Has Osieck got what it takes?

De-brief ... plenty for Osieck to think about heading into June. Source: Craig Greenhill / News Limited

Has Holger Osieck got what it takes to lead Australia to the World Cup next year?

The once unflappable German is engaging opposition coaches on the sidelines, his team isn’t performing and … he’s blaming the team’s youngsters. 

"I had expected a lot more from some of the younger guys that I tried to promote and I showed some good faith in, Osieck told Fox Sports after the game.  

"So, you can see. It is different, when people want to see the youngsters, the rejuvenation, you can see what it does in reality."

Seems as though the pressure is right on … 

Is Holger Osieck still the man to guide us to Brazil?

"Coaches are always under pressure," Fox Sports football expert Andy Harper told foxsports.com.au on Wednesday. 

"It’s a lonely position. 

"Success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan.

"He is carrying the can for a team not performing. It’s his responsibility; it’s the business he’s in." 

But blaming the youngsters is a strange option for Osieck. Sure, James Holland struggled immensely alongside Mile Jedinak. Michael Thwaite and Robert Cornthwaite – not youngsters, but relatively inexperienced at this level – were thrown to the wolves.

Had Osieck taken the chance to blood these fringe players and worked on these combinations in friendlies, they may have been better equipped come the big stage. Remember, Lucas Neill started the last friendly against Romania, despite being suspended for this clash. Surely that was the window to road-test Tuesday night’s combination, to find solutions to potential problems? 

"Failure to do so leaves the whole thing exposed," Harper concluded. 

Is it conceivable that the German might not be in the hot-seat in July?

Harper did not want to speculate, but added: "You learn never to be surprised in football. You just don’t know how nervous head office has become". 

"Over the course of Holger’s journey, the results have been good and the results have been better good than bad.

"But there is an alarming three-game hole: the loss to Jordan, unconvincing win against Iraq and the calamity against Oman. 

"It’s not a good trend line, so of course there is pressure on him." 

This time in 2005, Frank Lowy and John O’Neill felt they needed to break a malaise and bring in Guus Hiddink to replace Frank Farina to kick-start Australia’s quest for Germany. This time it’s Osieck’s turn. The No.2 to Franz Beckenbauer when Germany won the 1990 FIFA World Cup is now right in the deep end as a No.1. Is the former Canada, Urawa Red Diamonds and Fenerbahçe boss going to be trusted to navigate through June? Can he? 

"These cycles continue. It’s a hot-bed," Harper said. 

"The huge difference between now and the tumult around Frank Farina is we are in a different confederation.

"It was a lot easier to make a clean decision then because we were still in Oceania and you could focus on the South American qualification because it was inevitable.

"There’s no inevitability here; we’re in the middle of a campaign and the team is of lesser quality than 2005-2006. It will take a long time for Australia to come up with a generation of players like that. 

"It’s a difficult comparison, but people are going to make them."

Let’s look at a little more of the evidence. Two holding midfielders at home. Taking Robbie Kruse off while chasing the game. 

And then there was the lack of cohesion, the stifled movement, the pedestrian start. 

There was criticism for scheduling a friendly before the away game in Jordan, so Osieck has opted for camps since. He had plenty of time to work with his side this time around. What’s the excuse? 

"They looked like strangers and they shouldn’t have," Harper added. 

"We’re not at the sessions (to know what’s going on), but it’s fair to say the time they had didn’t bare any fruit.

"Why the touch was so bad – who knows? 

"The touch was bad, passing was bad. Things never got going." 

When asked what the most disappointing aspect of the play was, Harper, who called the game for Fox Sports, wasn’t short of examples. 

"The lack of combination, the lack of chemistry, the lack of invention, the one-dimenstionality, the massive hole in the centre of midfield, the inability of most players to beat an opponent one-on-one at any given time," Harper said. 

While the way the team lined up was okay in theory, Harper queries some of the tactical oddities and asked why Mark Milligan wasn’t in midfield, why there wasn’t a creative outlet there and why Brisbane Roar’s Ivan Franjic was not deployed at right-back.  

"I would’ve like Bresciano to have started," he added. 

Group B		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Japan	6	4	1	1	10	13
2	Jordan	6	2	1	3	-6	7
3	Australia	5	1	3	1	0	6
4	Oman	6	1	3	2	-3	6
5	Iraq	5	1	2	2	-1	5

"I don’t necessarily want to get into selection, because the players on the field are good enough to have done better.

"There was no plan B to whatever attacking structure was planned. Lump the ball into the box and rely on Timmy Cahill to do something magical. 

"There was no consistent pattern of play, apart from that. There was a massive hole in centre of midfield. We didn’t have a playmaker. Consequently, little play was made." 

Of Kruse and Brosque’s inability to find space, Harper explained: "pushing Luke Wilkshire and Matt McKay so high up is great in theory, but neither are the type to beat a fullback, get to the byline and cross the ball.

"I would’ve thought it would be much better to have held the fullbacks a bit shallower and have Kruse and Brosque playing in the high and wide positions to do something like that."

Have you got faith in Osieck to get the job done in June? Have your say here! 

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