Davidson adamant Socceroos will bounce back

Australia defender Jason Davidson insists there's no reason “for alarm bells to be ringing” as the Socceroos look to pick up the pieces of the surprise loss to Jordan, against Kyrgyzstan in Canberra next month.

Jason Davidson

Jason Davidson believes Huddersfield coach David Wagner's high tempo approach suits him to a tee Source: Getty Images

Though stung by the 2-0 defeat and loss of top spot in Group B of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, Davidson believes that with three of Australia’s next four games at home, it is well placed to ultimately top the group.
Unmoved by stirrings of disquiet over the manner of the defeat in Amman, where Australia was vulnerable to the counter attack and devoid of penetration, the left-back said the squad would draw lessons from the setback and quickly cast aside any lingering hangover.

“It’s a good wake-up call for us and shows just how hard it is to qualify for a World Cup, it’s not something you just walk into,” Davidson said.

“Being champions of Asia, a lot more is expected of us. We are still in a strong position but when we get into next camp we need to look back and see where we can improve.
“It's definitely not a case of alarm bells ringing, there’s a long way to go and no need to dwell too much. It just shows if you let your guard down in football you can get knocked down. It's how you bounce back that matters.
“It was a good eye-opener in Amman, a hostile crowd, a difficult pitch and the turning point was conceding a penalty just after half time."

Australia is eyeing quick redemption with the visit of Kyrgyzstan, which it beat 2-1 on the road in its opening qualifier, on 12 November. 

“It’s only at the halfway stage of qualifying; we have one away game against Bangladesh and the rest are at home," he said

"The last time we lost to Jordan in a qualifier (in 2012) we went on to beat them 4-0 in our home qualifier, and it could all come down to the last Group match against them at home to see who tops the group. Being on home soil we'd be confident of doing the business."

With Huddersfield facing three games in week, starting against fellow Socceroo Tommy Oar's Ipswich Town on Sunday (AEDT), Davidson may be rested for the clash against the Tractor Boys.

But if he does play, he will line up against Oar, who is tipped to start on the right in Mick McCarthy’s line-up.

“The last time after the international beak I didn’t play, so we’ll see what happens," he said.

“But if I do, it would interesting to come up against him. I’ve known Tommy since I was 17 or 18 from the young camps (Joeys and Young Socceroos). He’s a great player with a great cross.

“He’s a left footer that likes to get past players and whip balls in, so playing on the right could be a bit different.”


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3 min read
Published 15 October 2015 10:18pm
Updated 16 October 2015 8:23am
By David Lewis

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