A tougher task, a more technical opponent, a rough away trip in difficult conditions...and a complete blow out of a scoreline. See how the Socceroos rated in their 7-1 thrashing of Chinese Taipei.
James Jeggo - 7
Jeggo's a bit of a tough one to rate. On the one hand it's great to see him back in the starting lineup because he's a no-nonsense, cut-and-dry central midfielder. On the other, it's a tiny bit disappointing to see him back in the starting lineup because he's a no-nonsense, cut-and-dry central midfielder.
Partnering him alongside Aaron Mooy and Jackson Irvine makes the task even harder, because Mooy pulls the depth strings and controls the tempo, while Irvine does all the running and takes responsibility for the late arrivals.
Then you factor in a low-quality opposition and you begin to wonder if you dyed your hair blonde and got a few tatts whether you could be a Socceroo too. But the reason Jeggo has carved out a solid career in Europe is because he's consistent: he reads the game well, blocks off passing lanes effectively and doesn't make silly mistakes.
If he wants a starting berth though, he needs to improve his defending in one-on-ones. We can't have Taiwanese bursting through our midfield because Jeggo can't keep his legs shut.
Jackson Irvine - 9
The funny thing about depth is you don't notice you're developing it until it scores two goals and stares you in the face.
When we bring back Daniel Arzani, Tom Rogic and Massimo Luongo, where does Irvine fit in alongside Mark Milligan and Aaron Mooy?
The more we play him, the more we realise he's not just another Harry Souttar, do-a-job kind of inclusion. He plays the box-to-box role increasingly well and his late Aaron Ramsey-esque runs are becoming the best in the team.
In a first choice squad he's not a starter yet, but he will be if he polishes up his long ground passes and most of all, his finishing. He spurned a couple against Nepal, a couple tonight, and that first goal he scored looked as likely to go in off his shoulder as his boot.
Aaron Mooy - 8
He just oozes class.
Brandon Borrello - 5
The most disappointing of the night because we've begun to form these high expectations around Borrello, which we fear may be based a little more in hope than in hard evidence.
He's clearly got the talent. He had it at Brisbane Roar when he was a pup and Bundesliga clubs don't tend to play slouches. But he's still fairly young and he's had a horror injury run, so he's still a work in progress.
Errant first touches are to be expected, but his real problem in this match was his work off the ball, where his defensive skills were a little shaky.
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