The 2015 Asian Cup kicked off with hosts Australia going up against Kuwait. The Socceroos had an extremely nervy start to the match where they conceded an early goal. Once settled, Australia was able to take control and assert their dominance to come out 4-1 winners. It was an exciting match to start the tournament with, which produced many talking points. Here are three points to take away from it...
1. Never underestimate your opposition
Something that Australia has been guilty of doing in the past and we continue to do is underestimate our opposition. As we have witnessed in recent times, no match should be taken lightly. It was clear that Australia was nervous and flat footed in the opening stages of the match against Kuwait. The Socceroos looked a bit rattled by Kuwait's negative tactics, which were able to get into the head of most of the Australian players. This match proved that no matter the opposition Australia needs to play with the highest level of intensity and focus possible. Kuwait were able to take advantage of the relaxed manner in which Australia started the game and managed to snatch the early goal when there was a slight lapse in concentration. Conceding an early goal might have turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it acted as a wake up call for the Australian players who then started clicking into gear. Going forward I would like to see Australia hit top gear from the first second of the match no matter who we are up against.
2. Consistency is key
Something that the Socceroos still haven't managed to do under Ange Postecoglou is put together a quality full 90 minute performance. The best word to describe Australian performances since Ange took over would be "patchy". We play some great football in some parts of the match and very poor in others. It was no different in the match against Kuwait. We started the match quite poorly but finished the first half strongly. We then continued the strong showing at the start of the second half but dropped off a bit towards the end. At the end of the day we won the match fairly comfortably but the Socceroos need to be aware that they will come up against far stronger opposition throughout the tournament. Consistency is one of the most important characteristics of winning a major cup tournament. We need to be consistent from the first minute until the final whistle.
3. Playing with confidence is a must
To execute the style of football that Ange wants the national team to play we don't only need technically gifted players but players that can use their ability confidently. It was clear that in the first half against Kuwait the Australian players were nervous, doubting their ability and lacking in confidence. There were too many misplaced passes, cheap turnovers and bad decisions. In the second half the Socceroos looked more calm and patient on the ball and began playing with a lot more confidence, which produced a better performance. If Australia is to really go all the way and become champions the first step is to believe in themselves and their ability.
Top performers: Matthew Ryan, Mile Jedinak, Massimo Luongo
Worst performers: Ivan Franjic, Matthew Leckie
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