‘In hindsight, everyone knows better’: Football Australia backs under-fire Popovic

Dallas: Football Australia has defended Socceroos coach Tony Popovic, insisting he remains “absolutely” the best person to lead the national side despite criticism from former greats over his controversial decisions in Australia’s World Cup exit.

The Socceroos’ campaign came to an end at Dallas Stadium after a 4-2 penalty shootout defeat to Egypt, following a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time. The result leaves Australia still searching for its first-ever victory in the knockout stages of a World Cup.

Popovic has found himself in the firing line over two bold calls ahead of the spot-kicks, when he substituted starting goalkeeper Patrick Beach for veteran Mat Ryan and tasked 18-year-old Lucas Herrington with taking a penalty. Herrington failed to convert his attempt.

Former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich said he was “astounded” by the decision to bench Beach, and former national teammate Robbie Slater also questioned the wisdom of exposing a teenager to such intense pressure.

Speaking in Dallas a day after the loss, Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler firmly backed Popovic, who signed a contract extension through to next January’s Asian Cup on the eve of the tournament.

“Every fan believes [they are] a great national coach and every fan will think about what can be done better, but the coaching staff, and Tony Popovic, are always in the best place to judge in that moment what is needed for the team,” Kugeler said.

“In hindsight, everyone always knows better, but you have to make those calls based on what you have seen in training. Tony Popovic absolutely has our confidence.”

FA executive director of football Heather Garriock also dismissed criticism surrounding Herrington’s selection to take a penalty, comparing the situation to Kyah Simon taking a spot-kick as a teenager for the Matildas in the 2010 Women’s Asian Cup final.

“The tournament that Herrington played was incredible. He’s cool, calm, collected,” Garriock said. “I know that he’s been one of the top penalty takers [in training] … age shouldn’t come into it.

“If we look at a young Kyah Simon in 2010, she converted the penalty, she was a hero. If Lucas converted, he would have been a hero too. He’s only going to grow from this journey.”

However, the defeat has triggered a broader debate about the direction of Australian football. Bosnich and former national team captain Mark Milligan say the Socceroos must push beyond being just known as “gallant” competitors at the World Cup.

“When are we as a nation and federation going to decide who we are? When we qualify, is that just always going to be enough? What do we want moving forward?” Milligan, who coached the Newcastle Jets their first A-League premiership last season, told SBS.

While Garriock insisted the federation was satisfied with the team’s overall performance at this World Cup, she acknowledged the need to evolve past the gritty, physical, “never-say-die” style of play that Australia has become known for.

“We’ve had that mentality that is never-say-die, and it’s a character of being able to play until the end. We don’t want to be just that. We want to make sure we can play football,” Garriock said. “We’ve got a defensive mindset within the Socceroos, which has been fantastic … But creativity is really important. Being adaptable, flexible, and versatile is really important to the Australian way of playing.”

She said an overarching football strategy is being drawn up to address the long-term identity concerns raised by former players.

“That’s a long-term vision for the game, and that’s my job,” Garriock said. “We do need direction. We do need a football strategy, and we will be developing one. That’s one of our key priorities.”

The Socceroos attention now turns to next January’s Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, where they have been drawn into Group D alongside Tajikistan, Singapore and Iraq.

Get around our World Cup coverage