EAST ASIAN CUP HYSTERIA

Cue the hysteria. Australia has had a dour 0-0 draw with Republic of Korea at the East Asian Cup and the fans and media report the match as a disaster. “Axe Holger,” is the cry. Online forums were busy telling us it should have been 5-nil but for the heroics of Eugene Galekovic. However, the tournament needs to be looked at in its true context.

Australia is competing in their first ever East Asian Cup and the tournament has arrived at a time that couldn’t be more convenient. The Socceroos along with fellow participants South Korea and Japan have already qualified for Brazil 2014. The Chinese are unfortunately still in a rebuilding/transitional stage (which seems the permanent status) and so don’t have the luxury of using the tournament as a trialling opportunity.

Pundits and fans should know by now that teams that have been thrown together in such a fashion lack cohesion, and as a result the quality of soccer suffers. Australia’s back four had never played together in club competition (Franjic, McGowan, Thwaite & North), let alone being asked to play at a higher level, alongside players they were not familiar with. Compounding this situation is the difference in fitness between the Australians and their three opponents which Holger Osieck cited. “We must consider that their team is in the middle of the season, and their fitness was outstanding, whereas our boys have not played competitively for a couple of months.” If that wasn’t enough we also need to consider the contrasting weather conditions. The Australians are coming from winter (15-20 degrees) to the Korean summer where temperatures are hovering around 30 with intense humidity.

So we need to take the tournament for what it is: a trialling ground for individuals to stake a claim for Brazil 2014. And with that purpose in mind we can only hope that there are some break out performances in areas of the pitch where the Socceroos are struggling. Amazingly it's not only the Australian audience who have been apoplectic with East Asian Cup displays. The Japanese were shocked by the their 3-3 result with old foes China last night. But amidst the hysteria manager Zaccheroni told it straight, "We'll be up against three different types of teams. It's a fantastic competition and we need to make the most of it." The Italian added, ". . . If I had to choose between winning with the players not being able to show what they can do, or not winning but finding that one or two of them have what it takes to play for the national team, I'll take the latter." On that note Japan can say that Cerezo Osaka's Yoichiro Kakitani and Masato Kudo of Kashiwa Reysol have proven they're capable of stepping up.

Now lets look forward to Thursday's next installation of the Japan and Australia rivalry.

J LEAGUE RETURNS

Omiya Ardija remain top of the league despite taking only one point at home, from J League strugglers Sagan Tosu. The competition leaders failed to finish the solid first half and had their Slovenian manager frustrated, "It's difficult to explain why we kept the ball and played well in the first half but not in the second, and it's disappointing." After a six week forced hiatus the top tier of Japanese soccer returned to our lives, and the one constant that the league provides remains; the tightness of the competition.

In a logjam at the top are Omiya 33, Urawa 30, Yokohama 28 and defending champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima on 27. With another 20 matches to be played the season is far from over though. With their star studded line up Urawa loom large and their six match unbeaten streak should not be halted tonight when the J League continues. They play at home in Saitama against an inconsistent FC Tokyo.

Meanwhile league leaders Omiya host Nagoya Grampus at Nack 5 Stadium. Nack 5 is a boutique 15,300 seat stadium in Saitama, the same prefecture as their nearest rivals Urawa. The Squirrels will be expected to get the money against a Nagoya outfit that has won just one out of it's last five. Poignantly it was over the weekend that Nagoya won. As stated earlier this season by East Asian Soccer Stojkovich's time at Nagoya is definitely getting nearer to an end. Dwelling in 13th place on 15 points, the Nagoya manager will need a massive mid season turn around to stave off the boo-boys and a sacking. A stat to remember though is that Omiya haven't defeated Nagoya at home since 2007. Also pivotal for those who like to invest on J League matches is the likelihood of Zlatan Ljubijankic being back in action today. Watch YouTube video of the striker scoring a stunner against Cerezo Osaka in Round 6 this year.

Yokohama F Marinos could only manage a draw against newly promoted Oita Trinita. Their equaliser came via Hyodo after a Nakamura corner wasn't cleared effectively. The midfielder smashed home a drive from outside the box to spare the blushes of the Tri Colours. F Marinos travel to Osaka to face the pink half of the former Japanese capital (the famous Gamba Osaka now residing in J2). Cerezo Osaka are coming off a draw with Jubilo Iwata who are battling away in the relegation zone.

SCHWARZER TO CHELSEA

Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has made a surprise move to Chelsea on a one year contract. The 40 year old had recently departed Fulham, over concerns he didn't have a guaranteed starting position. It's unlikely that Schwarzer has a guaranteed position at Chelsea with Peter Cech the incumbent. The move has sparked plenty of interest in Australia, with it possibly opening the door to younger keepers, Adam Fedirici (Reading) and Mitchell Langerak for the coveted number one shirt in Brazil 2014.

Mark Schwarzer makes risky move to Chelsea

 

WANDERERS ONE YEAR ON: WHAT NEXT?

Mark Bridge, Tarek Elrich (foreground) Wanderers unveil

On April 4th, 2012 Ben Buckley fronted a Football Federation Australia press conference with the news that a second Sydney team would be coming to the A-League. Soon after a number of fan forums were held across western Sydney, in a bid to engage with a possible fan base. Pivotal to the club's on-field success was the May 12, 2012 appointment of manager Tony Popovic. By June 25th, 2012 it was official: The Western Sydney Wanderers had been born. 

Western Sydney Wanderers went on to achieve a record breaking season, which included winning the Premiers Plate and qualifying for the 2014 Asian Champions League. So successful is the club that current owners 'the FFA', have stated that potential buyers are going to have to bid around A$15 million for ownership. FFA CEO David Gallop said, "It wouldn't be overstating it to say they're the sporting club with the most potential in the whole country . . ."

Club sponsors for the inaugural season wouldn't have anticipated the massive exposure the club gained. Considering Wests had failed after three matches to score a goal in professional competition, club backers could easily have feared the worst, but gradually results came. Local boy and manager Tony Popovic remained stoic in the face of the storm, something which characterised his playing career. "There are no favourites here, no set individuals guaranteed a place, but we're one unit with a goal to keep improving," Popovic said after a 1-1 draw away to Perth Glory in round 13. Popovic's playing career took him to Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 1997 and onto Crystal Palace in 2001. For this reason it was no surprise that 'Poppa' was able to snare Japanese ace Shinji Ono amongst a host of other foreign signings. A cult favourite was unheralded Ethiopian Youssouf Hersi who was spotted in the Dutch Eredivisie. 

The club's timeline is a miraculous story of success and needs to be seen to be believed:

April 4th, 2012: New Sydney club announced. 
April 19th, 2012: East Asian Soccer covers the story and predicts WSW to become, "the club in Australian soccer." 
June 25th, 2012: Club name and colours officially announced.
July 26th, 2012: Major sponsor NRMA Insurance announced.
September 21st, 2012: Former Socceroos team-mate of Popovic, Michael Beauchamp named club captain. 
September 28th, 2012: Shinji Ono signs as marquee player.
October 6th, 2012: First competition match against Central Coast Mariners ends 0-0 in front of 10458 fans.
October 20th, 2012: First Sydney derby with Sydney FC winning 1-nil at Parramatta Stadium.
October 27th 2012: First win comes against reigning champions Brisbane Roar, in Brisbane.
December 15th, 2012: Wanderers defeat Sydney FC 2-nil in Sydney derby at Sydney Football Stadium in front of 26176 fans.
March 2nd, 2013: Ascent to top of table is completed with victory over Central Coast at Gosford.
March 29th, 2013: Win Premiers Plate in front of massive travelling contingent at Newcastle.
April 21st, 2013: Grand Final appearance brings a taste of defeat via A-League's famed chokers Central Coast Mariners. 

What next for a club that achieved so much in its inaugural season? With Popovic's perfectionist attitude you can bet the title of Champions is uppermost on the club's list of targets. There is also the small matter of the Asian Champions League, which will place the club, the western Sydney region, and sponsors in the spotlight of Asia. The prospect of a clash between Ono's former J-League club Urawa Reds, and Western Sydney Wanderers is mouth watering. Will the club meddle with the eye catching red and black playing strip that has broken merchandise sales records across all sporting codes in Australia? Can the club better it's first season membership numbers (just over 7000) and increase crowd averages? Already the club has signed A-League journey man Dean Heffernan. The defender will look to feature from the first clash which comes on Saturday, October 12th, at Gosford.

Wests with the 2012/13 Premiers Plate

"This is a sponsored post but my opinions are my own."

Asian Champions League Quarter Finals Draw Completed

The Asian Football Confederation has finalised the draw for the remainder of it's burgeoning club competition, the Asian Champions League. The draw pitted east Asian clubs against west Asian clubs for the quarter finals, but beyond the last eight it's possible that east can meet east and west likewise. Hosts of the event also boasted about the 11% increase in overall ACL attendances.

Quarter final one sees 2012 finalists Al Ahli face FC Seoul. The west Asian team from Saudi Arabia boast a midfield dominated by South American midfielders, plus Brazilian striker Victor Simoes, with 12 goals from 19 matches this season. Quarter final two features Iranian super club Esteghlal, and underdogs Buriram United from Thailand. Interestingly for Australian soccer fans Buriram battled their way through Group E (the group this blogger labelled the weakest in the east side of the draw), after defeating Brisbane Roar in a play-off for their place in the ACL. Esteghlal won their group and defeated Al Shabab Al Arabi of UAE to make their way to the quarter finals. The Iranians have averaged crowds of over 24,000 for the ACL plus a phenomenal 80,000 for their clash with Saudis Al Hilal.

Nelsinho - manager of Kashiwa Reysol

Quarter final three has Japan's Kashiwa Reysol hosting Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia. Kashiwa manager Nelsinho had spent a year with Al Shabab's rivals the aforementioned Al Hilal (93/94), but Kashiwa captain Otani conceded most of the players knew nothing of Al Shabab. Typically conservative the captain said, "We have had good results in the group stage and the Round of 16 and we will fight all out for a place in the semi finals." Meanwhile quarter final four sees Guangzhou Evergrande hosting Qataris Lekhwiya. The Chinese will be favourites, but they fell to west Asian opposition last year, so Lippi and his men will no doubt be on their toes.

From this point on the tournament will be played with a two legged format, including the final. The first leg of the quarter finals kicks off on 21st August, while teams are forced to wait until 18th September, for the return leg. Important to know is that the winner of quarter final one faces the winner of quarter final two, and winner three will play four. This increases the likelihood of an east Asian showdown between Kashiwa and Guangzhou. The suit wearers at the AFC would be rubbing their hands and drooling at such a possibility. 

Asian World Cup Hopes on Tenterhooks

Can the Socceroos finish the job? Is Uzbekistan set for its first appearance in a soccer World Cup? Which two Asian teams will play off to face South America's fifth placed qualifier? All these questions are set to be answered on Tuesday night, 18th June 2013.

The Socceroos are finally playing with momentum and it couldn't come at a more fortunate time. Throughout the 2014 World Cup qualification tournament, Australia's form has been patchy, and frustrating for fans. No doubt manager Holger Osieck has been frustrated too. But the turning point arrived when Australia took a point away from the Japan clash, and just last week dealt with Jordan convincingly. Most poignant in these two matches has been the emergence of Robbie Kruse, Tommy Oar and Tom Rogic as genuinely influential members of the  2014 World Cup squad. Assuming that Australia wins against Iraq tonight, manager Holger Osieck has the luxury of the East Asian Cup tournament in July (played in Korea), in which to give these and other youngsters more valuable experience.

The clash against Iraq sees a glut of factors favouring Australia. The match is set to be played in front of a sell-out  80,000 strong crowd in Sydney; striker Younis Mahmoud (age 30) with over 40 goals for Iraq has retired from international soccer as of last week; Nashat Akram (age 28) the star of the 2007 Asian Cup tournament retired from international soccer as of last week; Iraq are out of contention for Brazil 2014, and new manager Vladimir Petrovic is on the nose. Petrovic has overseen losses against China in February and the woeful display against Oman a fortnight ago. In Iraq's favour is the unknown quantity that they present themselves as in Sydney. Made up primarily of the under 20 Iraqi side, goalkeeper Noor Sabri said, "We've got Humam and other players in our squad who we have a lot of faith in." The keeper was speaking specifically about midfielder Humam Na'oush just 17 years old with ten international caps to his name already.

Meanwhile, in Group A Uzbekistan host Qatar at home, while they cross their fingers that Korea Republic take care of Iran, in Ulsan, Korea. The Uzbeks are coming off a narrow defeat to Korea Republic in Seoul last week, where they went down 1-nil through an own goal. Manager Mirdjalal Kasimov has stated ominously that, "There is no reason to look for people who are responsible for the defeat." The midfielder responsible for the own goal, Akmal Shorakhmedov will be crossing more than his fingers that his manager is as forgiving as he paints himself to be. Their opponents cashed-up World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar, sit helplessly adrift of qualification, four points away. The Uzbeks have it all to play for and should get 'the cash'.

Interestingly it is Iran who have been the only team to inflict defeat upon Korea Republic during qualification. If they repeat the effort away from home they're headed for Brazil. Korea Republic have nothing to play for with a superior 'for and against', which would see them fend off the Uzbeks, unless there was a disaster. Korea are currently plus seven in goal difference while Uzbekistan are plus one.

If I was a betting man, I would say that Iran are headed to their first World Cup since 1998, when they famously knocked out Australia, in a play-off for the final position in France '98. Along with them will be Korea Republic from Group A and Japan and Australia from Group B. The Asian play-off should see Uzbekistan take on Oman. 

Fork in the Road to Brazil - 2014

Jordan manager Adnan Hamad has declared he and his team, ". . .came here for a win." The Jordanians have arrived in Melbourne facing the same situation as the Socceroos. After six qualifying matches Jordan and Australia are in control of their own destinies. 

The two teams met in Amman, in September 2012, with the Jordanians springing an upset 2-1 victory. Manager Hamad rates tonight's clash with the Socceroos as the ". . . biggest match in the history of Jordanian football."  While the Socceroos are now buoyant after a stirring 1-1 draw with Japan in Saitama, there are a number of danger signs for the home team. 

The Australian eleven which pulled off that positive result in Japan only differ by two names from the one that were defeated in Jordan. Back in 2012 at the King Abdullah International Stadium there was no Tommy Oar or Mark Milligan. What is familiar is the two centre backs Lucas Neill and Sasa Ognenovski, and this is where Jordan found a weakness. The pair cannot blame playing conditions from that day as it was a comfortable 26 degrees. There can be no doubt though that Jordan will look to isolate the two again. How will they do that? Counter attack. Lucas Neill will be having nightmares of forward Odai Al Saify (9) and his shimmy shimmy go-go. While Jordan's first goal in the previous outing was a dubious penalty earned by the aforementioned, we shouldn't be surprised if he earns another tonight. His agility will trouble the two larger framed Aussies, and poignantly he grabbed the only goal in Jordan's warm up match against New Zealand last week.

For the Australians the injection of Oar and Kruse on the wings against Japan was a master stroke from Holger Osieck. The two are looking to establish themselves as regulars in the World Cup squad, and it's that kind of enthusiasm and motivation which can infect the rest of the playing group once on the field. The danger of playing the same troops time and again is that wearing the national shirt becomes 'run of the mill'. This has been evidenced in Australia's trips to the middle east, against unrecognised opponents.

Nevertheless, the Aussies are in a mathematical predicament where they simply must win to guarantee qualification. Both manager and players are whistling the right tune to the media. But complacency is rarely detected before the ninety minutes are played. 

Meanwhile Group A with Korea Republic (11) Uzbekistan (11) and Iran (10) is also full of tension. Tonight Korea face Uzbekistan in Seoul while a week later they host Iran. The Iranians should take three points tonight against Lebanon and then travel to Korea placed in the top two.   

Aussies Talking a Good Fight in Preparation for Japan

Socceroos v Japan in Brisbane 2012

The Socceroos 2014 World Cup qualification hopes sit precariously. Australia currently lie third behind the barnstorming Japan, and surprise packets Jordan. This round of World Cup qualifiers (04/06/2013) pits Australia against the Blue Samurai, while Jordan has a bye and Oman host Iraq. All the talk from the Socceroos has been about the fighting spirit which exists in Australian teams. Josh Kennedy said, "All of us fight down to the last second of the game . . ."

In international soccer/football it's often said that 'class tells' or 'class rises to the top'. Sadly for Australia at this point in time the core of it's eleven are playing in leagues a number of tiers down from the elite European stages such as Spain, Germany, Italy and England's Premier League. This is in contrast to the Japanese squad, which has been compared to the peaking 2006 Aussie World Cup squad. 

The Japanese have invaded Germany's Bundesliga with as many as five members of the starting eleven currently plying their trade there. Also starring in Europe is Yuto Nagatomo at Inter Milan and the feted Shinji Kagawa playing at Manchester United. Meanwhile, Japan's biggest weapon Keisuke Honda remains in one of the second tier leagues of Europe, that of Russia. For Japan however, the past two internationals have seen hiccups. They slipped up in Jordan 2-1 minus the zip of a Honda driven midfield, and in the friendly last Thursday night (30/05/2013) against Bulgaria, the Blue Samurai just lacked the cutting edge, although they were trying out a different formation. Coach Alberto Zaccheroni said, "I don't think our opponents created so many chances, but we couldn't create as many as we wanted to either." Again Japan played without Honda.

As well as being outclassed on paper, Australia are also lacking match fitness in many positions. Captain Lucas Neill hasn't played a competitive match since 23rd March, midfield weapon Brett Holman has played 11 minutes as a substitute for Aston Villa since their 23rd April, clash with Manchester United. Also expected to fill a midfield position is 'yellow card prone' Mark Milligan. Milligan's last competitive outing dates back to 14th April. Then there is the problematic left back position. Michael Zullo of Utrecht played his last full 90 minutes on 21st April, other options are Michael Thwaite (last game 5th April) or Matt McKay a midfielder who has filled the role before but not convincingly.

Despite all of the factors pointing toward a Japanese victory, Socceroos captain Lucas Neill is quietly confident of getting a result. The defender has revealed that the Japanese are actually under a lot of pressure. "What we do need to highlight is that Japan has lost two in a row now. They have a goalkeeper that's shown some shaky moments. I know how much media attention there is around this Japanese team." Tim Cahill also had a confident tone, "For us it's all about us . . . we prepare right we stay relaxed. Play the game not the occasion." Now with New York Red Bulls and regularly on the score sheet, Cahill is the face the Japanese have seen enough of. In 2006 he rammed home two goals in the World Cup group match, while in 2009 he headed home 2 more during World Cup qualification. Perhaps Australia's best hopes lie in the less familiar members of the line-up though. Robbie Kruse has had a breakout season with Fortuna Dusseldorf and has now been snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen. The striker/winger was one of the most fouled players in the Bundesliga and much of Australia's hopes will lie in Kruse's ability to get to past his opponent.

If pressed to predict a result LewDub can see the Aussies picking up at least a draw. Australia's ability in big matches against the headline acts has been proven throughout history. Meanwhile, this Japanese squad are under more intense scrutiny then any soccer team from 'the land of the rising sun' before them. Expect the Socceroos to bully the Japanese early and their opponents to struggle to put together the fluid passing game that they've built their success on.