Australia 1 – 3 Chile (World Cup 2014)

By tdf, June 14, 2014

The highly regarded Chile team endured a far tougher time than expected against the well drilled and physically superior Australians.

Whilst the opening half hour was dominated by the incessant offensive pressure of the South Americans which led to a two goal lead, once Postecoglou’s team got their foot in the door and grabbed a deserved goal via the head of effervescent Tim Cahill, the match took on a different complexion. With Chile as often on the back foot as the front.

The one area where Australia could be dangerous was from crosses into the box, and yet that is exactly where Chile appeared open to inviting examination. With a lack of height, muscle and perhaps even fitness, every time the ball was flung into the box from the flanks, the Australians looked dangerous.

The third goal, whilst somewhat cruel, was far from a surprise given the technical superiority enjoyed by the team many have tipped as dark horses for the title, or at least a smart run deeper into the competition than the group stage.

Whilst the first goal had a hint of fortune in it’s creation, it was born of concerted pressure and near total dominance. Chile’s other two goals both included the kind of quality which is sorely lacking in the socceroos talent pool. 

One obvious problem for Chile was Vidal. When fit and match sharp he is one of the most complete midfielders on the planet. Able to tackle, hustle, create and score. Other than a few decent passes, he was hardly in the game and was clearly nowhere near recovered from his recent knee operation. Without his dynamism the Chileans appeared solely an set of attackers and when ceding possession to their opponents, there was very little defensive potency to halt the incursions into their own rearguard.

As a juventino, it is irritating to see them playing Vidal from the start when his condition remains in the recovery phase. His reaction once substituted was one of anger, likely due to his acceptance that he is simply not yet ready to be deployed in the thick of the action which is where he is normally at his best. The concern now, will be how he reacts to the outing. I believe Sampaoli will rue the decision to use him in what will surely be their easiest game of the group fixtures. Without him firing on all cylinders any hopes of qualifying ahead of Spain or Holland are surely dashed.

Australia can be proud of their showing. Yet it must be said that their greatest strength was their traditional fighting spirit and physicality. The chances of them scoring any goals with their feet appear slim, and whilst Cahill is a threat in the air, against the other teams in the group, he will be facing stronger – and more importantly – bigger defenders. He will also see far less of the ball on the turf or in the air. Because both Holland and Spain know how to defend as well as maintain possession for lengthy periods.

It was not fear that caused the Australians to find themselves 2-0 down within the first 15 minutes, it was moreover the result of a sizeable gulf in quality and both teams starting at optimum energy levels.

Watching the game here in Melbourne on SBS reminded me of the sickening lack of objectivity of the major Australian pundits and commentators. They celebrate their players with a nationalistic zeal which borders on blinkered arrogance, time and again mistaking effort and enthusiasm with the talent that wins games. Not many teams would be celebrating a 3-1 loss, labelling their players as heroes and even asserting that Australia were by far the better team. They were not. For all their endeavour, their lack of talent on the ball was telling and constant throughout the game. I kept thinking that they are the exact polar opposite to Italy; full of energy and wonderful spirit, yet lacking talent. Whereas my italian brethren have plenty of talent but all too often lack positive energy and unflappable spirit.

Craig ‘Fozzy bear’ Foster is the worst of them. His commentary is not just biased but spastic. Making statements such as ‘we don’t feel fear, because we are Australians’ then following it up 30 seconds later with ‘we conceded two goals because we were fearful’ sums up his idiocy. This passion for finding pride in nationality rather than technique is embarrassing and the sign of amateurs. Whilst I agree that it is preferable to praise and encourage the national teams in a more positive manner than the Italians or English counterparts seem to enjoy, by showing zero understanding of the gulf in technical quality between Australia and other nations, there seems little sign of evolution.

The only man who refused to pour glowing reverence on the team was Aloisi, whose input was measured, sensible, accurate and completely ignored by his comrades in the punditry team. It is as if anything less than berserker love for simply being Australian is regarded as improper and uninteresting. Better to suggest Australians are fearless heroes.

And it comes as no surprise to find Cahill telling the press that he called a Chilean defender a cheat during the game, who apparently admitted the charge with a shrug of the shoulders. I forgot that Australians are not only heroes, but also the fairest players in the world. That is, of course, other than when Cahill is pulling on the shirt of a defender, then demands the ref award a penalty for his golden jersey was also been grabbed in turn. It is this general lack of humility, which sours the otherwise impressive effort of a country still finding their way in international competition.

Well, Fozzy, Spider (what kind of professional of any realm is happy to embrace such a nick-name? Why do the Aussies seem unwilling to ever use a proper name?) and the rest of the morons who complete the SBS football analysis team need to be told that football is not a game decided by bravery alone. It helps, as does the tactical organization for which Postecoglou should be praised, for he played to his strengths and could well have mustered a draw, such was the anaemic performance of his foe. Yet more often than not, it matters little how much you run, how spirited your approach, when your opponents have superior talent on the ball. This is where Australia need to work hard and focus their youth coaching. Teach the little ones to love the ball, to want it at their feet, to dream of dribbling…Surely with the vast melting pot of blood here in Australia, there must be some nascent wonder-kids just waiting to be found and developed?

I doff my hat to big Ange and the boys. They fought hard, yet lost (how many times have we heard that?). Still, I cannot agree with the general message of the SBS team, which was that the Dutch and Spanish will know that the Australians won’t give them an easy game. If we learned anything from this match, it was that Australia still have high balls into the box to Cahill and fighting spirit as their main strengths, and Chile are no champions-elect without Vidal close to even average condition.

Has there been progress under Postecoglou? In terms of bringing through youth and ushering in the next generation of socceroos, the answer is yes. But not in terms of improving the technical value of the Australian national team. For I saw no intelligent movement other than from Cahill and Bresciano. I saw not one player confident of beating an opponent with anything other than pace and muscle.

Still…what we all saw was the welcome sight of a nation proud to be at the world cup and enjoying every minute. So I wish the socceroos the best of luck in their final two games of the tournament. And as for Chile…I fear now that they will wheel Vidal onto the field against Holland in a wheelchair and he will return to Piedmont crippled.