In fact I have argued in the past that once that style is finally attained it will be lethal against any international opponent. The simple formula is to marry Australian players’ unique and unmatched will to win with optimum technique and tactical knowhow.
The first part of that equation is already there and always has been. Where Australian players needed much catching up was in the areas of skill, creativity and tactical sophistication. In this latter area there is still substantial work to do but we are getting there.
That is what I am seeing in recent performances by the Socceroos, especially against Bangladesh and Tajikistan. The opposition was weak, fair enough, but there was something in the commanding nature of Australia's play that was most exciting.
Ange Postecoglou has had a lot to do with this. He is very well versed with the traditional spiritual qualities of Australian footballers, especially their ingrained desire and willingness to attack any opponent without fear. At the same time he is an aficionado of attacking, possession-based football and of the dogma that it is the best way to win matches and trophies. This, most of all, is why he is suited to be Australian national coach.
He simply unleashes his players to attack and to do so with the best possible stylistic and tactical tools.
The first Australia coach to try this was Frank Arok, who directed the team through two World Cup campaigns in the 1980s. He was the first coach we had who truly believed in Australian players and urged them to fear no one. They didn’t, hence wins in his era against elite nations like Argentina and Yugoslavia. And he too built teams that played, or tried to play, the passing game.
The reason he didn’t achieve more success than he did was primarily that our players in those days were in the main part timers.
Later Terry Venables also believed and admired Australian players, and taught them to play with a passing style, but his era was far too short-lived.
The notion that Australia should develop its own style or playing identity is nothing new. It has been talked about for decades. But in the last ten years some newcomers to the game attempted to hijack the idea as some kind of wisdom of their own.
This happened when Johnny Warren, Craig Foster and indeed myself urged Australia to learn from the technical culture of countries like Brazil, Argentina and the Netherlands. But this was misunderstood. I remember when John O’Neill, then FFA CEO and effectively a rugby man, wrote lectures on how we shouldn’t copy the Brazilians or the Argentinians or the Dutch but develop our own style.
But of course the argument was nonsense. We never said Australia should adopt these cultures, only to learn from them and only because they were the best. This I maintain. What Australia, as a football nation in development, needs to do is recognise its virtues as well as its limitations and make up the gaps by learning from the best.
A good place to start, would you not agree, would be to learn, in our era, from Spain and now Germany. The Japanese have been doing this for nearly 25 years, hence their momentous technical improvement over that period.
The signs are good. On the youth development side the influence of the Dutch, especially under the steering of former national technical director Han Berger, has changed Australia's technical culture entirely. The fruits of that we have not seen yet but are beginning to.
More and more our A-League coaches are attempting to play modern football, especially the successful ones, like Postecoglou (with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory), Graham Arnold, Kevin Muscat and the now departed Josep Gombau. I note with interest how Tony Popovic has recently injected a distinctly Spanish influence into his playing and coaching staff. This can only because Popovic believes that is potentially a winning way.
This is now evident in the national team. In its recent matches, including through the Asian Cup, the Australians played with an attacking swagger that was not evident in the eras of Pim Verbeek and Holger Osieck, both of whom were conservative men who lacked belief in their players, especially when they faced reputable opponents.
And there is some young player quality. In the Tajikistan game some magic was on view from Nathan Burns and Tom Rogic that was rarely seen since the passing of Viduka, Kewell and company. The crossing of Jason Davidson and Tommy Oar was equally superb.
These boys may not be part of our ‘golden generation’ but if more of their ilk comes through we should be delighted.
If that happens, their technical quality married to their winning spirit, it may mean the true and final attainment of an Australian style.
