Ange Postecoglou has accepted blame for the Socceroos' form slump but defiantly insists it's all part of the road to long-term success.
Australia suffered the worst result of Postecoglou's tenure with a 1-0 loss to Qatar in Doha on Tuesday night, just four days after an uninspiring scoreless draw with the United Arab Emirates.
The disappointing Middle East swing signals the end of the honeymoon period for Australia's home-grown coach, who has won plaudits for his approach and vision but faces increasing scrutiny over results.
Postecoglou acknowledged his choice to experiment with new talent has resulted in instability and affected results but he makes no apologies for what he believes will benefit the side going into January's home Asian Cup.
"I'm making these decisions and I'm making them for a reason and that's probably costing us in terms of performance and in terms of fluency," Postecoglou told AAP.
"But it is what is is and I take responsibility for the outcomes because I'm making these decisions.
"In my mind we're still making progress.
"We're still giving some really good experience to some of the players who haven't had that sort of top-level intensity before."
Since his appointment in October last year, Australia have managed two wins, two draw and seven losses.
Much of that record is down to facing top-quality opposition at the World Cup but latest results have raised concerns about Australia progress ahead of the Asian Cup.
Challenging conditions certainly played their part in the Middle East while combinations were lacking as Postecoglou heavily rotated his squad over the two games.
Debutant Bernie Ibini, the recalled Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Aziz Behich and Adam Federici and a host of fringe players were given their chances, while an underdone Robbie Kruse started both matches in his comeback from knee surgery.
Still, an Australian side featuring stars Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano looked to have the firepower to overcome 96th-ranked Qatar.
Postecoglou denied the defeat would dent his players' belief in the Asian Cup preparation.
"No because I'm kind of manufacturing this," Postecoglou said.
"I'm making it as hard as possible, so the players will be fine. They'll be ready to go.
"We're putting these challenges to them for a reason and I think in the long run it will be good for us."
Sticking firm in his long-term thinking, Postecoglou signalled he would experiment further with his squad in next month's match against Japan in Osaka, the final friendly hit-out before January's tournament.
"I think we've still got some players we want to have a look at and we'll use that game to have a look at them," he said.
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