The Socceroos are “all moving in the right direction,” according to Ange Postecoglou. Picture: Bruno Fahy Source: AFP
BY HIS own admission Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou is no “ray of sunshine” when his team loses, but he is confident of a change of fortune – and mood- when they take on Saudi Arabia in London on Tuesday morning.
Since he took over the side 11 months ago Australia has recorded just one win and a draw against four losses, with a total score-sheet of five goals for, 12 against.
For a man who hates losing as much as Postecoglou they are not statistics that bring too many smiles and he is not one to hide his frustration, as Belgian journalists found last week.
After Postecoglou reacted badly to his suggestion that the Socceroos might be “afraid” of facing Belgium in Liege, a local reporter asked the Australian media contingent, “your coach, is he always like that?”
Only when his team doesn’t win, came the reply, which is to say, most of the time.
But all going to plan, that should change at Fulham FC’s home ground Craven Cottage, on Tuesday.
Unlike most of the teams Australia has played in recent months, Saudi Arabia is not a world power. In fact, at number 83 they are ranked four spots below the Socceroos.
Asked on the eve of the match whether a win would reduce pressure on him personally, Postecoglou gave a rare insight into his feelings.
“It’s not pressure,” he said. “I’m not happy, I don’t like losing. I don’t have tell you I’m not a ray of sunshine to be around but I’ve got a real focus on what our goals are and come January when we play in the Asian Cup I want us flying mate and that’s what’s driving me at the moment.
“I think I said after the Belgium game, sometimes on the road to success you’ve got to go to some uncomfortable places. That’s where we are at the moment but my job is to make sure we stay the course. If I start thinking about the pressure on me – not that I ever do – what are the players going to think?”
It has been said that sporting coaches are salesmen – they sell belief. It is a word that Postecoglou uses often as he talks about taking the Socceroos in a new direction.
So far they have responded well, but the coach knows that the players need some success on the scoreboard to keep any doubts at bay.
“It’s a balance because when you’re not getting the rewards in terms of wins, it can knock your belief but looking at the players I think the belief is still there,” he said. “They think we are moving in the right direction. I know we are.
“All these games are building blocks to the Asian Cup. Along the way you’ve got to give the players rewards. You can’t just keep not getting rewards in terms of winning games because ultimately that’s where the real belief is.
“At the moment I don’t get a sense that they’re losing that belief.”
Certainly from the outside looking in they appear to be a happy group, eager to buy what Postecoglou and his support staff are selling.
Belgium’s forward Dries Mertens (right) shoots the ball as Australia’s midfielder Mark Milligan tries to block it. Picture: John Thys Source: AFP
As Mark Milligan, a veteran of three World Cups and five Socceroo coaching regimes put it, “the morale is pretty good”.
“It is difficult,” he said. “We went down 2-nil to Belgium the other night but they are a very, very good side and we still went out there and tried to do things our way so I think the belief in what we’re doing is definitely there.
“I think the structure has been put in place. In previous times where we might have had a few losses, even this time last year when we had a couple of very heavy losses, there was nothing to fall back on.
“We didn’t feel there was a certain structure to get us out of it. Everything now is so structured, the way we want to do things is quite clear. I think we know if we fall back on that and we do it properly that will drag us out of the results we have been having.”
Those words would no doubt bring a rare smile even to Postecoglou, but he says the Saudis will present their own challenges to a team that has played five of the world’s top ten teams in the past year.
Belgium’s defender Jan Vertonghen (centre) vies for the ball agiant Australia’s midfielder Mark Milligan (right). Picture: John Thys Source: AFP
“I’m not foolish enough to think there are any easy games but hopefully this game we will be able to impose ourselves a little earlier and be able to control the game,” he said.
“That produces different challenges because if we’ve got the ball a little bit more and are more comfortable in certain areas, then the expectation is that we have to find more opportunities than we have been able to against the best opposition.
“We’re going to have to lift our intensity in different areas on the park where we haven’t had to in the past because we’ve played against teams that didn’t let us do that.
“I will be interested in seeing how the players respond to that.”
And if they don’t get the result that they and their coach are hoping for? According to Postecoglou, it will be business as usual.
“I’m leading the ship and I’ve got to show that where we are is exactly where we want to be,” he said. “As I said, in time this 12 months period, as challenging as it’s been – and we’ve thrown some ridiculous challenges at a new group of players – will be good for us.”
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 