As the Socceroos begin life post the Ange Postecoglou and Bert van Marwijk years, expectations are varied.
The above sentence often reads somewhat differently and ends with ‘expectations are high’. In the case of the Socceroos however, that is rarely the case.
Sure there is hope and a living breathing passion within the fans of Australia’s national team, yet cautious optimism is more reflective of the mindset most commonly adopted.
Being such a small fish in the global footballing pond and with the game still slowly but surely growing in both participation and popularity, the Socceroo brand remains a battling one.
Due to population, financial restriction and the talent pool available, the Socceroos are just an average team; courageous and committed no doubt, yet one that enters World Cup competition with a sense of hope rather than expectations of victory.
So will it remain the case in the short to medium term future and moments of triumph and despair will feature prominently. Despite four successful World Cup qualification campaigns, Australia’s place on the world stage is never assured.
That reality will play out clearly in January at the Asian Cup, as Australia faces some improving nations at the group stage before, hopefully, being tested by some of the big guns later in the tournament.
Whilst Jordan, Palestine and Syria will appear a walk in the park to those somewhat removed from the game, the Socceroos’ past experience with the Syrians should be a reminder of the challenges and increasing strength in the Asian Confederation.
Graham Arnold is the new ‘Roos coach. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
With all this in mind, what is a fair and justified short term expectation for the team, as Graham Arnold takes the reins?
As reigning Asian Cup champions, victory is certainly within the realms of possibility. South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia produced mixed performances in Russia and the Socceroos match up evenly against all three.
The Japanese, despite their inspiring run and unfortunate round of sixteen World Cup exit, had showed little in the lead up to the event. The United Arab Emirates will be buoyed by home support and loom as another nation likely to advance to the knock-out phase.
The journey begins on October 15 when Australia travels to meet Kuwait in a friendly. It will be the first hit out for the squad since the World Cup and Arnold’s methods will be under scrutiny.
Many fear a replication of the hard-nosed and sometimes brutal approach that he implemented so successfully at Sydney FC.
Sitting back and absorbing blows before applying manic pressure in search of a turnover is a common strategy and Sydney had the tools to execute the plan well.
A problem arose when the game style proved ineffective in Asian Champions League play. The officials seemed a little less lenient than A-League whistle-blowers and the physical brand lost its punch.
Throw in the quality of the opposition and questions arose around whether Arnold could devise a more subtle plan than the one he was using to bully A-League opposition.
By the time the team returns to Australian shores and faces Korea Republic in Brisbane on November 17 and Lebanon three day later in Sydney, Arnold’s hand should be apparent.
Hopefully, a certain degree of enterprise and adventure will be evident. Socceroo fans will be looking for an improvement in service from the flanks and enhanced cohesion up front; areas that were problematic in Russia.
The critics will be in waiting. A continuation of the fruitlessness in front of goal and the inability to create chances will be pounced upon and potentially used as an argument against the manager’s appointment.
In his defence, it has been a long standing and seemingly unsolvable issue. Moreover, until the Socceroos are gifted a world class striker and more reliable and consistent service from wide areas, it will most likely remain the case.
Will Graham Arnold find a way for the Socceroos to score? (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
Arnold is on record as highlighting the psychological factors behind the goal drought. It all sounded a bit simple when he suggested our men up front required a clearing of the head and a fresh start. However, perhaps Arnold sees a hidden key in the team that merely needs unlocking.
Nothing less than a semi-final place in the Asian Cup will be deemed acceptable by many and if achieved on the back of improved play in the friendlies later this year, Arnold might lure a few believers back from the dark side.
It is hard to know what to expect and even more difficult to apply a fair measuring stick. Any early cracks and Arnold will appear on a hiding to nothing.
Contrastingly, bright football, plenty of goals and an Asian Cup trophy might be the start of a glorious new generation for Australian football.
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
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