Joy for Saudi Arabia, tears for Australia in World Cup qualifiers

Alex Broun 01:16 06/09/2017
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  • You can almost hear the gnashing of teeth from here.

    When Fahad Al Muwallad popped up to fire home a screamer and give Saudi Arabia a not undeserved victory against a lacklustre Japan in Jeddah on Tuesday night, it meant Australia’s chances of taking a place in Russia 2018 took a spectacular nose dive.

    Al Muwallad’s 63rd minute goal meant KSA squeaked past the Socceroos into second spot in Group B, and along with Japan, a joyously celebrated automatic place in next year’s World Cup.

    So now Australia must play against the third placed team in Group A, miracle boys Syria, who only just survived themselves thanks to a 93rd minute goal from Omar Al Soma snatching a 2-2 draw with already qualified Iran.

    Australia will feel harshly done by – as they drew with KSA in Jeddah and then beat them in Adelaide a 3-2 thriller.

    The Socceroos nemesis was the lowly rated Thailand who eked out a 2-2 draw when Australia came visiting in November 2016 and then held Australia to a 2-1 victory in Melbourne yesterday.

    In contrast Saudi beat Thailand 1-0 at home but the key result was their three-nil thrashing of the War Elephants in Bangkok in March. It was those three goals that have taken KSA to Russia instead of Australia.

    The Socceroos may still make it but now they have to overcome the sentimental favourites Syria, who have overcome incredible odds just to make it this far, in a home and away series in October. (Syria’s games will probably be played in Malaysia.)

    The playoff lottery could then see them facing up to the US in November, as if they do beat Syria (no certainty) they have to beat the fourth placed team in CONACAF to go through to Russia. Currently that is Honduras but they are even on points with the US.

    Not surprisingly the recriminations have already started Down Under into coach Ange Postecoglou’s qualifying campaign.

    Go back to 2015 and Australian football was on a high after winning their first-ever major football trophy, the Asian Cup, and Postecoglou was flavor of the month.

    Flash forward two and a half years and Postecoglou is fighting for his job, facing vitriol from football pundits like ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich.

    It looked rosy when Australia took on Japan last Thursday. The Blue Samurai were supposedly in dis-array and after Saudi Arabia’s shock loss to the UAE a point would have been enough to guarantee qualification for Russia 2018. But in the end it was the Socceroos who were in disarray as Japan ran out comfortable winners 2-0.

    Postecoglou is known for his tactics and systems but he needed to get things exactly right against Japan if the Socceroos were to succeed. He didn’t, with his much maligned back three system again mis-firing.

    Some believe that the Socceroos shouldn’t be in this situation in the first place, and blame Postecoglou’s decision to swap systems so late in the campaign.

    They lost ground after the 2-2 draw against the Thais last November, and have been inconsistent since switching to three at the back in March when they dropped more points in a 1-1 draw with Iraq.

    Ex-Socceroos’ keeper Bosnich, who played more than 200 games in the Premier League, is calling for Postecoglou to step down. This week, he lambasted “Big Ange” for everything from tactics to demeanour.

    Ange Postecoglou.

    Ange Postecoglou.

    Postecoglou was happy to return fire.

    “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea” he said, “It’s fair enough that people put the national team coach under scrutiny, and it doesn’t surprise me that [Bosnich] doesn’t think I’m the right person for the job.

    “I’m sorry I’m not a likeable, huggable guy you guys want, I took [this job] with the intent of trying to change mindsets and a little bit of the landscape.”

    The criticism of Postecoglou stems from his refusal to change his philosophies — the back three has been a mixed success at best — and his reluctance to be pragmatic enough to grind out results in the cautious manner of his predecessors Pim Verbeek and Holger Osieck.

    The plus side for Postecoglou, which he has over the previous two coaches, is he is an Aussie. The minus – he lost.

    An ugly 0-0 draw against Japan in Saitama would have put the Aussies in pole position to qualify. Instead, they opted to play out from the back and were humbled in a 2-0 reverse that fully justified the home side’s superiority.

    Everyone then expected Australia to bounce back with a commanding performance against the already eliminated Thailand in wintery Melbourne, and leave the Saudis with a mountain to climb against Japan.

    But again Thailand, who the Aussies drew 2-2 with in Bangkok last November, proved the bogey team with the home side scraping home thanks to a late Mathew Leckie goal.

    This meant that the Saudis, instead of having to make up a goal deficiency against Japan, just had to win by any margin to get through. That absence of pressure in the end was a huge telling factor.

    Not surprisingly once again Postecoglou’s tactical plan drew fire.

    Instead of going out all guns blazing against the War Elephants, Australia were wary of conceding against the dangerous Thais, with Japan-based midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin pulling the strings.

    But it’s not just Postecoglou’s tactics drawing fire. His once famed inspirational skills also seem to have taken a hit with him unable to lift his troops when he needs to most.

    Back in 2015, after South Korea equalised in the final minute to send the Asian Cup final into extra time, Postecoglou’s inspirational team talk uplifted a deflated group of players to secure a 2-1 victory.

    The former Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar boss needs to achieve the same kind of motivation to get the best of out of a team who have been underperforming – and time is running out.

    For the moment 2015 is forgotten and instead fans are focusing back a year earlier to the disappointing World Cup campaign in Brazil in 2014.

    Postecoglou’s legacy as a great Socceroos coach, instead of just a good one, could hinge on the next two months and (hopefully) four more crucial qualifiers still to come.

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