan – who they’ll meet for a third successive qualifying campaign – in a friendly in November 2014, which Postecoglou described as “the turning point” of his tenure.

It was the eighth defeat in 11 matches for the Socceroos, but was a sign that the players were beginning to completely absorb their coach’s methods and put them into action when it mattered.

That preceded a dominant Asian Cup victory, which will make the Socceroos favourites to progress to Russia, though that won’t be the message around the camp.

Only Australia and the UAE lost a match during the second stage, with UAE’s sole blip coming in a 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis, Iraq, Thailand and Japan all progressed unbeaten, with Thailand edging Iraq to top spot in Group F to ensure they won’t be seen as whipping boys in Round 3.

Japan breezed through without conceding a single goal – scoring 27 in the process – and look formidable under Vahid Halilhodzic, having only lost once since the Bosnian took charge in March last year.

All six teams in this group are in form and from a football perspective, it’s the exact kind of challenge Postecoglou seems to relish.

The switch from Oceania to Asia has paid dividends on the field and being tested in the build-up to Russia will continue to make a difference.

Before the draw, Postecoglou insisted, “It’s not just about qualifying, it’s about preparing us to battle against the best.”

This group provides just that, and the Japan match in particular will be used as a barometer of the Socceroos’ improvement under Postecoglou.

“Sometimes I’ve felt we’ve played Japan or Korea and they’ve dominated the game but we’ve still got a result out of it. I want to flip that on its head a little bit, not the result part but the performance,” he added.

“I’d like to think we could be dominant against them, particularly here at home, have more possession and put them on the back foot.”

Qualification for Brazil was aided by home wins against Jordan and Iraq to sneak the second automatic spot, with Jordan finishing just three points behind in third.

With daunting trips to Saudi Arabia, Tehran (or wherever Iraq choose to play) and Japan, Ange will target an improvement during the away fixtures to match the home resilience.