Australia v Croatia – Match Review
An honourable 1-0 loss at the hands of Croatia has many Socceroos feeling rather buoyant about our chances heading into the Chile match, a week from today. Jedinak and Bresciano both received valuable minutes on the pitch and our next generation of Socceroos played another 90 minutes together.
Looking at the bigger picture we didn’t have a shot on target, our defence still looked nervous, and when Croatia wanted to dictate play, they did. The majority of the game was played in the midfield, and we looked comfortable for the bulk of the 90 minutes. Our midfield was pleasing to watch, and you can see Ange stamped all over this squad. Jason Davidson was the standout for the Socceroos and was at the core of most of our highlights.
For the positives in the midfield, the attacking third was extremely disappointing. We all understand we are entering the cup up against it, but we must create opportunities to score if we are to give ourselves even a sniff of possibility. Today, we were toothless against an unchallenged Croatian defence. The limited role of Taggart and Halloran off the bench were disappointing, both will need to step up if we are to achieve anything. Tim Cahill was almost nonexistent today.
When we conceded the goal we had six yellow shirts in the box, but left the Croatian striker all alone. Maty Ryan had no chance to stop the goal, a moment we could be repeated in the next few weeks. Our defence is ‘paper thin’ at best and must be prepared to work together better. I’m still not sold on Alex Wilkinson but it appears Ange is prepared to roll the dice with him. Spiranovic was good today and a further 90 minutes can only be beneficial. The Spiranovic/Wilkinson combination will be our most important pairing throughout the next month.
You never play a ‘friendly’ against the Socceroos and the Croatians were quick to find this out, an aggressive tackle from Cahill set the tone early and his inexperienced teammates followed the example. Days away from a world cup campaign there is no time for sentiment or giving the opposition an inch. If you are Vidosic or Leckie and you observe Cahill go into a tackle with 80% intensity, you make sure your next effort is 100%.
As Socceroos fans, we need to stay resilient over the tournament and look at the bigger picture. Today’s match was just another piece in the Postecoglu puzzle; let’s hope it’s more a standard edition than a magic eye poster.
Croatia 1 – Australia 0
FTSAUS Player of the Match – Jason Davidson
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
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