Intimidating In Japan, Squad Is Capable Of A lot, Tony Popovic As The Socceroos Coach
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Mornings with Matt White
Paramount Football Commentator- Daniel Garb 15/10/24
Thank you Vanessa 1-300-01-1170 is our open line number. Keep your calls coming this morning. Thanks to Paramount plus a mountain of football live and exclusive tonight, of course Australia the Japan so so Thomas Stadium is the venue 930 our time will Be when all the action starts Daniel garb is on the line morning Gabi Hello, Maddie. How are you mate? I'm good mate. How do you beat history? So before we even start to figure out what the soccer is going to play like tonight. How do you beat? Japan in Japan they've won 20 of their last 22 there and we've never beaten them over there Well, it is an aspect to it. It can't be ignored I mean there are times in sports where we say our you know We'd like to talk about history because the stats are sexy But does it really make a difference when the two sides line up on the field sometimes it doesn't sometimes it does it used to matter for Japan I mean they have openly admitted that you look back to that 2006 World Cup clash in Kaiser sloughton and the five or so years after that where Australia had the wood Over Japan it was a factor. They were intimidated by Australia. They were intimidated by Australia's physicality or the Premier League stars Australia felt as if there were one deal up before they walked out on the pitch that changed a lot after the 2011 Asian Cup final where Australia's You know glitz started to weigh in a little bit Japan improved And I think we've become a little bit intimidated by Japan's technical quality by the way in which they move the ball by the crowds over there in Japan It will be intimidating. I've been there for a World Cup qualifier Japan away. It is a very difficult place to go They are respectful, but they're incredibly confident and about their team And they know about Australia and the threat that we can pose and so they try to intimidate us So that will be a factor, but and the new coach aspect. Hopefully that You know starts to prove advantageous for Australia They're still the the novelty period if you like of Tony popovitch and hopefully that help the cockaroos in a tough environment and Popovitch is defensive now. Hopefully it can help the team be well organized for a straight Japan and and maybe pinch something the other way You make a really good point about, you know, sexy stats They're very easy to go to aren't they? But if you flip that around because the other point that you might goes back to 2006 and I was lucky enough to be there for that So it was it was June 2006 in Kaiser Sloughton was My Kaiser Sloughton was more Australian than Kaiser Sloughton, you know, it was just it was a sea of green and gold It was amazing. So, you know, sometimes when you I guess if you're looking for any inspiration And this is all the emotional aspect of the game as opposed to the technical aspect You wonder how much Tony popovitch for instance might go. Hey, let's turn our attention back Sure, it's been a long time since then, but let's turn our attention back to that incredible that incredible day It was a boiling hot day if I remember But let's let's turn that back there because that show that we can do this against these guys and and again Perhaps we can learn lessons from that yet. I wonder how much Tony popovitch not necessarily Garbi that day Tries to get this team into the history part of the Sockaroos Yeah, and he doesn't even have to go that far back Matty as shrewd as that may be and as much as you might touch on that I mean he was a part of that squad of course You only have to go back to 2022 and the World Cup and say that the Sockaroos will a large part of you were part of that squad Look what you did in Qatar against Tunisia against Denmark against Athena even though we were defeated in the end how close you came in those environments Against those teams this squad is still capable Now they lost their way a little bit at the last asian carpet in the early part of this qualifying campaign Managerial change has eventuated as a result, but it's still the core group And they have still shown a mentality on a big stage to achieve something special And I think the coach will help I will try and draw on that to help his team inside timer this evening Where do the dangers lie in the Japanese lineup? Oh, they're plentiful I mean they've got a top class side and they've been building that way for a long time I mean they've got technical players of the highest quality and It's probably surprising that they haven't quite put it together at the World Cup because they've dominated asian football and for a long time So they'll dominate possession. It'll be a change for Australia in that sense But you know what part of the reason why Australia was so successful at the last World Cup because Now maybe the soccer who's team does play better when they don't have the ball And maybe they do play better when the owners isn't on them to constantly attack Because quite often in Asia they come up against teams who sit back against them And they can find it hard to open them up and that has been the undoing of the soccer who's on many in occasion Maybe they'll draw on that a bit as well Japan with their technical quality Will will control large periods of the game And then hopefully Australia the other way when they get on the ball will have a bit more space to create because Japan Won't be sitting as deep. There'll be a few more pockets to open up the Japanese And then perhaps they can pinch one the other way as a result So just maybe that contrast can help Australia too, but the environment will be very daunting no doubt Oh, be be massive is the message you reckon Kind of maybe what the message is to the players needs to be to football fans and even non football fans Those that are going to tune in tonight because They want to watch the socceroos is be patient That seems to be like a bit of a game plan both whether you're playing or sitting on your like on your couch Yeah, I think even the most casual football fan understands the difficulty of Japan away I mean there are certain games and certain teams that we play in Asia that I think still some supporters Don't realize how difficult it is to play those teams away from home You go all the way back through Australia's qualifying campaign even when the golden generation was around I've seen us play umana way. I've seen us play tyland away. I've seen us play jordan away Under managers like anti-poster kodlu with players like tim keel and harry keel and march water There has never been a cruisy victory for australia away from home in a world cup qualifier against any of those teams Never mind japan away. So I think most fans recognize that this is the game that is incredibly difficult And if australia can just get a result tonight. Well, that would be great. I don't think it's the night for sexy football I don't necessarily think that will be the way of it under tony pop of it Anyway, I think about that phase of the campaign and at this stage under a new manager Well, you just like to get a result any way you can build confidence and grow from there So it might come at a good time for the soccer is we just don't know That's the level of intrigue which makes tonight really fascinating Just one more garbie on the tony pop of each side and I think you've you've detailed so really Well there the style of play the changes, you know the technical aspect, but what what about the camp under poppers? Change much from the camp under aani Is there any sort of insight from the squad that's coming out? Uh, you know, they're very professional. They're very slick Then they're very processional, but different managers have different personalities. Is there any insight into that? Not yet other than what we know about popper on the whole. I mean, I think the squad mentality will be very similar You know, they're a very even keel group I think graham Arnold is more of a players manager if you like he's more of an arm around you He's more of a connecting on an individual level and that works for the team on the whole tony pop of it a little bit different. I mean he certainly will connect with players, but he'll keep his distance a touch more and he'll have an overriding strategy for the entire squad of discipline and defensive acumen and Professionalism that will need to be adhered to which it was under graham Arnold But it's probably a bit stricter in that sense across the board from tony pop of it I think the players were warned for that as well For about him pop up, which I think is has always meant that he was Menced to this role at some stage, you know, the deceased will not overwhelm him one bit Maybe there are occasions where it did for graham Arnold and the criticism Came for him, but he rose above that more often than not and credit to him for that That's not a question for tony pop of it You know that the pressure of the job will not be an issue for him and I think the players were warned to that As well so slightly different approaches. I think arnie's more of a Individual connector and tony pop of it. She has more of a Authoritarian approach, but I think it's still one that will connect with these players Interesting night ahead mate. Thanks for your time this morning No worries. Thanks, mady Daniel guard there australia v Japan tonight on paramount plus amount in the football live And exclusive o 4 5 7 7 3 6 7 3 6 rubin cotta will be joining me about 20 25 minutes time so stick around for that We'll take you into kangaroos camp australia of the tonga And that one coming up for the pacific championships