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Opinion
Finding goals at the World Cup has proven problematic for the Socceroos and the key question heading into the 2022 tournament is just who will add their name to Australia’s short but storied list.
Just six Socceroos have steered a ball into an opponent’s net at the FIFA World Cup, with Tim Cahill leading the way with five goals. Mile Jedinak (3) and Brett Holman (2) are the only other multiple scorers, while Harry Kewell, Craig Moore and John Aloisi all have a lone successful strike.
Across a total of 16 World Cup matches, Australia averages less than a goal a game (0.68), have scored more than two goals in a match just once, and been held scoreless on eight occasions.
It is a record that explains quite bluntly, accurately and disappointingly why the Socceroos have exited World Cup play in straight sets on four of their five campaigns, with the 2006 Round of 16 appearance against Italy still the high watermark.
Tim Cahill of Australia celebrates. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Considering the 31 goals conceded in World Cup play and a mere two match wins across the five tournaments, the significance of any goal is magnified. It is a rare feat and even more so when four successful spot kicks are removed from the count.
Doing so leaves just nine goals scored in open play from around 1740 minutes of action, an average of a goal at the World Cup every 193 minutes.
To advance beyond the Qatar group stage, the Socceroos need to score more often. That raises a circular and frustrating thought process for fans: where those goals will come and, even more importantly, how they will be created.
Coach Graham Arnold has selected an arsenal of front-line players. Jamie Maclaren, regardless of his doubters, has scored for fun at club level in recent times, Martin Boyle, Mathew Leckie, Awer Mabil and Garang Kuol look most likely to lay on quality balls for him to do so, while Craig Goodwin and Riley McGree have the explosive abilities to pop up with something special.
Strikers Jason Cummings and Mitchell Duke, despite not being in the prolific form of Maclaren, are also excellent options.
Ajdin Hrustic and Aaron Mooy are most likely on the edge of the box, while Maclaren, Goodwin and Cummings should accept any penalty responsibilities.
While that’s pleasant and pleasing on paper, the reality is that against two skilled and desperate European defences in the forms of France and Denmark and a quality Tunisian side, Maclaren will have a much tougher time than in the significantly weaker A-League.
Yet rather than directing all blame and responsibility on the man at the front of the arrowhead, something Adam Taggart has unfairly been a victim of, the men sitting in the attacking pockets and providing service will in fact be the players that determine the Socceroos’ success.
To have any chance, Boyle needs to be buzzing on the right side of attack, with Mabil and Goodwin getting in behind on the left frequently. McGree, Hrustic and Jackson Irvine need to play the ball forward wherever possible, with the opposite still plaguing the squad at times.
Positive contributions from Aziz Behich, Nathaniel Atkinson and Bailey Wright from the back will also be important in the overall shape and structure.
Aziz Behich for Australia (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
Perhaps most crucial will be tempo and Australia’s tendency to sit back and possess aimlessly in central midfield must be avoided. Pressing high in an attempt to turn the ball over is modern football 101 and maintaining a frantic and chaotic tempo in the front half is a non-negotiable.
Of course, doing so for an entire match is near impossible, hence coordinated waves of pressure must be implemented and the timing of them well understood.
The timing and use of substitutions then becomes vital, with the introductions of players like Cameron Devlin, McGree, Kuol, Goodwin and others required earlier rather than later, to ensure that the tempo is maintained for extended periods.
Familiarity with the conditions in Qatar will be an asset, and there will be some oddities and both football and cultural challenges faced by a few teams unaware of the intricacies of the country.
Arnold will construct a plan to break a long-term scoring drought at the World Cup. Nothing would warm the heart more than seeing the net ripple more often.
That bucking of history will be the one and only chance the Socceroos have of advancing beyond the group stage.