Former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich said Australia’s defensive problems mean they will struggle to win the Asian Cup in January next year, despite the advantage of playing on home soil.
Australia are hosts for the tournament, which runs from Jan. 9 to Jan. 31, and are among the favorites to clinch the title after finishing runners-up to Japan in Qatar in 2011.
“I think they are going to find it very difficult,” Bosnich told reporters after unveiling Nutmeg, the Asian Cup mascot, this week. “For me, playing at home can be a double-edged sword, you’ve obviously got the advantage of playing in front of your own fans, but that can turn into something else if things don’t go so well.”
Photo: AFP
“Things haven’t been going well prior to this tournament, we have to be brutally honest. We’ve probably gone a little bit backwards,” he said. “They will lift in front of the home fans and hopefully if we get on a roll it will be difficult for other teams to stop us, but it’s not going to be easy at all.”
At the heart of his qualms about Australia’s chances is a defense who have conceded 20 goals this year in 10 matches, only one of which they have won.
“For quite some time now there’s been a problem with how the team has defended as a whole,” the former Aston Villa and Manchester United goalkeeper said. “We conceded nine goals in three games at the World Cup. That’s just too many.”
“It’s not so much individual players, but the defensive set-up as a whole,” he added. “They’re concentrating so much on wanting to play really good football, but they have got to remember, if you score four goals and the other team score five, it’s no good.”
The focus on playing positively is the hallmark of coach Ange Postecoglou, who regularly worked alongside Bosnich on Australian television before replacing Holger Osieck in October last year.
“Ange had to get results and rejuvenate the team, which is one of the hardest things in football to do, but he used to say on many occasions that he knew the players were better than they were showing,” Bosnich, 42, said. “He’s now got to put that into practice and show us all.”
Bosnich never enjoyed playing in front of his family during his own career, but thinks the Socceroos should enjoy it as much as possible, even if he is tipping their Group A rivals South Korea for the title.
“It’ll be fantastic and they really should embrace it,” he said. “I’ve just got a feeling South Korea will win it. It’s been a long time between drinks for them and I think it’s their time.”
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