The job Ange Postecoglou took on several months ago is not the job he has now.
His plight is one shared by 31 other national team coaches gearing up for Brazil.
In group B alone Spain has lost Thiago Alcantara and perhaps Diego Costa; Chile's Arturo Vidal is a very important player and in doubt for the first game against Australia.
It is just that the injury niggles that affect our group stage rivals pale in comparison to the Socceroos' prognosis, which is diabolical.
Each absence is more keenly felt by Australia simply because we lack the depth of larger nations.
Even in 2006, Guus Hiddink used to say he had only 14 players he could rely on from the squad of 23. How many does Ange have?
Robbie Kruse is a massive loss. Rhys Williams, defensively strong against all three teams that use fast wingers, is a massive loss. Trent Sainsbury, an important option to play in front of his former teammate Matty Ryan, is a massive loss. In the absence of years of cohesive preparation time, club connections are important to import instant communication.
Victory duo Mark Milligan and James Troisi showed that with their understanding in midfield last night.
At least last night’s missing wounded - Mark Bresciano, Mile Jedinak and Matthew Spiranovic - are only temporary and will make the plane to Brazil. Despite that positive news, Ange sounded frustrated this week at not knowing who would make the park in a fit state of body in 19 days' time, such is the uncertainty.
Welcome to international football.
The amount of players either out or half crocked is shocking, when you throw Tommy Rogic into the mix as well. Ange has to fashion a team by getting enough players on the park for enough hours to be competitive against Chile.
On Monday evening we were fortunate it was only South Africa, with respect.
The Socceroos improved throughout the first half, but lacked any quality in attack, particularly wide, to really threaten although they created several excellent opportunities.
Ange’s plan, though, is crystallising after three games. It's a plan that enables the team to try to play from back to front, with some excellent football in the first 30 minutes of the match through midfield to release the fullbacks.
In this aspect, it was a shame South Africa did not press higher and more aggressively, because this is what we’ll face in Brazil. Hopefully, Croatia will do so to test the back five technically and their integration with the lines ahead.
Some freedom for the wingers to roam across the front line looking to get played in behind.
Fullbacks moving up into the space left by the wingers coming inside.
Two screening midfielders to build the game, becoming one once the ball is into the attacking lines.
Fast release to quick players from defensive set pieces, with no players on the posts as a consequence, and from Ryan’s hands to try to counter attack quickly to make more dominant opponents think twice about sending too many players forward.
And a lot of crosses for Timmy Cahill, one of which he scored from.
Without Spiranovic, possession and distribution of the ball from the back was questionable at times, and this is an extreme concern against teams that will recover the ball and attack with speed and quality.
Australia pressed high at every opportunity throughout the match and was vulnerable to passes played directly to the opposing striker throughout. South Africa scored from a run behind Franjic in the first half. This will have to improve against Croatia heading into the first group match.
That is a godsend for Ange as he needs another two matches to organise the details that high quality teams will exploit.
Ben Halloran was sensational. Twice he literally walked past the South Africa left back and his speed and eye for goal will be critical against teams that will commit a lot to attack. The question will be whether Halloran should start, or come on in the second half to terrorise teams hopefully getting increasingly desperate to score.
This speed is the one defining characteristic we need in Brazil, because the counter attack will be the main route to goal, aside from set pieces, which Halloran, Leckie and Oar’s pace will create through either fouls in the final third, or corners through a deflected cross, as was constantly the case last night.
What is interesting is that the team has been setup principally to play to Timmy Cahill in the air with natural wingers on both sides.
Given that all our opponents will be analysing these last three matches, they will certainly have a plan to stop the penetration of the wingers and crosses from the fullbacks. Troisi, Bresciano, Rogic and Milligan will be very important to create a central threat rather than rely only on an aerial assault and to open the space wide by concentrating the defence centrally.
The magnitude of the challenge became very clear last night, but I enjoyed the comments of Postecoglou before the game when he said that Australia will seek to play football according to our aspirations and if, after the World Cup, Australians are left wanting to watch this Socceroos team, the job will be done, irrespective of results.
This, I have long argued.
To achieve this against top class teams, however, he will need his walking wounded on hand come 14 June.
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