"It's about winning football matches," said Jackson Irvine, fresh off scoring the goal that secured Australia a 1-0 win over Syria and progression through to the last 16 of the Asian Cup, said. "[It's about] tournament mode, about clean sheets, scoring goals, winning games, and getting through to the next round."
Indeed, winning football matches is what the Socceroos have headed to Qatar to do. Seven games, to be precise; coach Graham Arnold declaring before the tournament began that not only did he want to see his side achieve Asian dominance for the second time across the coming weeks, but he wanted them to do so while going coast-to-coast.
And while it hasn't been pretty, they're still on track to do that. Thursday evening's three points against Syria were preceded by a workmanlike 2-0 triumph over India on Saturday evening.
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If another win comes against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, Australia will have secured their best-ever start to an Asian Cup since they first began competing on this stage in 2007. If they can keep another clean sheet against the White Wolves, who thumped India 3-0 on Thursday, they will have progressed out of the group stages without conceding for the first time.
Already, back-to-back clean sheets to open the Asian Cup represent a first, the last time Australia achieved this feat on a continental level was when they blanked New Zealand and Tahiti in the 2004 Oceania Nations Cup.
"Our expectations and what demands are, we want to top this group," Arnold said following the Syria win. "Yes, we've qualified for the second phase already but we want to top the group. That's been a goal of ours since we started, since we got into camp before the Asian Cup. To do that. There's no such thing as taking your foot off the pedal."
But there's winning, and then there's "winning." And against Syria, once again, the Socceroos emerged with three points but having done little to address the long-standing concerns that have dogged this group whenever they are asked to flip the script and go against type as a game's ball-dominant front runner -- where an onus is on them to take up the initiative and break down the embedded defence of a stubborn underdog.
As was the case with the India fixture, a surface-level perusal of the stat sheet would paint a picture of dominance. By the time referee Adel Al Naqbi blew full-time at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, the possession battle had been won 62.9% to 37.1%, 81 entries into the final third had been made as opposed to 36 in the opposite direction, and the ball was sent into the Syrian penalty area 22 more times than the inverse -- ending 32 to 10. Pretty comprehensive and not bad at all.
But look elsewhere, and you'll see that Irvine's 59th-minute goal represented the only one of the 10 shots his side was able to muster that was on target. Despite their defeat and relative lack of the ball, Syria ended up with the same number of attempts sent at Matthew Ryan's goal and only two fewer in total. They hit the post in just the fifth minute through Pablo Sabbag -- where an early Syrian goal could have completely changed the game's complexion, similar to how things would have shifted if Sunil Chhetri converted his early header for India.
IRV11NE 🔃@jacksonirvine_ steps up with another crucial goal for his country 🤩
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 18, 2024
🎥 @10FootballAU#SYRvAUS #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/PmlRp6daCW
Per Opta, the Socceroos created just 0.96 expected goals (xG) from their 10 attempts throughout the game, which though well clear of Syria's 0.23 is still hardly ideal for a side that carries a reputation, bolstered by its run to the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as being one of Asia's best.
Abandoning metrics for the eye test alone would tell the tale of an Australian side, again, struggling to find a level of enterprise and a sense of artistry to their attacks, with most bogging down when it attempted to find a way through a well-organised and persistent Syrian defence. Most of the play was filtered out wide for a speculative cross, an early burst of energy, and what appeared to be an increased willingness to try and play through their opponents fading as the first half wore on. The advance metrics won't properly convey how Syria finished the first half with a flurry that looked to have the Australians on their heels and how hard they pushed for a late leveller.
Of course, it should be noted that there were flashes and signs of progress for Australia. The game wasn't a disaster; they won and they're going to the round of 16, these are just the critiques that come with being a side in which expectations are high. Fortunate as the bounces to set the goal were, Martin Boyle and Irvine displayed significant moments of skill in the build-up, and the former instigated the move by taking a risk and running directly at multiple defenders. Winger Jordan Bos provided a level of drive after coming into the starting lineup and most of Australia's attacks in their early, energetic play were coming down his side of the pitch -- even if that was somewhat lost during the periods he switched with Boyle and moved to the right.
How Bos' is deployed against Uzbekistan next week will be one of the major storylines. Though nominally a left-back, Arnold played him higher up the pitch to get him and Aziz Behich onto the park at the same time against Syria, and while there's logic there if the sum of that combination is greater than the sum that one could fashion from Bos sliding backward and a Silvera, Craig Goodwin, or even Kusini Yengi starting in front of him is a question.
That's not to slight Behich, either, more so acknowledge the significant development Bos has undergone in recent years. After coming on as a substitute again, Riley McGree is another player who should be coming into contention to start if he's physically able. The same could be said for Bruno Fornaroli or Yengi, given that Mitchell Duke hasn't been able to stamp his authority on either game up top thus far. If Gethin Jones retains his right-back position over Lewis Miller and Nathaniel Atkinson, he also bears watching.
But ultimately, while tinkering with personnel is all well and good, there's still the matter of how they're being instructed. Arnold was pressed multiple times on his side only managing to produce a single shot on target in the post-game media conference, hints of frustration growing with repeated probes.
"We need to improve with the ball," he said, responding to the first question. "But it's getting those balls in the positions and when Syria has 10 players, nine players defending the edge of their box.
"We got into the right positions on numerous occasions but because of the number of players that they had in the box, they made it difficult to score. It's been a trait of these types of teams for quite a long while and they're hard to break down. And that's the reality of it. But what's important for us is that we give a mature performance, making sure we're not throwing too many men forward and getting hit on the break.
"They had a couple of shots, one hit the post in the first five minutes. The rest of the shots I think went in the grandstand. So it's important that we keep that clean sheet."
Yet, even with Arnold's declaration about the need for improvement, the changing dynamics of the tournament are increasingly shaping in a manner that might render this less vital, if not moot. Starting with Uzbekistan, Australia should face higher quality opposition in coming fixtures, opponents that are ostensibly going to want the ball, or at least more of it, and leave themselves open for the transition and hard-running they excel at. Under Arnold, the Socceroos are built to play the better sides, to rally around each other, and believe they can come out, fight and win as underdogs; they're reflective of their coach in that regard.
Five years into his tenure, Arnold's not going to change who he is, nor the underlying principles that guide this team. Therefore, this might just be it. Against the good sides, Australia can thrive. Against the minnows, they'll labour. The trick is to get through the latter so the former can come into play; and given the expansion of the World Cup, that's something the Socceroos should be able to do this coming cycle.
What this means for the long-term, philosophical outlook of the Australian game is an important question; is this what Australian football wants to be? But at this Asian Cup, it might just serve as something of a guide. Indeed maybe, just maybe, when accounting for game state, stakes, and expectations, Australia has already played its two most difficult games.