What Ange Postecoglou will bring to the Socceroos

It’s official. Australia’s worst kept secret is finally out: Ange Postecoglou will coach his last game for Melbourne Victory and will lead the Socceroos to Brazil in 2014. But what does this mean for the nation? What will he bring to the table?

Firstly, a little bit of background on him:

ANGE POSTECOGLOU

Nationality: Australian
Date of Birth: 27 August 1965

Ange Postecoglou is a former Socceroo. Born in Greece, he moved to Australia at the age of 5 years. His professional footballing career saw him play at South Melbourne for 10 years, earning himself four international caps. Whilst he may not have played in Europe, his coaching record has been highly regarded as one of the best in Australia and is arguably one of the most successful domestic football coaches of all time. He has won 2 titles in the old NSL with South Melbourne and 2 A-League titles with Brisbane Roar.

His biggest achievement though was being voted by the public as head coach for the A-League All-stars vs. Manchester United game during the pre-season, a moment he and Australian football fans will never forget.

What will he bring to the Socceroos?

First and foremost, he brings a lot of experience and pedigree to the national side. He also brings leadership, structure and most importantly a style of football which he has implemented in all the other clubs he has managed.

The style of football of course is possession-based, attacking and a huge emphasis on short passing. Build up from the back, a very good midfield, capable of holding possession for long periods of the game and speedy wingers for a quick counter-attack.

A big emphasis on technique, passing and fitness is required for such a style and this can only be beneficial for current Socceroos and future players, as they will be guaranteed to have to train hard and be competitive to gain a starting spot; something that was missing during Holger’s tenure.

Reading his bio, and being an Arsenal fan, it’s actually near impossible for me to avoid comparing Ange with Arsenal’s coach Arsene Wenger, they both sound like very similar managers.

Both have a the same style of philosophy that is based on developing youth and getting them to play in the spirit of the game, attacking all the time whether in front or behind (which isn’t the best tactic but a good one when it works), and most importantly make sure that the player fits the system and not the system fits the player. If the players don’t fit the system, they will not be included in the squad.

The only negatives of such a system is we could potentially lose a good young promising Socceroo for a few years, because he is unable to adapt to Ange’s style of play. Also the fact that there is no plan B, so if we’re losing against a good opposition, expect us to struggle.

Another important thing to note is that his appointment will be great for the A-League, unlike Pim Verbeek and Holger Osieck who didn’t rate the domestic league. Not only does Ange rate the A-League, being a local coach means he should have a vast amount of knowledge regarding youth players and hidden talent that Osieck and Verbeek might have missed (and I can guarantee you there are plenty).

So is Ange the right man for the Socceroos?

Well at the end of the day, whether you think yes or no, it doesn’t matter. He has got the job right now so the whole of Australia must get behind him, whether you’re an angry Victory fan, a Sydney FC fan or anyone. You need to stand by our nations new coach, because he is here for the long haul. His club record is incredible, his record at International junior level might not be so impressive, but he’s here to right his wrongs and lead Australia to glory, or at least ensure we don’t get embarrassed in the World Cup next year or the Asian Cup in 2015.

At the end of the day, we just hired a coach who has a philosophy on developing young players, making sure they learn the right skills and technique and play in the spirit of the game. And what is so wrong about that?

Go Socceroos!

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