World Cup push stifled by reluctance to let go of old guard, says Bleiberg - Sydney Morning Herald

Part of the old guard: Tim Cahill. Photo: Anthony Johnson

Australia's World Cup campaign is suffering from tardiness in bringing on the next wave of players, says veteran coach Miron Bleiberg, and even if the Socceroos qualify for Brazil, whatever they achieve there could have been bettered with swifter generational change.

But as critics lined up to decry Holger Osieck's team after Tuesday night's 2-2 draw with Oman left Australia in danger of missing the World Cup with three qualifying matches to play, Bleiberg urged a "bigger picture" view. He remains confident Australian football is moving in the right direction and will recover from the error of persisting for too long with the "golden generation" that reached the second round in Germany in 2006.

"Generational change should have started after the [2010] World Cup in South Africa," Bleiberg said, citing the young team fielded by Japan at the 2011 Asian Cup as the template the Socceroos should have followed.

"[Instead] Australia sent the same heroes that played in the World Cup in 2006 . . . we continued to hang on to the Harry Kewells of the world. Now, in the middle of the heat of qualification, we start to do the generational change.

"You can do it – unsuccessfully. Which is why we're sitting uncomfortably where we are."

While the non-selection of dynamic midfielder Tom Rogic on Tuesday night and the Socceroos' ponderous game plan as they fell two goals behind Oman were among criticisms levelled at Osieck, Bleiberg said the development of players such as James Holland had not been helped by a delayed introduction to the national team.

"If they had played in this tournament [the 2011 Asian Cup] and internationals after that, they would have been much better now," Bleiberg said.

Bleiberg, who forecast another decade of development and consolidation of the A-League would leave Australia "as good as anybody", would not level the blame at Osieck.

"The job of the leaders of the game [Football Federation Australia] is not to decide who will play left wing, it's to make political decisions and this decision [to plan for the future] wasn't made."

The Socceroos will kick off their 2015 Asian Cup campaign in Melbourne but Newcastle is the biggest winner as Australia prepares to host the tournament for the first time.

The Asian Football Confederation on Wednesday revealed AAMI Park in Melbourne as host of the cup's opening ceremony and the Socceroos' first group match on January 9, with the final to be held at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

While Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra will each host six group games and a quarter-final, Newcastle has nabbed one of the two semi-finals alongside Sydney.