It might have been an international ‘friendly’, but Tuesday night’s Socceroos match against Ecuador was a no-holds-barred scrap.
Ecuador emerged victorious 2-1 as Australia coach Graham Arnold handed minutes to a host of young talents, throwing them in the deep end against a fellow competitor from the Qatar World Cup.
Nevertheless, there is plenty of reason for optimism despite the defeat, with a clear tactical style being implemented – and no shortage of entertainment from the action on-field.
Here are the biggest talking points from Tuesday night’s clash.
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THAT WASN’T FRIENDLY … BUT IT’S A GOOD LESSON
Friday’s clash was tetchy, nearly spilling over into fisticuffs in the dying minutes when a rejected Alex Robertson penalty appeal sparked a scuffle. That angst carried over to Tuesday’s match, which went up to a whole new level of physicality and intensity.
Across the pitch, the Socceroos were harried and harassed from the first whistle. Heavy tackles flew in from all directions – and on another day, the foul or card count may have been twice as high, with the referee seemingly forgetting his whistle at times. Ecuador’s Premier League superstar Moises Caicedo was particularly lucky to only see one yellow card brandished his way.
Thomas Deng was bullied out of the way twice by Ecuador’s beastly Kevin Rodriguez, who probably should have scored when one-on-one in the first half, but won the penalty early in the second.
The physicality was epitomised by youngster Cammy Devlin, who raced in at a full sprint before throwing himself into a sliding tackle to block a pass – only to cop a knee to the head in the process.
His head began pouring blood, but he just smiled as he was taped up, and changed shirts before rejoining the fray.
Arnold told 10 post-game: “He had stitches at halftime and I was little bit concerned about that – he didn’t want to come off but I wanted to be safe.”
Arnold added that the physical battle was a valuable lesson, especially to his group of youngsters.
He told 10: “I think it was a great lesson. You see how physically strong they were. I think they won the physical battle … I think that was one of the biggest standouts. They won pretty much every second ball because they were physically better.”
A friendly series characterised by intensity and toughness is a welcome change from the dull, lifeless kick-abouts that are sometimes thrown up.
The Socceroos and their youngsters didn’t back down, which is a very positive sign. But to compete at the top level, physicality and technicality must both be at an elite level – and there’s definitely room for growth.
REFEREE’S ‘GROSS FAILURE’ OVER HEAD KNOCK
Just minutes after Cameron Devlin copped a brutal knock to the head, veteran teammate Bailey Wright was sent crashing to the turf after he challenged for an aerial ball, only for his head to collide with the shoulder of Ecuador’s Pervis Estupinan. He sat on the turf for some time and appeared in clear discomfort, but the referee would not allow Australia’s concerned medical staff to check the player for concussion.
Commentator Andy Harper said on Channel 10: “That’s appalling if the referee hasn’t asked for the medical staff to come on. Earth to mars, hello?”
Milos Degenek checked on his teammate, while captain Jackson Irvine attempted to get the referee to allow the necessary medical check without any luck.
Harper continued: “That’s a gross failure. A gross failure by the match officials.”
He added: “I’ll just make this point once. If we needed reminding of how far our form of football has to go with this issue of concussions and head injuries, we’ve just seen it.”
Wright continued and played the full 90 minutes, but the scary moment was a reminder of the improvements needed in this area.
NEW IDENTITY IS BECOMING CLEAR – AND FORGED IN TOUGH DEFENCE
On the road to the Qatar World Cup, Australia typically dominated possession against weaker Asian teams, bombing the ball into the box and racking up shot after shot. Against tougher teams in Asia – Saudi Arabia, Japan – and the playoff opponent in Peru, the Socceroos faced a completely different test. Australia had to become comfortable without the ball, relying on a disciplined defence and a rapid counter-attack.
That was taken to extremes in the World Cup, against the likes of heavyweights France and Argentina – sides so slick and technically gifted, so comfortable in possession.
Arnold’s approach was a medium block, not retreating to ‘park the bus’ on the edge of the Australian penalty area, nor pressing too high and leaving space behind the defence.
That was combined with a focus on rapid counter-pressing – closing down the opponent quickly upon losing the ball – and transitioning quickly into attack.
It relies on pace, hard work, and cohesiveness. After all, if a team presses inconsistently, it is a recipe for disaster.
In the last two games, Arnold has clearly reinforced the approach and style that is likely to be at the core of the plan moving forward: press high when possible, or counter-press and transition into rapid counter-attacks.
Two statistics encompass the style completely.
For six games in a row (aka the four World Cup games and the two Ecuador matches), the Socceroos have conceded more shots at goal than their opponents. Last night Ecuador took 16 shots to Australia’s seven, while on Friday it was 12 to 10. In their last 11 internationals before the World Cup, Australia took at least as many shots as their rivals on nine occasions. The Socceroos are willing to trust their defence and rely on taking their chances when they come, even if that means fewer opportunities. Goals win games, but defence wins trophies, as the saying goes.
The other statistic shows just how the Socceroos score their goals. In their last six games (World Cup and Ecuador friendlies), the Socceroos have scored eight times. But in the build-up to those eight goals, they have completed just 15 passes in the opposition half – less than two per goal. It’s about as direct as attacking build-up comes.
Things will be forced to change against defences that sit deep – aka lower-ranked Asian opponents in World Cup qualifying. But the World Cup and these matches showed that the gutsy Aussie defence and the rapid counter-attack is a style that can bring success against even the top teams.
