Don’t panic, Australia. Popovic says Socceroos are ‘ready’ for the real thing
SanDiego: If you’re looking at Australia’s pre-World Cup form and focusing only on the result, you’re doing it wrong.
At least that’s what coach Tony Popovic wants you to think. He says he got everything he wanted from the Socceroos’ 1-1 draw against Switzerland, describing it as an “exercise” in preparation and not a real measure of where they sit a week after their first match of the tournament against Türkiye.
Fans returning home early on Sunday morning (AEST) would have preferred to watch a more complete performance from the Socceroos, but that’s not the point.
For Popovic and his coaching staff, this was just another brick in the wall they were trying to build with a squad made up mostly of World Cup first-timers; Another training session in preparation for next weekend’s World Cup opener against Türkiye (albeit against the 19th ranked team in the world).
It was a dress rehearsal, but only in a logistical sense. Both Australia and Switzerland are playing a match at noon local time in the World Cup – for the Socceroos it is their second Group D match against the United States – so they have agreed to treat the friendly at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego as a rehearsal to see if there are any kinks in their routine that need to be ironed out.
But this wasn’t a football dress rehearsal. If Popovic wanted, he could field his first-choice XI and tell them to execute the Türkiye game plan a week early.
Instead, he made seven changes from the team that lost 1-0 to Mexico last week, naming the youngest squad he has ever had in that job (average age of just 24.6, more than a year below the previous record) and throwing them to the lions without captain Maty Ryan’s reassuring voice guiding them from the back or Jackson Irvine organizing the midfield.
It was about trying untested combinations, boosting the match fitness of some players who needed it (including the last two players to make their camp debuts, striker Tete Yengi and Italian ‘re-recruit’ Cristian Volpato) and putting some in situations they weren’t sufficiently in against battle-hardened, world-class opposition.
Popovic said of the Swiss player, who is captained by Premier League powerhouse Granit
“If we don’t play those games, if we don’t expose our players to that, we don’t improve, we don’t improve. That’s why we did it. Unless the players are exposed to that… you can’t just tell them that, they have to go through that process.”
“We were pleased with the work done in both matches. In the second half, we saw improvement in the players who did not have experience at this level. In the second half, we saw more self-confidence in the players who did not play at this level. We did not experience any injuries. We scored a very good goal. In general, we are happy.
“We got everything we wanted from the game… we’re ready for next week.”
Popovic spoke about the lack of “maturity” in his squad; that’s how you develop it in real time.
The question is whether they’ve matured enough to be ready for what awaits them in Vancouver next weekend, and right now, only those with access to a time machine can answer that question.
But you won’t need anyone to know what will happen if the Socceroos face Türkiye as timidly as they did against Switzerland and Mexico the week before.
Much of the first half was played out of bounds by a team that looked capable of scoring every time they went forward. Xhaka’s stunning 14th-minute goal from Dan Ndoye was far from the only time the Australian defense was torn to shreds; Had it not been for the heroics of goalkeeper Patrick Beach in his second game or the determination of defender Harry Souttar, the damage would have been much greater.
When faced with more dominant opposition and things are not going perfectly for them, these Socceroos retreat into their shell very often and very quickly, which affects all phases of their game.
“It was hard to put my finger on it,” Souttar said.
“We strayed a little bit. I just think we need to be a little more aggressive in the moments when we go and press.”
Is Souttar concerned about this evolving model?
“No, not really,” he said. “That’s also the sign of a good team; you can change something and it works.”
Indeed, this time Australia explained the responsibility for the early goal they conceded by scoring an own goal.
Yengi’s 56th-minute strike underlined how dangerous the Socceroos can be when they believe in themselves and play more freely, and his conversion of Cameron Burgess’ superb long pass highlighted the benefits of a left-footed player in the backline.
A spirited performance from Nestory Irankunda, who forced Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel into a fingertip save to stop a trademark long-range shot, gave Popovic further food for thought on whether he should start against Türkiye or whether his rare talents should be better used against tiring legs on the bench.
“I think he found the first half difficult,” Popovic said.
“Sometimes he’s too deep and too high. But we had three new forwards, which didn’t help him clearly understand when to run forward, when to wait, when to be in the pocket. In the second half, he did better, as did the team, and we know he had those moments.”
