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Downtrodden ... not many Socceroos will be happy with their performances against Oman. Source: Paul Miller / AAP
The 35,000 fans at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday night weren't happy with the Socceroos' display against Oman in the 2-2 draw in the FIFA World Cup qualifier.
And neither was Holger Osieck, perplexed by a performance that he said bore no resemblance to what he saw at training during the week.
"It was definitely not what we expected," Osieck said after the match.
"We had different hopes going into the game. Unfortunately the first half did not go according to plan."
When asked what went wrong, Osieck said: "you can work on stuff, but the transferral (onto the pitch) is another issue. That was not what I wanted to see."
Oman's dream start, capitalising on some leaden-footed defending from Michael Thwaite, allowed them to sit back and absorb Australia's attack, while frustrating them with a little gamesmanship as well.
Add to that tactical stand-off a tepid first half display by the home side, lacking tempo and incisiveness, prompting Osieck to bemoan the lack of technique, accuracy and concentration of his players.
While all the usual platitudes about fighting spirit are true, as the side salvaged the woeful prospect of dropping three points at home to come back from two goals down and salvage a point, the opening-half performance will have Osieck scratching his head as to what went wrong.
Indeed, it's fitting that after Fox Sports spent the week picking Australia's most important footballers, Tim Cahill almost carried the country on his shoulders. The New York Red Bulls man had a number of headers saved in an exceptional display by Omani goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi.
So where did it go wrong? We run the rule over the Socceroos' display. Let us know what you think.
DEFENCE - 4/10
We entered the game debating how a new-look centre-back pairing would go, and we got a pretty grim answer straight away.
The simple ball played in behind Thwaite shocked everyone and rattled the side, and the home side looked vulnerable whenever the Omanis were running at them on the break.
To be fair to the pair, they scrambled well at times in the second period, but overall, didn't look comfortable.
"It's always a problem (throwing two new guys in)," Osieck said. "They've never played together in a competition like this.
"They need a bit more time. They just had recently playing time in friendlies but this is a different ball game.
"It's my responsibility because I thought they were the right players for that position."
Matt McKay and Luke Wilkshire tried to offer width going forward, but a lot of the balls aimed at Cahill had him under pressure and not close enough to the six yard box.
| Group B | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Japan | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | Australia | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | Oman | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -3 | 6 |
| 4 | Iraq | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 5 |
| 5 | Jordan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -7 | 4 |
MIDFIELD - 5/10
A really disappointing part of Australia's performance. Mile Jedinak had a rare off night: his passing radar was off, he couldn't dictate the tempo, struggled to organise the side and looked a shadow of his normal self. At one point, Osieck rose from his seat to castigate the Crystal Palace skipper.
While Osieck was okay with the shape of the side, he - like a lot of fans and media - was bemused by the midfield's inability to turn plenty of possession into meaningful passages of play.
A lot of times, be it through the heart or on the flanks, excellent Omani structure and shape forced the home side backwards. The ball into the centre wasn't quick enough, the side lacked penetration because of that and it prompted Osieck to urge his troops to be far more positive in the second period.
James Holland couldn't assert himself either, and admitted after the match he tried to force the issue at times when it might not have been on.
The choice of Holland and Jedinak together backfired, but in a blow for Osieck, Mark Bresciano only lasted a few minutes before succumbing to injury as the coach rolled the dice to change the game.
Out wide, Alex Brosque and Robbie Kruse tried, and had better luck bursting to the byline in the second half, but for the most part were well contained by Paul Le Guen's side. Combination play down the flanks with their left and right backs was not effective, either.
GROUP A:
Korea Republic
Iran
Uzbekistan
Qatar
Lebanon
GROUP B:
Australia
Iraq
Jordan
Oman
Japan
Socceroos' schedule:
June 8, 2012: Oman 0 Australia 0 (away)
June 12, 2012: Australia 1 Japan 1 (home)
September 11, 2012: Jordan 2 Australia 1 (away)
October 16, 2012: Iraq 1 Australia 2 (away)
March 26, 2013: Oman (home)
June 4, 2013: Japan (away)
June 11, 2013: Jordan (home)
June 18, 2013: Iraq (home)
UP FRONT 6/10
Two big names delivered two vital goals, but overall, it was a struggle finding that incisiveness, movement and penetration you'd ideally like to see at home.
Brett Holman was chosen centrally and although he put himself about, he couldn't quite find space, shrug defenders or drop between the lines like we're used to.
But boy did he deliver when the pressure was on. His long-range drive brought back memories of Serbia in Nelspruit. A clutch shot, if there ever was one.
Cahill was a huge force, but had to furrow it alone with individual brilliance, shrugging off Oman defenders to pepper Al Habsi's goal. But he shouldn't have had to do it alone.
After the match, he noted that he was having to header from so deep, an impossible task when hassled by a number of cheeky Oman defenders. He also rued that the side's games plan resorted to using him as a battering ram, adding that he wants the side to play football - something that will only come in time.
Cahill was often seen dropping exceptionally deep to kick start a movement - symptomatic of the struggles the midfield were enduring against a stubborn Omani defence, who only tired late in the second half.
OVERALL
The second half spirit is a redeeming factor, but that is countered by a game at home, against a team ranked 105th in the world, with so much on the line.
It's not acceptable for the national side to only perform once the chips are down, especially in front of expectant home fans. It's becoming an ugly, but familiar trait.
Picking two defensive central midfielders didn't work, the central defensive pair struggled and the combination play amongst the side's four offensive players wasn't fluent.
Holger Osieck couldn't hide his disappointment, but as Tim Cahill offered - there needs to be patience around this team.
But there's not that much more room for error. An away game against Japan is followed by home games against Jordan and Iraq.
Tonight is a warning shot, but if Australia is not good enough to in those two home games, they don't deserve to go to Brazil. And Osieck promises the side not die wandering in Japan, either.
After a week spent debating Australia's best on foxsports.com.au, two familiar faces vindicated their rankings. But what of the others?
There's a lot of work to be done.
Agree with our take on the performance? Let us know by joining the conversation by leaving a comment below.
