Plenty of positives for rejuvenated Roos

Not bad at all. The Socceroos may have struggled for fluency but signs of a revival were there:

• Better movement.
• Sharper players.
• More incisive passing in and around the box.
• Something akin to a possession game.
• A smidgin of Ange-ball.

Of course, the winner came from a predictable source. Tim Cahill may not know his A-League from his elbow but no one attacks a header better than the former Toffee. That he is still level with Damian Mori’s goal scoring record is a travesty – most of Mori’s goals came against sub-standard island opposition whereas Cahill has made a career from scoring vital goals at the highest level when it has mattered most.

To my mind, he is already our greatest ever goal scorer, and has been so for some time.

Which isn’t to say Costa Rica were any great shakes as an opponent. Shorn of their best attacking weapons in Christian Bolanos and Bryan Ruiz, the Ticos were toothless where it counts most and gave Mat Ryan little opportunity to showcase his wares. Sure they possessed more class on the ball that the Canucks did last month – who doesn’t? - but overall were not a great deal more effective.

How do we judge our backline’s performance against a team that lacked cutting edge? Was ours a wonderful defensive effort that shut out the Central Americans or did their lack of thrust make Lucas Neill et al appear better than they are?

I guess time will tell. March is a long time between internationals but that is the national coach's reality. Ange will not have a great deal of opportunity to shape his team but will nevertheless be expected to get it right.

Guus Hiddink did it in a few short weeks. But he did have better players.

Lucas Neill
I thought Lucas Neill’s remarks in the media following his verballing of a few booing buffoons demonstrated a man under pressure. He is right of course, booing the national captain during the Socceroo match in which he is leading his country is the province of pond slime. But surely Neill needed more restraint – generally his hallmark - than succumb to this type of provocation.

What’s the old saying? - “Never argue with an idiot: he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”  Neill will do well to concentrate on the job at hand and leave the rest to the Universe.

Midfield - the Jedinak conundrum
What to do about the Palace man? Mile Jedinak is a defensive machine who won just so much ball against the visitors with clean, efficient tackles. The trouble is that he couldn’t pass the salt at a dinner table and when receiving the ball, the expression “I’ve seen milk turn faster” comes to mind.

Ponderous in possession and unwilling to chance turning forward during build-up play, many of his passes went backwards, even when not under pressure. Is that what we want in a side that attempts to play a possession game and build from the back?

On the plus side, when the Fellaini Mini-Me chooses to push forward, he is dangerous, possessing a vicious shot  and a header to match. He is brave, box-to-box and will shed blood for the Socceroo cause. The former Mariner would have fitted right in with Frank Arok’s “Mad Dogs” of the ‘80s. But have we not outgrown that?

How does Postecoglou reconcile all these attributes? Leave him out and potentially create a hole in a midfield robbed of a tireless worker who covers every blade of grass. Keep him in and Ange’s much-vaunted possession game may never see the light of day.

If Jedinak is to stay, perhaps he could be partnered with a more creative player than Mark Milligan. Mitch Nichols? Nicky Carle? Does James Holland have more of an all-round game? Or is it worth pulling Tom Rogic or Dario Vidosic back a little further?

Meanwhile, Milligan himself did nothing to warrant being dropped – turning with aplomb and playing forward passes, demanding the ball and keeping good flow and rhythm about the Australian possession game. And he won plenty of ball too. Does HE have the stamina to be paired with more attack-minded midfielders?

I do believe Postecoglou has a call to make and something has to give – one of Millsy, Jedi or Ange-ball will have to go. Which will it be?

Mark Bresciano
Meanwhile, Bresciano has his own problems. Far be it for me to delve in the murky world of Middle Eastern football  transfers but irrespective of who is right and wrong, I do not believe that a four month FIFA ban has hurt his World Cup chances one bit. He would still have three or four months prior to the World Cup to get himself in shape and, consummate professional that he is, the break from the game would do him no harm at all.

From a Socceroo perspective at least, nothing to see here.

All we are saying…is give youth a chance
Ange’s New Order was about rejuvenating the squad and on that score the new boss has made a  good start. Rhys Williams and Ryan McGowan were excellent as was Jason Davidson, despite the almost-own goal.

Instead of being affected by the near-calamity, he settled and showed exactly why he deserves inside running for the position. Ahead of him, Vidosic displayed enough class to be a wide attacking option in the absence of Tommy Oar or Robbie Kruse. Or even centrally in place of Bresciano or Rogic.

Out on the right Ivan Franjic was decent enough and Kruse showed his class time and again further  up the park. What a player he is turning into.

Matthew Leckie needs more time to build his case up front but has the pace, drive and clever runs to claim the position, although the sitter that he missed prompted me to turn to my twelve-year-old and yell, “You see why you have to work on your left foot?!”

Start earlier, kids.

Overture, hit the lights
Tommy Oar was quality when he came on but it was the half-hour cameo from Rogic that really stole the show. He looks fitter than ever and you have to go back to the early days of Harry Kewell to find a Socceroo who gets the crowd off the edge of its seat in quite the same way.

We don’t know enough about his Celtic situation but as far as the Green and Gold is concerned, the boy has to play. There may be nothing in the J-League or Bundesliga rumours but I just want to see him out on the park week in, week out. And when it comes to the Socceroos, he has to start, it’s as simple as that. He may still have a few things to learn, but he is ready now.

My wish list
I would love to see a central defensive pairing of Williams and McGowan given an opportunity to state its collective case. Lucas Neill brings lots of positives to the side but having a younger pair at the back allows us to play higher up the park with confidence.

I am even more curious to find out if a central midfield trio of a deep lying Milligan and the technically gifted pair of Rogic and Bresciano/Vidosic is workable, and not just when we are chasing the game. If this were to succeed, we would go a long way towards controlling games rather than playing the reactive football that comes from continually turning over possession and spending large chunks of the game without the ball.

I would also like to see an international organised between now and March, even if it’s just for domestically based Socceroos on a weeknight outside the FIFA window. There is enough quality at home to make the exercise worthwhile. Peripheral players Troisi, Pain, Nichols, Juric, Carle, Sainsbury and Zullo deserve a chance to press their claim. Led by Milligan, McKay and Galekovic, a locally-based Socceroo side would still be a strong one.

In short
A good start for Ange. Lots will happen between now and the World Cup but it appears that the squad, from oldest to youngest, has bought into his methods and philosophy and has shaken whatever complacency may have crept in under Holger Osieck.

One centreback, one midfielder and one striker – three outfield spots are still up for grabs.

Leftback is now sorted.

Things are a touch clearer. As I said, a good start.