Every so often you have to put your hand up and admit you’ve been beaten by an opponent who was quicker, stronger and better in every department.
There’s not much else to say about Japan’s 2-0 defeat of Australia at Saitama Stadium other than the simple fact that the Samurai Blue played the Socceroos off the park.
There was not a single facet of the game in which the Socceroos looked more adept than their opponents – unless you count turning over possession – and the hosts came away deserved winners on the back of goals from Takuma Asano and a Yosuke Ideguchi screamer.
That Japan controlled the game from start to finish should have alarm bells ringing among the Australians – who now need to beat Thailand in Melbourne on Tuesday, and hope Japan take points off Saudi Arabia to book a spot in Russia.
And on the basis of last night’s performance, the Japanese will be in no mood to do Australia any favours.
Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou put his hand up and took responsibility for the defeat, stating that he was responsible for both the team selection and performance.
Trouble is, it’s becoming a familiar refrain.
If the Socceroos are to genuinely challenge their international opponents with a 3-4-2-1 formation, they’ll need to start by figuring out how to pass the ball from one teammate to the next.
The second returning Japan skipper Makoto Hasebe intercepted his first pass of the night, you could tell it was going to be a long one for the team in gold.
And the experiment of playing Robbie Kruse at the point of attack was an abject failure.
Kruse may have been expected to lead the line as part of a high press, but his lack of physical presence completely blunted the Australian attack.
It meant the loss of Tomi Juric from the start was more keenly felt than may originally have been expected, especially when Mat Leckie or Brad Smith managed to get beyond a defender, only to cut the ball back to a waiting Japanese player.
Live by the sword, die by the sword may as well be Postecoglou’s personal mantra – but the gamble of playing three at the back looks increasingly like becoming a millstone around his neck.
By contrast, his counterpart Vahid Halilhodzic didn’t seem particularly fazed, and for all the talk in the Australian press about the Bosnian being under pressure, the much-traveled tactician seemed to have all the answers in front of a typically partisan Saitama Stadium crowd.
The Japan fans fully deserved their celebrations – the Samurai Blue have now qualified for six World Cups in succession – and there’s a few things we could learn from their conduct in the stands.
As much as was on the line in Saitama, the Japanese were to a person nothing less than gracious hosts – providing directions to Australian fans, taking photos with rival sets of supporters and conversing in English when there was no real reason to expect them to.
If the perception across Asia is that Australians are arrogant – and it is – then perhaps it wouldn’t kill us to return the hospitality from time to time.
Still, at the end of the day it’s just a game of football, and the point was rammed home by the untimely death of legendary journalist Mike Cockerill.
I didn’t know Mike especially well, but at one point he was my editor when I wrote a column for Football Federation Australia – at which point he would ring me and conduct breathless conversations about Asian football over the phone.
The first time I met him was a typical Cockerill moment. “Where were you during the NSL?” he demanded to know. “In high school,” I replied – an answer that elicited only the barest satisfaction.
He was a legend of the game, a deserved member of the FFA Hall of Fame, and he will be sorely missed.
chris
Guest
Hmm I think thats incorrect. If Aus win 4-0 that gives them a gd of +8 with goals scored = 18. SA currently have a gd of +6. If they win 2-0 that would also give them gd of 18 and goals scored same as Aus at 18. Aus would go through with a better head to head. A 3-0 Aus win means SA would get through with any 1 goal margin win. A 4-0 Aus win means SA would get through with any 2 goal winning margin EXCEPT 2-0. Aus would get through if it was 2-0 win to SA. 5-0 Aus win (unlikely given our goal scoring of late) means SA would need to win by 4 goals. I think thats about right? lol
Cool N Cold
Guest
Sorry, I have made a mistake in the calculation. If Saudi's winning against Japan is 2-0 and Australia' winning against Thailand is 4-0, Australia can get 2nd place by a better GA of 13 against Saudi's 12. However, Australia plays 7 hours earlier than Saudi.
Newie
Guest
Yeah there should definitely should be appropriate and constructive criticism - Ange's weird selections for example. What I was saying was that I think the superlatives about the "shocking" socceroos and some of the hand wringing is a little over the top. Fans now screaming about Postecoglu were probably overconfident about our ability to beat a very strong opponent in their home territory, and must have bought in completely to Ange's indoctrination of belief. The team didn't play terribly and 2-nil isn't a shocking result. They were too predictable however, and team selections were weird. If I was a journo I'd be asking Ange to explain himself there.
Post_hoc
Guest
Matsu, thanks for the reply and I am learning a lot, so thank you
Cool N Cold
Guest
Win 5 goals against Thailand will get the qualification because Saudi cannot win more than 2-0. At the moment, Australia is low in GA and GD. So, the discussion should be whether or not socceroos can win 5 goals or not.
pacman
Guest
chris, I managed to retrieve the Qld Government letter, but the covering email informs me that it is confidential, and not to be distributed without permission. No state secrets in the email or attachment, so just the standard sort of stuff. So I am not going to copy & paste, because I have a history of falling foul of officialdom (no, nothing bad or criminal). Instead, I will quote a few parts of the response for the purposes of review. "Dear XXXX The Queensland Government share your interest in maximizing promotional opportunities and leveraging investment potential from Queensland events. At this time,Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) is not currently supporting the event but has proactively contacted the Brisbane Roar to discuss future opportunities" I think my interpretation "Well, we, er, missed that, but we might be ready next time" is close to the mark. "Stadiums Queensland has advised that the stadium surface is presented in a safe and playable condition for all events and undergoes regular, and rigorous, independent testing to ensure these conditions are maintained." "Playable" is open to question. Playable for NRL on Friday night, but not for A-League on the next day or two is the opinion of many, including me. "While TEQ is not supporting this event, the Queensland Government remains committed to making Queensland the leading Australian destination in market share, reputation and experience for Asian travellers." Not sure what events TEQ supports that attract Asian travellers. Beautiful beaches and weather are attractive to Asians, but the Broncos? The Brisbane Lions? Was I being unkind in my original post? I thought I was presenting things in a mild manner, and stand by my original conclusion "Unfortunately, Queensland and Brisbane both talk the talk, but fail to walk the walk. Engrossed with NRL and State of Origin." So, what do you think chris?
Footoverhand
Guest
Well said
Lovic
Guest
matsu, you went to so much effort yet still missed the point . Ange had a good idea, only this crop of players is generally the least technically apt since the late 1970s. The sport went broke for 10 years since the mid 1990s and disrupted a generation of player development. We just don't have he skill level at the moment. Too many of our passes won't stick. It's that simple and very obvious .
stu
Guest
All you are doing is agreeing with the sentiment.
Nemesis
Guest
I'm hearing strong rumours that Ange may be sacked before the Thailand match and, in keeping with the best practices of 21st century insanity, the new coaching structure will be: - Social Media polling to pick the team - training to be primarily focused on players' ability to pick formations & operate a successful team on FIFA video games. No more ridiculous ideas about coaching badges & experience. We have tens of thousands of social media coaches ready to bring the World Cup home.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Also RIP Mike Cockerill, a legend of the sport.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
The Japanese were too good for us, plain and simple. Since the Asian Cup win the Socceroos imo have been bang average. If the Socceroos are lucky enough to qualify for Russia, should Ange be the man to lead us in the tournament ?
pacman
Guest
Same applies to League 2 from what I observed last time I attended a match.
pacman
Guest
chris, that was my interpretation of the reply. Having worked in the Commonwealth public service for 15 years, I learnt how to read between the lines of public service responses. I will see if I can retrieve the reply, and copy and paste. Hopefully I didn't delete, although honestly that was my first impulse (obviously ignoring some of what I learnt in the PS).
Ruudolfson
Guest
Japan was too good, well done to them. Now it's Australia's chance to do the same on Tuesday.
Lionheart
Guest
I think you're making some stuff up mate, and carrying on like a loose cannon, so I'm really not taking much notice of you at all, but I could not ignore the general implications you've made about Australia's sportsmanship when indeed it was the Japan coach who brought shame on the game by invading the pitch while the match was underway. I know a few Japan supporters, closely, and you, dear Sir, with your led and loose insults, do not fit the mould of a Japan supporter or indeed an Asian fan, at all.
pacman
Guest
Thanks for the reply jb. It appears we have both arrived at the same conclusion - simply different wording.
Fadida
Guest
I've seen plenty of Scottish football over the years, from Dalglish, Cooper, Gemmill, Jordan through to today where the standard has fallen dramatically. I have also seen many SPL games in the last few years. Celtic are a cut above, but the rest.....
hauzenscher
Guest
cool contribution lionheart. suck off nemesis why don't you
j,binnie
Guest
Pacman -In the Simon Hill article on Fox there is a still photo used at the point in time when the Japanese scored their first goal and if one cares to analyse the photograph there is some disturbing factors emerge. In what could be described as the Socceroo's back third of the field ,essentially the defensive area,there are 10 Socceroo players in the photograph,and 6 Japanese players. If it is remembered that the goal was actually "engineered" by players on the Japanese left it comes as a surprise to see in this picture there is only one Japanese player being what could be described as "tightly marked". The other 5 Japanese have all "lost" their markers and are in fact offering options to their ball playing mate. So you see ,Smith was not the only Socceroo remiss in his back third duties. The Japanese final pass was exquisite and the timed run world class football, and this picture shows it all in stark relief. Cheers jb.