Thailand 0-1 Australia: Match Analysis

In an encounter Australia was largely expected to dominate, the Socceroos were insipid and vulnerable to a dangerous Thailand. Winfried Schafer deserves great credit for Thailand's stubborn and animated performances against Australia. Mr Schafer, be honest now - have you been reading Pass and Move? His tactical plan to neutralise Australia's left flank was remarkably similar to PM's feature on 'How to dismantle Australia'. The scoreboard may have read one-nil to the visitors, but it was the Thais who escaped with greater credit. 

Given that Osieck restored the system that had recently been successful, with Holman reverting to the withdrawn striker role, McKay back at left midfield, and Zullo resuming his role as the left fullback, PM readers are justified in asking why Australia was so ineffective. Simply put, those failings that Australia suffered from against Oman and Thailand before, resurfaced despite the switch in personnel. Specifically, Australia were prone to a lack of width on the left flank, a lack of mobility up-front and a failure to retain possession. Ultimately this was probably a match that was tactically significant for the players that weren't present more than for the players that were. 

Oman 1-0 Australia: Match Analysis

Well this was unexpected. The Socceroos, unbeaten since that heart breaking extra time loss to Japan in January, have bent the knee to a defiant Oman. So besides falling back on tired old clichés like the hosts 'raging against the dying of the light', how can we explain this result? Oman definitely improved, with their defensive organisation becoming faster, which is a credit to Le Guen. Unfortunately however, it was Holger Osieck's team selection to which the majority of blame can be apportioned. 

Now mistakes, in and of themselves, are rarely something to worry over, as trial and error is often the best way to learn. Disappointingly however, the omissions Holger committed against Oman were of a strikingly similar nature, to the mistakes he made in his team selection against Thailand. Specifically, deploying Holman and McKay out of position at left wing and fullback, in a bid to squeeze in all of the 'on form' players into the same team. 

Oman v Australia: Preview

Next Tuesday, At 1am this Saturday, Australia is going to face Oman, needing only a draw to guarantee progression to the next stage of AFC Qualification for Brazil 2014.

Holger Osieck called up a 23-man squad for the two upcoming matches. The last match against Oman, about a month ago, was a resounding three-nil victory for the Aussies.

The fact that qualification is all but assured, and that the starting XI is the hardest it has been to predict for some years, are all excellent signs of the progress we have made under the affable German. 

Socceroos Squad List

Holger Osieck has called up a 23-man squad, adding five players from the 18 that contested against Malaysia and Oman at home, to face Oman away on Nov 11 and Thailand away on Nov 15, though that may change due to floods.

The big talking points pertain to the return of Aussie stalwarts Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton, as well as the call-ups of relative newcomers Chris Herd, Mitch Nichols and Adam Sarota.

A-League Training Camp

Holger Osieck and Aurelio Vidmar have called up a 31-man training camp, comprised of potential Olyroos and uncapped senior A-League players. Ostensibly for the older players in the prospective group, this is a chance to stake a claim for a berth in the Socceroos squad during the long and arduous qualification campaign for Brazil 2014. A camp such as this was only a matter of time, with Osieck having held a similiar training event for young Australians in Europe. This initiative is to be applauded as another signal of approval for the A-League from Osieck.

Ohhhh, Holger we love you

On the eleventh of August 2010, Australian football followers had one phrase on their lips - "Who the f**k is Holger Osieck?". 14 months later, Humourous Holger is the toast of the football media, enjoying an extended honeymoon with the fans, and the Socceroos are playing some of the most fluent, fluid and attacking football ever produced by the Green and Gold. Australia is no longer totally reliant on the Golden Generation, and young talent is being brought into the squad. Pass and Move have quite a favourable opinion of the friendly German, and we thought it an appropriate time to examine the changes Holger has affected in his time in charge.

Australia 3-0 Oman: HT Impressions

Australia produced a fluid and fast-paced performance to clinch a win against Oman. Oman it must be said, did not collapse under pressure as the Malaysians did. Paul le Guen's side was able to generally keep its defensive shape, and launched sporadic counter-attacks, but the Socceroos were simply superior. Much credit has to go to Holger Osieck for his introduction of the most fluid football to be produced by the Green and Gold in some time. Some of the media have unfairly portrayed last night's XI as a 'second string' which is insulting to the players, and to the manager; the fact that he has successfully moulded a side no longer dependent on Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer, Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell is a massive acheivement, considering that none of the Young Guard play in the English Premier League, which for so long, had a strong contingent from the Antipodes. 

Australia's Progress under Osieck

Tomorrow evening, Australia will play Oman in the 3rd match of Round 3 of Qualifying for Brazil 2014. This encounter might be the first competitive match since Australia became expectant of regular participation in the World Cup that the manager will be without at least one of Socceroos stalwarts Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer and Brett Emerton; only Lucas Neill remains, and it is a testament to his ability and leadership that he really is the only one of the 'Fab 5' that is literally indispensable to the team.

Australia v Oman: Preview

Holger Osieck's men will take on Oman in a Round 3 AFC Qualifier on Tuesday night at ANZ Stadium. An 18-man squad has been called up by Holger, who recently thrashed Malaysia 5-0 in a friendly preparation match.

Australia 4-0 Malaysia HT Impressions

Simply woeful. What else can be said? Malaysia could not pass, they could not tackle; they couldn't even get close to the Australian players. Malaysia managed the frankly near-impossible task of standing firmly off the Socceroos, while running around like headless chooks - no mean feat indeed. Some defenders seemed to be under the impression they were using an offside trap, while the others were too busy ball-watching to care.

Putting Holger's system in context

Ever since Brett Emerton was suspended in the group stages of the Asian Cup, and Matt McKay justified Holger's faith in the diminutive midfielder by delivering influental match-winning performances, Osieck has favoured deploying Australia in an asymmetric 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid. This system operates with a double pivot in midfield, a winger/wide player on one flank and a midfielder drifting central on the opposite. Width on the 'narrow' flank is provided by an overlapping fullback, while the withdrawn forward/second striker/attacking midfielder drops deep to defend or pulls wide in attack.

With the current proliferation of 4-3-3 variants in club and international football, even Verbeek utilised a conservative 4-2-3-1, there aren't any elite European clubs who use anything like an orthodox 4-4-2 as their default formation. Manchester United come close, but Rooney's movement during the game means he often spends more time closer to the central midfielders or overloading the flanks than waiting for service near the 18-yard box.

Australia vs Malaysia: Preview/Prediticon

The Socceroos will play Malaysia on Oct 7, currently ranked 146 by FIFA, in a friendly in advance of a qualifying match against Oman on Oct 11. A 19-man squad has been called up by Holger.

Given Australia's mixed performance in our last two fixtures; 2-1 Thailand and 3-1 Saudi Arabia - it will be interesting to see how experimental Osieck will be with his line-up. As PM have previously covered, against Thailand, Holger was trying to cram McKay, Holman, Cahill and Wilkshire/Emerton into the same team; when this failed due to a lack of width and mobility, Osieck sent out his preferred 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid with more robust players in defence and midfield against Saudi to ensure points on the table and to preserve our winning momentum.

Australia's Squad Analysis: Central Midfield

Central Midfield:

Holger has demonstrated a preference for a double pivot in midfield. ‘Double pivot’ refers to a pair of midfielders that operate in tandem. Stereotypically, one fulfils the tackler role, by providing an extra layer of defensive security and disrupting opposition attacks, while the other fulfils the passer role, keeping possession in midfield, ensuring he is free to provide a safe outlet and distributing the ball. Together, the double pivot acts as a bulwark in front the back-four and a platform for the attacking four. The five players below are central midfielders at club level, but for the national team, Holger prefers to station McKay at left midfield to drift inside. This may indicate Holger holds reservations about McKay’s ability to operate in midfield without the security of the double pivot behind him, or simply that Holger prefers the ‘safety first’ approach common to international football short on preparation time.  



Australia's Squad Analysis: Goal Keeper and Defence

This is an examination of Australia’s squad depth, which has developed considerably under Osieck. Although Australia remain reliant on an experienced core, a number of players have staked successful claims to berths in the squad and team. This analysis is based on a back-four.

Goal Keeper:

Mark Schwarzer (Fulham) is still the undisputed no. 1 custodian. A superb shot stopper, Mark’s greatest quality is the confidence he instils in the backline, with the knowledge that they have a reliable keeper behind them. One of Mark's deficiencies is his relative weakness with the ball at his feet. Like most keepers of his generation, the distribution out of the back is left to the defenders in front of him.

Mark Schwarzer

Saudi Arabia 1-3 Australia: Final Say

Saudi Arabia 1-3 Australia

This is a summary of the Match Report and the relevant Commentary on the Commentary, and will look to compare the difference in Australia’s two systems against Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

Why did the shape against Thailand fail?

1.  Unbalanced – Holman and McKay, at LM and LB respectively drifted centrally and ignored the left flank.

2. Lack of mobility – Kennedy and Cahill were very static, staying high and waiting for service instead of dropping deep or pulling wide.

This resulted in a reliance on the right flank, and a static front line which necessitated crosses from deep.

How would an opposing team dismantle Australia?

As Pass and Move have documented previously, Holger’s preferred system for Australia has been an asymmetric  4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid, with McKay drifting centrally and acting as a central midfielder, with the right midfielder linking up with the two forwards. Width on the left is provided by the left full-back.  A double pivot in midfield provides a platform for attack and a bulwark in front of the defence. The withdrawn forward drops deep.

Jonathan Wilson has examined England’s asymmetric formation, and his conclusion is that being asymmetric, in and of itself, can be a strength by presenting opponents with unusual challenges. Wilson alleges that the custom of referring to players by their position discounts the attributes and abilities they possess – tactics should be more than “drilling 10 round holes into a team sheet and hammering pegs into them whatever their shape”. The most important consideration is to produce a fluent system, which Holger has managed to concoct, as a result of accident and design.

In general, an asymmetric formation can be distinguished from a symmetric formation, in that the method of attacking and defending and the division of these responsibilities differs from the left flank to the right flank.

Saudi Arabia 1 - 3 Australia: Match Report

This was a much improved and professional performance by the Socceroos. Holger recognised and rectified his selection errors from the match against Thailand, and sent out more robust players. While this line-up did not quite achieve the attacking fluency that was on display against Wales, this was still an encouraging performance. Australia attacked with movement, and defended with numbers, never really coming under sustained pressure by the Saudis.

Australia's system:
Holger reinstated his favoured 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid, shuffling a few players around positions and exchanging a few for the bench.

Saudi Arabia 1 - 3 Australia: HT Impressions

Pass and Move's match analysis was disrupted at half time due to an urgent need to sleep. However, here are some points PM gleamed from the first half, most of which were noted in our twitter coverage of the match. Full Match Report to Follow.

1) Personnel - Holger made some notable changes in his line up.
Jedinak was preferred to Kilkenny, probably to add a more robust presence to midfield. Jedinak's more committed tackling was a feature; he was lucky not to get booked.
Ognenovski was preferred to Spiranovic. Ogenenovski is more of a rugged/physical presence, but perhaps a shade slower and less sure on the ball/and on the flank than Spiranovic. He stayed central instead of covering the flank.
Holman was shifted from his unbalancing left-flank role to a roaming position nominally behind the striker. Cahill was pushed to the bench. The benefits are obvious; Holman offers much more mobility than the Everton man.
In mid-field, Holger used a relatively defensive pivot of Valeri and Jedinak, with Valeri looking to come deep and receive the ball from the CBs and Jedinak looking to impose himself physically higher up the pitch, to disrupt play.
McKay was shifted from LB, where he was defensively exposed, to LM, where he was freer to drift centrally and initiate passing exchanges. In his place, Zullo was started at LB, to provide the width McKay does not, and a surprisingly effective defensive presence.
PM is reaonable pleased that we were able to predict most of the personnel changes, but is somewhat disappointed Williams or Kruse were not started. However, we recognise Holger intended to ensure a good performance and a win, and did not wish to take a risk on blooding players.

Australia 2-1 Thailand: Final Say

This is basically a summary of the rather long 4-part Match Report, and will look to answer a few basic questions.

Why were Australia poor?
1. Unbalanced formation - Holman, nominally on the left flank, drifted centrally and ignored the left. McKay, nominally playing at LB, was defensively exposed as he tried to drift into mid-field and create - therefore the left flank was completely abandoned and this was the flank Thailand exploited for their goal. This unbalanced formation was obviously an attempt by Osieck to fit McKay, Holman, and the fluid partnership of Emerton and Wilkshire into a the same team combined with Cahill's goal threat.

Saudi Arabia vs Australia: Prediction/Preview

Possible starting line-up: (4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid)

This XI is harder to predict, as Holger has called up a 23-man squad, as opposed to the usual 18, in order to cope with the heavier schedule. Holger proclaimed that he would select his strongest side against Thailand, perhaps indicating the side facing Saudi Arabia would feature those players who weren't used in last night's match.

Hopefully, Holger will have recognised the deficiencies in his team selection and will make the appropriate corrections.

While Schwarzer is the undisputed number 1 custodian, it is likely Holger will select Federici. In this way, Federici gains more international experience and match familiarity with his defenders, while Schwarzer can gain some rest. He is after all playing in the Premier League and the Europa League, which entails a heavy schedule.