Outisde90’s David Vutopal concludes our look at the 50-year history of Australia’s journey to feature on world football’s biggest stage
2014 Campaign
The road to Brazil in 2014 began in September 2011. German coach Holger Osieck had taken over from Pim Verbeek and his two-years in charge of the Socceroos was to prove stormy. It can be said he presided over the decline of the national team, at a time when the focus of the game in Australia seemingly shifted towards the expansion of the A-League. The entirety of the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign and events around it encapsulated this, both it and the 2011 Asian Cup final run masking a decline that was frankly to be expected, but could have and should have been arrested earlier. While this was not entirely the fault of Osieck, his inability to do anything to turn the tide made following the Socceroos under him a challenging task.
In the first group stage, Australia were drawn with Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. The result was five wins and one defeat (in Oman), ostensibly a breeze but covering the cracks of some serious deficiencies in the team and it’s play. Thailand had taken the lead in the first game, before Australia scored twice to win 2-1. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, capitulated quite pitifully both home and away, while Oman proved credible opposition.
The second group stage revealed more issues. Australia was drawn with Japan, Jordan, Oman and Iraq. It did not begin well, with draws away to Oman and at home to the Blue Samurai followed by a 2-1 loss away to Jordan. With the first win of this stage coming in an away game against Iraq, Australia were in danger of having to face yet another playoff, though this possibility was avoided with a 4-0 home win over Jordan and a 1-0 win over Iraq to secure qualification. Not as dramatic as eight years previously, more a relief, albeit with considerably less optimism.
READ MORE: Looking at the 50-year history of Australia’s World Cup qualification [PART 1]
That was in June 2013. By October, confirmed by heavy losses to Brazil and France, it was clear that whatever would be thrown up in Brazil, the Socceroos clearly were not going to be good enough. A side that was in decline, clearly stagnant in terms of personnel and quality of football, that had missed crucial moments when to regenerate, was likely to become cannon fodder even for more modest opposition. The FFA acted and replaced Osieck with one of Australia’s most successful and respected coaches, Ange Postecoglou, whose two titles with Brisbane Roar established a game-changing benchmark for the A-League.
It was a Herculean task, but many wanted to believe and with good reason that it was not beyond Postecoglou, who after all had to clear the decks in order to regenerate Brisbane Roar. Fans wanted to see a team that could give it a go and make a modicum of progress, knowing what they were going to be up against. A new generation, including Mathew Ryan, Tom Rogic, Mathew Leckie, Robbie Kruse, Tommy Oar, Massimo Luongo and Jason Davidson among others were expected to step into the limelight under his tenure, while Tim Cahill remained (and remains) Australia’s most reliable source of goals.
Poor form continued into 2014 and on paper a World Cup draw including the reigning champions Spain, Chile and the Netherlands was one to dread. As it was, the Socceroos came away from Brazil with more dignity than three defeats would indicate, because the effort – especially in the second game against the Netherlands – was not to be faulted. Fans acknowledged that this was realistically what was going to materialise and that the 2015 Asian Cup on home soil was to be the real measure of progress under Postecoglou. The 2014 edition of the tournament was to prove one of the most memorable World Cups in living memory.
2018 Campaign (so far)
After Brazil, attention turned onto preparations for the 2015 Asian Cup where, regardless of the results, a strong showing would see momentum carry on into World Cup qualifiers in the same year. As it turned out, the 2015 Asian Cup was one of the most successful tournaments overall and also drew some of it’s best-ever attendances. Australia brushed aside Kuwait and Oman in a way that had not been thinkable in the previous six-years or so, were beaten by South Korea and then beat China and the UAE to set up a rematch with South Korea in the final. This game confirmed the rebirth of the Socceroos, with Massimo Luongo and James Troisi scoring the goals that delivered Australia their first real silverware.
The road to Russia in 2018 is somewhat different than previous campaigns, facing weaker teams than before, yet also being tested by travel and the fallacy of underestimating opponents. Already there has been a loss to Jordan, while Kyrgyzstan have proven more adept opponents than expected. However, the hard yards are being put in and the Australia has a more convincing look to it at any time since 2006, especially with the talent now available in midfield with Luongo, Rogic and Aaron Mooy. There will be no room for complacency, no room for letting up on the road to Russia.
Postscript
Australia has been in competitive international football for 50 years, which is less than many countries, as long or longer than many more, yet by no means could have ranked among the weakest teams in competition. Only rarely have the Socceroos been disgraced. The 1966 and 1970 qualifiers, taking place in a very different world for football and in general, saw Australia facing ultimately formidable opposition. Four years later, they earned their place among the elite by qualifying through a gruelling schedule, but were subsequently brought back down to earth. The injustices caused by the separation of Oceania from Asia in World Cup qualifiers left many questions of what might have been. The teams of the Frank Arok and Eddie Thomson eras were by no means uncompetitive, while certainly under Terry Venables and Frank Farina there was a growing awareness, along with some hope of qualifying. But it was not entirely the fault of those two that they came up short.
The breakthrough of 2006 changed not only the stature of the game in Australia, but also the perception of our country in the football world and its relations to the public. Participation in Asia has given a certain stability to things, yet also room for complacency that may hinder progress. The expansion and maturation of the A-League has contributed to the “mainstreaming” of football and the gradual regeneration of the national team. The onus now is on continuing the momentum generated by the Asian Cup success and ensuring that this is a team that will hit their stride in Russia in 2018.
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