A-League mimics EPL, produces crap national side?

[Blue and White Army]

Artless A-League is crippling the Socceroos

by Craig Foster

The Sydney Morning Herald

January 6, 2008

The naming of the locally based training squad that will assemble this week for the all-important opening World Cup qualifier against Qatar on February 6 gives us a sense of how far behind we are so close to the game. It also raises some serious questions about the coaching, and football style, in the A-League.

At a time when Qatar are undertaking three high-quality preparation matches, Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek is calling into camp a largely inexperienced squad to assess whether they are good enough to play international football.

Yet the style of play in the A-League is hurting their chances of proving their quality. Surely Verbeek would have concluded already that the A-League is highly competitive physically, but lacks tactical sophistication. This reflects our ties to British football.

When the former technical director of French football and World Cup-winning coach, Aime Jacquet, visited in 2006 he described the local league in terms of tactical simplicity and a lack of speed of technique. This view was reiterated by countryman Philippe Troussier when he was in Australia vying for the Socceroos coaching position. Troussier described the Sydney FC-Newcastle match as a "game of first intention" - meaning it was played between only one or two teammates with little scheming outside of the most obvious direct route to goal.

Verbeek's ultimate challenge then is to get the local players to adapt to a tactically superior style of play extremely quickly. He would normally have at least several months to achieve this. Judging from his public comments, Verbeek is a typical Dutch coach: he wants to control all elements of the match through winning the ball back quickly, playing in the opponent's half, and maintaining possession through forwards and backwards passing sequences, and playing the ball out from the defence. Unlike Guus Hiddink, however, he must make do with domestic footballers unfamiliar with this system.

Indeed, the A-League is fast becoming the English Premier League of Asia: it is fast and combative; places little emphasis on maintaining possession; lacks tactical sophistication; the general standard of defending is poor; teams cannot consistently control their matches; and there is no variation in the speed of play.

Finally, every coach takes the very English route of wanting to get the ball down the other end as soon as possible. Players are told to play out from the back only as a last resort. While this isn't surprising, given our cultural baggage, it is disappointing that the problem hasn't been addressed through better education of the league's coaches, or through importing coaching talent.

This schizophrenic approach to our domestic and international games is hurting the Socceroos' qualification chances. It can be argued that the A-League's record crowds prove that the crash-and-bash style of football is what the public want. But I believe they will just as readily accept a different style of game, if not prefer a greater level of sophistication.

But, like England over the past 40 years, the style we play domestically is jeopardising our international success. Crash and bash doesn't work at a higher level. Just think back to the Asian Cup last year. Australia launched long balls from the back and tried to play at one pace for the whole game -just as every A-League team does.

The "A-League style" - which largely confuses effort for quality - didn't work against Oman and it certainly failed against Iraq. In terms of pure football, Thailand embarrassed us. In our last match, Japan showed us how the game should be played. This, I fear, is the road Australia are again heading down, just when we had hoped for fundamental change. Verbeek now must overcome these cultural drawbacks in record time.

At least in years gone by we had a Milan Ivanovic, Ned Zelic or Paul Okon to play the ball out from the back. Who in the A-League consistently brings the ball forward and builds the play or takes their time to play the ball across the defence to build an opening? Mark Milligan is capable of doing this but rarely does; Ljubo Milicevic was the great hope yet fell out with Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick (at least partly over this issue, I assume); Angelo Costanzo when he plays in defence is the closest we have to that type of player. And that's pretty much it.

The cultures of the national leagues of countries such as Portugal, France, Germany and Holland are consistent with how their national teams play. This make it easier for new players to adapt when called up for international duty. The successful footballing cultures - such as Italy's and Brazil's - encompass every important aspect of the game.

That's why Fabio Capello is now coaching England and Verbeek is following up Hiddink's good work. Like his compatriot, Verbeek will find Australian players highly adaptable and coachable, partly because they are such willing students and workers. However, their club coaches are not helping.

Perpetuating the physical brand of football played in Australia does them no favours. It is time to move forward from a disastrous 2007. Beyond strikers Joel Griffiths and Alex Brosque, who are near-certain starters for the Socceroos against Qatar, the rest of the squad will need to prove their adaptability as much as their quality. Because if Australia play like an A-League club, we will not be going to South Africa.

[BearcatSA]

Great read!

[Cheeta]

Hmmm.

Maybe the A-League should have a look at their WNT. Learn something from the ladies. Seemed a fast, physical side and not one without some fluidity to it (if I recall correctly). Their play without the ball was a bit dodgy though. Will admit that.

[Soju]

I like the bit about Sydney vs Newcastle described as a "game of first intention". To quote Denzel in training day, this sh1t is chess it aint checkers. MLS teams (and midtable prem teams) play the same way, predictable and direct. When in possession movement by players off the ball checks possible counter attacks or offers obvious passing options, but seldom does it look like there's synchronized premeditated movement to unlock an opposition defence.

[SthMelbRed]

quote:Originally posted by Soju

I like the bit about Sydney vs Newcastle described as a "game of first intention". To quote Denzel in training day, this sh1t is chess it aint checkers. MLS teams (and midtable prem teams) play the same way, predictable and direct. When in possession movement by players off the ball checks possible counter attacks or offers obvious passing options, but seldom does it look like there's synchronized premeditated movement to unlock an opposition defence.

It tends to be a problem with the way most 'British' (the Home nations, 'white' commonwealth nations, USA, etc.) play. Canada has always played this way, historically. Only very recently have we showed the ability and inclination to break away from this tired, old way of playing. In leagues like the A-league or MLS, it's much easier for a manager to adopt this style in the face of opponents playing in the same way. Even the players tend to slip into this safer way of playing when facing some very hard tackling when in posession. However, as Jean Tigana's side that initially won promotion to the EPL for Fulham showed, a classy team that plays a fluid passing game can persevere in the face of such tactical mayhem.

[Desigol]

Maybe more Engluish kids should play Futsal in order to focus more on keeping possession rather than 'Hack and Whack'.

[VPjr]

quote:Originally posted by Desigol

Maybe more Engluish kids should play Futsal in order to focus more on keeping possession rather than 'Hack and Whack'.

Its funny you say that because I read an article recently that originated from the UK saying that the FA is trying to promote 5v5 indoor soccer for youth to develop ball handling.

I don't know why they have to be different but 5v5 on 1/4 sized pitches is a great way to develop ball skills.

[SthMelbRed]

When I was in Amsterdam a few years ago, I took a tour of the Ajax museum. they do a fair bit of talking about their very successful academy on the tour. The most interesting thing for me was the fact that kids from their academy don't play full, eleven-a-side, full pitch matches until they are into their early teens. Up to that point, they play in five-a-side matches on small pitches. That is how you develop skill on the ball in matches, rather than having 22 nine year-olds playing on a full-size pitch, as we did in BC when I was growing up.