Australia rounded out their three post-season friendlies with a 2-1 loss to Greece last Tuesday night, in a game where the Socceroos looked a different side from the first game in the Dodoni series and that which narrowly lost to England.
All three matches saw a major rotation of players, as Ange Postecoglou and his coaching staff still look to find areas in which they can improve the setup.
The matches were the Socceroos final preparation before they take on Iraq and the United Arab Emirates in the second stage of World Cup Qualifying.
Outside90’s Brayden May looks at five things we learned from the three results?
A-League provides perfect stepping stone into the national team
In the recent games against England and Greece, Brisbane Roar striker Jamie Maclaren and Melbourne Victory fullback Jason Geria were both handed their first appearances in the green and gold.
Maclaren made his debut in the away game against England and while he struggled to have a major impact, his selection was warranted after a strong campaignin the A-League where he finished with 20 goals, the highest total ever by an Australian in a single season.
Geria, who missed the England match due to club commitments, was handed his first cap for the Socceroos in the first fixture against Greece, having been made to watch from the bench in the March World Cup qualifiers.
Alex Gersbach, who recently left Sydney FC, was another player to make his debut during the series against Greece, featuring in both matches.
The squad for the England game included players who produced strong seasons at home – including Adelaide United pair Stefan Mauk and Craig Goodwin (who has recently left the club).
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Depth continues to grow
When Ange Postecoglou was first appointed as manager of the national team, he made it clear he would stop at nothing to expose a plethora of players to international level until he got the right balance in his side.
Handing the likes of Gersbach and Geria their debuts gives the team more depth in the fullback positions, an area which anyone has struggled to continually hold down since the former Brisbane Roar manager took over.
Milos Degenek, another player who featured in the England friendly, gives a further option in the heart of defence,
Originally scheduled to only play in that single match, the 1860 Munich defender was called into the squad for the Dodoni series as cover for an injured Matt Spiranovic.
The 22-year-old went on to impress the coaching staff, ensuring he will be hard to ignore when the next squad is name for the first matches in the next stage of World Cup qualifying in September.
Gap needs to close between best and worst
Despite losing 2-1 to the old enemy in the opening game of the three friendlies, the Socceroos were the better side for most of the match, in a performance which provided plenty of encouraging signs before heading home to take on Greece.
Yet again the Australians would dominate the first game against Greece, although they would only take away a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Matthew Leckie with the last kick of the game.
Despite strong performances in the first two outings, the Socceroos showed they still have a lot of improving to do.
From the outset of the final game, Postecoglou’s men looked sluggish and made mistakes in the middle of the park, as they struggled to come to grips with Greece electing to employ a high press. As the hosts looked to play out from the back, they produced sloppy passes which would usually be made quite comfortably.
The drop-off in performance in the final game is sure to raise plenty of questions for Postecoglou and his coaching staff ahead of the September World Cup qualifiers.
https://youtu.be/XzRvLPKYhYs
Lack of a clinical edge
Despite being on top of the possession count for all three friendlies, the Socceroos could not manage to make more of the time they spent on the ball.
The first game against Greece saw the Socceroos produce chance after chance, however, they could not make their dominance count until the very late stages.
Australia would finish the match with 12 attempts on goal, yet only 25% (three shots) were on target, compared to the match against the Three Lions, which produced 14 shots with only two on target.
The Socceroos may have scored in the England game, but it came as a result of an own goal from young Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier.
Tim Cahill is showing exactly why he is still our number one forward. Despite having a limited impact in Melbourne, he had a goal disallowed in Sydney as the ball was adjudged to have gone out of play.
Mark Milligan may be the MVP
Mark Milligan has become a constant feature in the Socceroos lineup, often playing in the positions required to do the dirty work.
The former Melbourne Victory skipper featured in all three friendlies and in three different positions, a credit to his talent as a player.
Displaying expertise in central-defence and a more advanced midfield position in the opening two games is where Milligan excelled, with his ability to play the ball forward and pick out a pass.
His ability to slot in for Mile Jedinak in the holding-midfield positions showed exactly why he is always one of the first names on the team sheet when the Socceroos come together.
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