Caltex Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou admits he’s disappointed with Australia’s premature exit from the Confederations Cup but insists the tournament will provide valuable experience for the players.
Caltex Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou admits he’s disappointed with Australia’s premature exit from the Confederations Cup but insists the tournament will provide valuable experience for the players.
The Socceroos finished third in Group B after securing draws against Cameroon (1-1) and Chile (1-1), which followed a 3-2 loss to Germany in their opening match.
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Speaking to FFA TV, Postecoglou said he was happy with the progression of the team but believes there is work to do for his side to compete with the world’s best.
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“I’m disappointed it’s all over,” Postecoglou told FFA TV.
“We kind of knew that this month would be important for us because whenever we’ve had the guys for an extended time whether that was the last World Cup or Asian Cup, we really see some great strides and improvement.
“We certainly got that through the month of June but it just would have been great to have a couple more games.
PLAYERS TO BENEFIT FROM TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
“If you look at the last World Cup we put some guys through it like Mat Ryan and Mass Luongo and we really benefited from that in the Asian Cup.
“And the Asian Cup exposed us to players like Trent Sainsbury and we’re getting the benefits now.
“It is different at a major tournament at this level. Having guys like Aaron (Mooy) and Tom Rogic and others getting exposed to it, it just adds to our depth.
"The most stark thing that came out of the last World Cup for me was that by the time we got to the Spain game we were literally out on our feet and just had nothing to give.
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"If you fast-forward three years, our third game (against Chile) was the strongest in the group in terms of our performance. It means we’re adding to those layers of depth where we can call on a number of players."
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“We want to be consistently competitive against the world’s best. There are certain things that need to happen for us to get to that level.
“One is continuing to develop our game style and game plan, and really embedding it into DNA of the side. I think on that part we’re a fair way down the track.
“The key component is how the players go individually over the next 12 months in their club football.
“It’s still the missing ingredient for us. We’re facing teams that have individuals that are playing at a consistently high level which produces a certain type of footballer.
“We still have some guys that are not playing at the highest level. [Some] are not playing regularly.
“It’s going to be very hard to bridge that gap unless that happens. With performances like we’ve had in this tournament hopefully the opportunities open up for our players.”