Australia head coach Ange Postecoglou has copped a barrage of criticism in the past two weeks since the Socceroos failed to qualify automatically for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
A loss to Japan, and a 2-1 draw with Thailand, meant the green and gold missed out on the top two spots in its Asia qualifying group. Japan and Saudi Arabia are headed to Russia, while Australia must face Syria in a two-legged playoff. If they can get past the Syrians then the the fourth-best team in North and Central America awaits in another playoff.
It’s a tricky route but one that is not impossible. Syria are ranked 80th in the world and Panama, the United States and Honduras, the three teams in contention for the fourth spot, are ranked 61st, 26th and 75th respectively. Despite their World Cup pedigree, the US are currently in a big hole and have won just two of their eight qualifiers so far. It is not all bleak for the Socceroos.
Some perspective is needed considering Australia lost just one match during the whole qualification phase, and that was away to Japan. The Socceroos haven’t beaten the Samurai Blue on their turf since the dawn of time. Both Japan and the Saudis lost more qualifiers than the Aussies, but four draws proved costly for Postecoglou’s men. They conceded 11 goals, four more than the Japanese and one more than the Saudis, so goal difference became an issue. Australia missed out on the slimmest of margins.
Postecoglou shouldn’t be hanged for that, even though World Cup qualification is seen as a kind of Asian birthright down under. Even since the holy grail was reached in 2005 after a 32-year absence, participation in the world’s biggest sporting event is expected. It’s also vitally needed in Australia for the financial windfall it brings along with publicity and profile when competing with other sports. But no country has a divine right to play in the World Cup.
Some critics seem to forget it was under Postecoglou that Australia won the 2015 Asian Cup, where Pim Verbeek and Holger Osieck his predecessors, failed. The 52-year old has revamped the national team and brought through a huge amount of new players through. He has evolved the playing style and tried to improve standards across the nation. The question should not be, should Postecoglou be removed from his job now, but has this team continued to progress since the heights of that Asian Cup triumph two years ago?
That is more difficult to answer. Performances have been patchy since that extra-time win over South Korea. The two highlights have been a 2-2 draw with Germany in Germany and a 1-1 draw with Chile at the Confederations Cup. Both were against opponents who are among the best in the world, and both performances gave Socceroos pause to hope. Apart from that there has been several inconsistent and some terrible displays, such as a 4-0 thrashing by Brazil, a 2-0 defeat to Jordan, a 1-1 draw with Cameroon and a 2-2 draw with Thailand.
Part of the vitriol directed at Postecoglou has been because of his prickly demeanor, the way he handles the press and single-minded focus. Some of that is unfair, because he is what he is. The coach has never been particularly friendly with the media, despite a stint as a pundit, played favourites or courted popularity. That’s just not his way. He purely has eyes on his task at hand.
Analysis of his tactics and selections is much more valid. His championing of some players over others, Brad Smith and Tim Cahill for example, has puzzled. His introduction of a three-man backline against Iraq after just two training sessions was controversial. It could be argued that the Socceroos have struggled to adapt to this formation, nor have the players to make it successful. Postecoglou could be more pragmatic, but that isn’t in his DNA. Championing his ambition and boldness, while at the same time criticizing his reluctance to take his foot off the throttle, can be hypocritical.
Postcoglou’s job is not completed yet. He appears to still have the confidence of his players and has earned the right to see this qualification period out. At the end of the day it his head on the chopping bloke, and lose or win, he will be still out of the position in 10 months time at the very most. And then, just maybe, we might start to miss the grumpy Greek-born migrant with the bold ideas.
