Following Tim Cahill’s departure from Melbourne City and the national team’s performance against Honduras, the question that must be asked is: from where does Australia intend to get its goals?
If we look at the Honduran game, all three of Australia’s goals came from set-pieces. I do wonder where the Socceroos will find that extra ‘oomph’ up forward.
Naturally, we must turn elsewhere to find ourselves a striker.
According to the Socceroos website, their three main strikers are Cahill, Tomi Juric and Matthew Leckie.
However, we have seen goals come from Mile Jedinak and Tom Rogic in recent memory. And of course no-one can overstate the influential capabilities of Aaron Mooy on a good day.
The Socceroos can pass the ball, control it, maybe even skill it here and there – but if they don’t have the confidence nor talent to shoot, then they are not going to win.
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While I am beyond words to express how happy I am that Australia have qualified for a fourth consecutive World Cup, I am haunted by Omar Al Soma’s free kick in the dying minutes in the Syria game.
One kick, one kick that Mat Ryan admitted he “couldn’t see”, one gut-wrenching deflection into the box, would have cost Australia their position.
Other contributors play a role, but had Australia been able to finish the Syrian game early and kill it off, then we wouldn’t have been gasping for breath.
Even in Honduras, Australia’s finishing was not up to standard for many viewers and at home; the issue was resolved through set pieces; whether we like it or not, the Socceroos just do not have that desperately needed clinical edge.
The solution? It lies within the A-League.
There are two distinct sides on how we should grow the game in Australia. One camp believes that we should be attracting as many big-name stars as possible – generating more revenue, which can then be used to improve facilities and the competition, which in turn lures more big names to ultimately create an extremely competitive league with an international reach (idealistic sure but nether less the ultimate goal).
The other group believes the A-League should exist to develop more national players who move on to other leagues; ultimately in this model, the A-League acts solely to develop national players and is unconcerned with attracting big names.
I favour of the latter approach. Yes, it means the A-League does not grow nearly as much as we would like in the short term, but the opportunity to see Australians in the ‘big leagues’ should attract more of the public to watch the local games to see where it all began.
This can be shown during my own experience when watching the game against Honduras. It was halftime and I checked my messages to see a large amount of friends who never spoke about football or the A-League suddenly express their passion for the Socceroos. These are people who rarely talk about sports or are only vaguely aware of it.
The national team and the World Cup has the ability to bring together Australians from everywhere, regardless of their codes, and generate interest in football.
JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images
Admittedly, such a phenomenon can only occur every four years, but it shouldn’t need to.
Matthew Ryan, Aaron Mooy and of course Mile Jedinak are just a few of the textbook cases where we have seen quality national players stem from the A-League and branch out to highly recognisable clubs, becoming household names.
With the correct investment in the local comp, we’ll see more locals playing for the world’s top clubs, which in turn can cause traditional media to report on the success of Aussie players globally. This generates more Australian interest and then more passion towards the A-League, as those who just watch European football become aware of the quality right under their noses.
We can already see the effects of this through Melbourne City. In early 2015, the club announced plans to build a state of the art training facility. Since then, City have been one of the big-name teams in Australia, with Aaron Mooy creating headlines internationally.
Whoever takes over from Ange Postecoglou at the end of the day must consider the A-League. The national team is in a desperate need of a breath of fresh air up front, and if Cahill can’t find gametime, then it is unlikely we will be idealistic and attacking in Russia – instead slogging through 0-0 draws and lucky scrapes.
Nick Symonds
Guest
“You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.” - Wayne Gretzky
Vocans
Guest
Sam Kerr, DeVanna and Cahill want goals, desire goals. They will risk not getting them and so throw themselves into the shot, the header. Why do so few of our players want goals like this? Harry Kane wants goals. We all know Ronaldo does, and Messi. It’s wanting to the degree you’re willing to miss. Then ypu an enter the striker’s zone.
Albo
Guest
I reckon you might have something there, Lamby !
Albo
Guest
@Nemesis "Kruse & Leckie aren’t strikers. They’re wide attackers" Agreed. I didn't call them strikers, but they are a couple we have always had hopes would score some goals as part of their brief. Who else should be scoring all our goals ? As it has been now for years, we have only ever had one striker of high quality ( based on a high percentage strike rate - 50%) at international level, and he is a freak and has been manufactured into a striker's role (Cahill). My point was that outside of Cahill we have never had a striker or regular goal scorer with a strike rate at International level that you could ever call "good" . A 25 % strike rate ( Viduka & Juric) is surely average at best compared to the dozens of others around the world with international strike rates of 50 % plus, after 30 plus matches. And for attackers with a 9 to10 % strike rate after 50 or 60 matches (Kruse & Leckie) , you must wonder why they have been persisted with for so long ? Maybe we don't have anyone better ? But surely we should have tried a few others over the past couple of campaigns ?
me too
Guest
We need Sam Kerr! On goal scorers I do think it's a mental thing - that self belief to know when to shoot and know you can and will score goals. Add the class needed to pull it off. Some have it, most don't. Many lose it when they go up a level - that one percent drop in self belief. One of the best players I have played with, a Danish fella, had sublime skills and dominated the midfield of every game - just another level of ball control to most. Yet he simply couldn't score goals. His shots lacked the cleanliness and sharpness of his passes. Purely mental. Then you have those that hit streaks of belief and score consistently before dropping off again. I had a year where I literally scored a goal every single game I played. The next year I bagged less than half a dozen. Nothing had changed bar my belief levels had dropped. I no longer went into games knowing I woud score. Back to Sam Kerr - she is in that zone at the moment - and has the courage to try for some outrageous shots that inevitably end up in the back of the net. It won't last forever - but as a coach or teammate, when a player is in that zone you back them all the way. When not, you change things. How do you develop goal scorers? The million dollar question. Certainly constant practice shooting in all situations helps, making the action as instinctual as possible and ingraining the knowledge that you've scored from that situation or position many times before. In the end its self belief and maybe just a touch of fate/luck/god messing with us.
QConners
Roar Pro
For years I've been saying Jamie Maclaren is our best bet for the 2018 World Cup and will turn into a quality forward. Injuries haven't been kind to his development but I still think he is most likely our best 'striker' at the moment. Adam Taggart was looking on track too until off-field incidents at Fulham. However, he's still young and can grow into a prolific goal scorer.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"if you have to chase the ball down the road after every time you score a goal you just don’t bother doing it." Couldn't agree more. Better yet, set up an oversize net with tape to mark out where the goal frame would be. I've seen someone with a set up like that in their yard not far from where I live. Every club should have one.
Nick Symonds
Guest
Don't know about FFA, but maybe the state federations could hold their own youth tournaments and then send the winners to a national tournament. Another thing clubs could do is set up a 12x16 meter sand pit for 3v3 Gol Beach Soccer and footvolley. That'll help with poor surfaces (cow paddocks) both here and overseas. It also encourages tricks and a bit of flair rather than just passing. http://www.golbeachsoccer.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIIQNqv_P0o
Nick Symonds
Guest
"Tomi Juric 8 goals / 32 games, Robbie Kruse 5 goals / 60 games, Matt Leckie 6 goals / 49 games." - These are not the strikers we're looking for.
Gavin
Guest
Well we have had a few marquees play already; Yorke, ADP, Villa come to mind. But with the strength of the league, and it still being in relatively new stages of development, we aren't going to attract any top footballer who isn't on the wrong side of early 30's. Sydney FC and Melbourne City (particularly the latter with their connections around the globe) are probably the two with the supporter base and location that a marquee would have most impact. As for getting someone who improves the league standard, well that's the same as any signing really. You hope to get 'x' results out of them but they don't always deliver.
George K
Roar Pro
Experimental; I like it. Having said that FFA are notoriously stubborn in recent memory why would they give this idea any light?
Nemesis
Guest
@Albo Kruse & Leckie aren't strikers. They're wide attackers. You have Juric with 8 goals from 32 matches? You think that's pathetic. I have Viduka with 11 from 43 matches. What's your assessment of Viduka? @Stevo Tim Cahill is 178 cm tall & weighs 64 kg. How many players of this size end up playing top level AFL, Basketball, RL?
Nick Symonds
Guest
"Australia need a striker, the question is where and when?" Try full pitch 7-a-side during training and have tournaments in the off season like the HKFC Soccer 7's. The more goal scoring opportunities the better, practice makes perfect. The best strikers will quickly rise to the top. 8-12 goals per hour of match time. The HKFC IP Global International Soccer Sevens - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDICHExEF8A Hong Kong Soccer Sevens Final 2013 (Newcastle v Leicester) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXCEHcSX7oM
George K
Roar Pro
It's something in the water!!
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Most ridiculous comment so far. But 10/10 for entertainment :)
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Good summary Albo. But I don't have an answer. Well yes I have a comment. An exceptional footballer, a top striker, is born not made. It's innate in the person, they just understand what to do without thinking. They had the instinct from day one. The problem for Australia is that with so many elite sports taking athletes, our next Cahill may well be starting to play AFL/NRL/Basketball/etc as we type out our comments.
Glen
Guest
Scott McDonald was one of the oddest cases I've seen. Scored heaps at club level but never in international. He was a true striker from memory?
George K
Roar Pro
But without Ange, and a seemingly new style to be implemented by an unknown coach is the new style going to be based on spreading the goals around? Even if we create 100s of chances the fact of the matter is that these players aren't primarily strikers (with the exception of Juric and Leckie) - most of the time they will just miss and it will hurt to watch. We need a striker or at least someone who is more clinical in finishing without it watching Australia play will just be a series of "ohhh so close".
Nemesis
Guest
I don't think the system Ange plays is focused on any 1 particular player scoring lots of goals. It's meant to spread the scoring around. Apart from Thailand & Japan away, AUS created enough real, meaningful chances every match to score half a dozen goals. Great goalkeeping, woodwork & inexplicable misses (e.g. Juric x2 away to Honduras + another cut back that just needed to be 1/2 m forward than where it ended for a tap-in) ... one day we'll take all our chances & someone will cop a hiding.
George K
Roar Pro
Fair point Nem, as long as goals go in then there is no reason to worry. But surely having someone up front who can score would put a little bit of pressure off the team and allow them to focus on their job as players in the squad - not necessarily trying to be that missing striker. Further, by having a stronger up front presence wouldn't there be more opportunities for the goals to go in? A more clinical presence would also mean we wouldn't be relying as heavily on set pieces to get through like in Honduruas.