#SFGTop100 Asia 2015

After some quiet time over Christmas and the New Year, I helped compile and profile some of the candidates to be chosen within Sandals for Goalposts’ #SFGTop100 series, highlighting the top 100 performers from Asia over the last calendar year. It was a consideration period that paid particular attention to those who performed in January’s Asian Cup, the outgoing AFC Champions League campaign and at the start of the World Cup 2018 qualifiers.

I hope you enjoy what you read, but any difference of opinion is welcome. For the full list follow the link below.

#SFGTOP100 ASIA FULL LIST

Asian Cup Matchday Review (Final)

It’s been a great month of action in Australia, as the hosts prospered to their first continental title at the third time of asking since their reversion of territories to the AFC. Their performance capped a mainly fault free tournament which saw them finish the campaign as the tournament’s top scorers, with more individual goal scorers than anyone could’ve predicted. The Asian Cup finished with UAE taking bronze medal over Iraq, but it was in Sydney where the real treat was on display. Here’s my final look on proceedings in Australia, looking back over the Australia-Korea Republic final.

The Player

When you consider the likes of Bayer Leverkusen’s Son Heung-Min were in attendance, before the tournament you may have been surprised to hear that a player playing in the 3rd tier of English football would scoop the honour for MVP at the Asian Cup. Swindon Town’s Massimo Luongo looks to be much more than a flash in the pan however, after a thoroughly successful tournament that finished with him opening the scoring in Saturday’s final victory over Korea Republic.

His influence in a squad mainly based on Postecoglou’s first major selection ahead of the World Cup is growing with every match, most impressively in the semi-final victory over the UAE. However, it was in the final where his greatest moment came, unleashing an unstoppable effort just before half time, setting the Australians up for their historic first Asian Cup victory in their home event.

Australia’s sudden turnaround has been tipped for a while now by Postecoglou, however the inclusion of Massimo Luongo in his midfield trio could well have been argued as the key piece missing to the Socceroo side. His dynamism is something Australia have struggled to harness, differing to the often one dimensionial Mile Jedinak and the ageing legs of Mark Bresciano. His transitional influence between defence and attack has given the Australians extra speed on the counter that had been neglected before. The young man continues to stress that he has unfinished business to exercise at Swindon, but come the summer calls will grow ever louder for him to make the step up to the top table.

The Team

Australia’s triumph in Sydney will go down in history as the first trophy won by the nation since they moved to the AFC, but more importantly it will achieve much more outside the record books after Ange Postecoglou steered a side who had only won 2 matches in a year into a continental champion outfit. The turnaround was long muted by the analytical coach, but the way in which it was executed was impressive from start to finish.

The final itself put to bed one of Australia’s most prominent demons, by beating similar ranked Asian nations. After losing quite comprehensively to Japan prior to the tournament, a group stage reverse to the Koreans lead many to worry that the Socceroos would struggle. A confident display against UAE in the semis was replicated against the Koreans in Sydney’s final. They’d learnt from the mistakes last time around against Korea, as they kept their heads and waited for the right openings.

It was roles reversed as Australia went ahead against the run of play and were unlucky to concede late on to force it into extra time. Troisi’s extra time winner will breed excitement and engagement in the country, something that can be coupled with domestic club Western Sydney Wanderers achieving the same continental feat on the club circuit. Whle Australia grows, the rest of Asia looks on enviously. West Asia in particular haven’t been shy in coming forward, complaining that they haven’t gained anything since Australia switched regions. Standards however have improved in the region, even in the short space of time since Postecoglou took charge. A promising future can be expected for the whole continent, not just in Australia.

The Talking Point

One of the stand out stories of the Asian Cup, was the vast improvement of Korea Republic since their humiliating World Cup exit 6 months prior. Incoming German coach Uli Stielike has developed a well drilled outfit, that might have restricted some of their individual flair, but has strengthened considerabily their defensive core, helping them to a record equalling 5 successive clean sheets on route to the final.

Question marks however are left after a disappointing final, where Stielike seemed to overplay the game in his mind even before it had kicked off. His team selection seemed baffling, assumingly more concerned with Australia’s threats, than his own teams attacking blend; he opted to play with 3 centre backs from the start and moved out one of their players of the tournament Park Joo-Ho into a wide role after excelling as an anchor midfielder earlier in the cup. In the end it didn’t pay off, for all that was good about Korea previously evaporated in an instance. Without conceding for the whole tournament, Korea looked continually suseptable in defence and dually conceded twice over the 120 minutes.

Going forward, Stielike will look back at a generally successful campaign which only lacked a killer final performance. Defensively they have come on leaps and bounds since the shambles of Brazil, and in attack they may have come up with a number 9 that can stretch them forward into 2015. Lee Jeong-Hyeop’s performances given the lack of experience domestically were quite impressive, but he will have to be given time to blossom after a pretty anonymous final display. With Japan parting company with Aguirre and Iran seeing a battle between Queiroz and the IFF, Korea will sit back with a content smile on their face after such low expectations coming into the tournament.

Asian Cup Matchday Review (Semi Finals)

It's coming to the crunch time in the tournament where medals will be won and lost as the Asian Cup reaches the final stage. Plucky underdogs Iraq finally exited at the hands of a stubben Korea Republic side who picked up a record equalling 5th consecutive clean sheet, while hosts Australia went one better than favourites Japan by easing past a talented United Arab Emirates side. Iraq will face the UAE in Newcastle in the Bronze medal match, while Australia will host Korea Eepublic back in Sydney on Saturday in the Asian Cup final. Excitement and intrigue is sure to follow, but first a look back at the winners and losers of the competitions semi-finals.

The Player

One thing that's become wholly refreshing about Uli Stielike's early reign as Korea Republic manager has been his willingness to introduce new faces. Goalkeeper Kim Jin-Hyeun has starred between the sticks, but it's further forward where a recent impact has been felt more pertinently. A goal and an assist in the semi finals for Lee Jeong-Hyeop has quickly seen his profile rise from relative unknown to potential cup winner since the turn of the year. Lee's initial inclusion in the squad was met with raised eyebrows, but considering his competition for a starting spot, he can't be criticised for choking under pressure.

After clinching his spot in the starting lineup thanks to neat deflected goal against Australia in the group stage, Lee's commanding presence was again on show against Iraq from the first whistle. His goal, illustrated his aieral presence excellently as he nodded in Kim Jin-Su whipped in freekick. Into the second half, he showed his intelligence once more cushioning down a long ball for Kim Young-Gwon to rifle home from the edge of the box. Often seen as a Plan B - long ball weapon, Lee once again lives up to the often rolled out adage of a big man with good feet.

Ever since Park Chu-Young capitulated from view after moving to Arsenal, Korea have continually sought for a new leader in the attacking third. Experimentations with another gentle giant Kim Shin-Wook, the hard running Lee Keun-Ho and a brief spell with Koo Ja-Chol as a false nine, have all turned up more questions than answers. Lee's inclusion has since muted questions over Korea's talents in attack, which one would hope can spur the young forward onto better things domestically. Immediately however concentration shifts to Australia, where their nemesis Lee will be out to notch back to back goals against the hosts.

The Team

Winning only two of your first 11 matches in charge is going to draw a lot of criticism from your own fans irrespective of the team you're managing. However, Ange Postecglou's message has always stayed true; just wait and see, this team will come good. And how he's been proved right as his Australia side romped through in relative ease through to their second Asian Cup finals in as many editions. The hosts now set up as favourites after scoring 12 goals along the way to the showpiece event on Saturday.

It was a sink or swim moment for all involved, their awful preparation didn't matter if they could up their game at their host games. From the start they've continued to answer their critics; can Australia win matches? Followed up with back to back hammerings of Kuwait and Oman. Can they score goals without the aid of national hero Tim Cahill? Yes they can, notching 9 different goal scorers aside of Cahill during the tournament. Finally could they compete with Asia's best? Unequivocally yes, as they eased past UAE without really ever been troubled. An Emirati side that knocked out pre-tournament favourites Japan, were swatted away.

The crucial match however comes into view, their final appearance against Korea Republic. Many comparisons will be made between their initial meeting and the final encounter, but it's unlikely to be anything but a starkly contrasting match up. This time Australia will be fully rebuffed with their attacking trident of Tim Cahill, Matthew Leckie and Robbie Kruse, with more on the line, given the Socceroos had already ensured a quarter final spot before. Postecoglou is finally living up to his words, with Australia playing some of the most riveting attacking football in the competition. Now to break new ground as they attempt to blot Korea's spotless clean sheet record.

The Talking Point

Heralded as the greatest chance of an upset at the tournament, United Arab Emirates have more than lived up to their tag of prime dark horses after making it through to the semi finals. However, many will be disappointed in their rather damp final showing as they limply crashed out against the hosts. Mahdi Ali went against his usual attacking philosophy in the knockout stages, and while they finally edged Japan on penalties, Australia showed the much needed guile to break down the stubban Emirati resistance early on, something Ali's side couldn't recover from.

Opinion was split over the cautious display on show against the Japanese, while some applauded Ali's flexibility to show a new string to the UAE bow, others thought he'd panicked, facing his stiffest opposition yet and ultimately his luck shone on his side to take it all the way to penalties. Either way, observers assumed they couldn't repeat the feat, and expected the Gulf nation to revert back to their attractive attacking game when they headed to Newcastle. Unfortunately it never really got going as numerous avenues were blocked off at source leaving UAE all out of ideas.

Subsequent analysis has focused on the role of chief playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, who despite his wonderful talent and flashing assists this tournament, has come under fire, most pertinently by Aussie centre back Trent Sainsbury, who went on to be one of the Socceroos' goalscoring heroes in the semis. The reliance on Abdulrahman can't be used as an excuse given the great depth and fluidity of the whole side. The collective group, unfortunetly never got going, which we can favourably put down to a bad day at the office. In the end, there once again won't be a West Asian representative in the Asian Cup final, as UAE will have to do with facing Iraq in the Bronze medal match on Friday.

Asian Cup Matchday Review (Quarter Finals)

Kicking off the knockout stages, the Asian Cup has finally burst into life. While in the group stages, shocks remained confined to the impressive pursuits of China PR, the quarter finals proved less predictable with Iraq and UAE overcoming the odds against the bigger boys of Asian football. Joining them in the last four are hosts Australia and fellow Group A side Korea Republic who overcame China and Uzbekistan respectively. Time for a look back at who made the stories over the last couple of days of action.

The Player

“He scores when he wants, he scores when he wants! Oh Timmy Cahill, he scores when he wants!” An apt chant for an Australian hero that once again saved the Socceroos, as the hosts make it through to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup. His two goal haul showed both sides of his game, first a typical header from an unenviable range, his second a master class in technique to put the game to bed and away from a shocked Chinese side who had no answer to his play throughout the encounter.

Tim Cahill’s goal scoring continues to define Australian football, at odds to the vision that manager Ange Postecoglou continues to stress. A fan of neat, flowing football, played on the ground, Cahill’s monstrous aerial ability hasn’t always been the national coach’s cup of tea. On a number of occasions he’s tried to reinvent his attack, using a number of more mobile attackers in place of a typical number 9 figure. However inevitably, he’s always been swayed back to the Australian talisman, most pertinently against Japan in Australia’s final warm up match, climbing off the bench to rescue some pride with a late consolation. Unsurprisingly, Cahill’s place in the starting XI hasn’t been in doubt ever since.

The reliance on one man’s goals has however becoming a worry for some fans, maybe not in the short term but looking forward to the World Cup qualifiers at the end of the year. The oldest player at the Asian Cup, Cahill continues to defy his age by coming up with not just regular goals but skilfully impressive goals. Coming into the tournament, he was the only man to have scored from open play during Postecoglou’s tenure and while the gaining confidence in front of goal of his colleagues has gently improved, Cahill continues to encourage a better quality of finishing from Australia while he’s on the pitch. His menace and ability will once again be crucial as Australia aim to overcome UAE in the semi-finals.

The Team

While many worried (myself included) that the Asian Cup semi-finals would see the same four representatives that had failed so miserably at the last World Cup, along with dark horses UAE, Iraq pulled off the shock of the round as they overcame bitter rivals Iran. One match that will go down in Asian Cup folk law, as the game swung one way then the other, finishing 3-3 after extra time, before Iraq clinched their progression with a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory.

Coming into the tournament, any side on the back of form Iraq had suffered would’ve been written off. However, a favourable group and run of fixtures allowed Iraq to ease themselves into the tournament, building confidence as they played and working out the best setup to adopt under their new coach Radhi Shenaishel. While Iraq have had elements of luck during the tournament, including the late winner v. Jordan and the Pooladi sending off for Iran in the quarters, they have recovered well and progressed on their merits.

The match against Iran was their ideal peak, going behind in the first half, they looked out of ideas and confidence. However, a commanding second half display aided by the sending off, illustrated to everyone what they can possess on their day. Their full backs raced forward continuously, while Shenaishel enabled better support for the lone Mahmood, Iraq looked a more fluid outfit in attacking areas, as they continually threatened the Iranian defence. The one symbol of the shoot-out win however has to be Younes Mahmood, who’d previously missed a “Panenka” style penalty against the Iranians in a warm up match prior to the tournament. The legendary striker again strode up with the same intent, this time sending Haghighi sprawling and Iraq onto victory. They now have a more than realistic chance of making the final, when they face Korea Republic in the semis.

The Talking Point

When the Quarter-Final draw was finally realised, one game stood out as the possible highlight of the tournament. Japan v UAE, the reigning champions vs. the attractive outsiders was billed as one of the ultimate clashes that could have the largest effect on where the title would end up. Some 150 minutes later, UAE were dancing, leaving Japan abject after the match went all the way to penalties, with the Emirati players taking the plaudits for a well-executed game plan from the get go.

A defeat in these set of circumstances is hard to stomach, however Japan’s dominance from early in the match will have many back home scratching their heads about how they snapped defeat away from the jaws of victory. Ever since Ahmed Ali Mabkhout’s early goal, UAE sat deep, inviting pressure and for the most part rarely threatened on the break. In typical Japanese fashion they controlled possession, conjured a number of openings but failed in their pursuit of an equaliser until late on. It takes me back to the late night/early morning encounter of Greece in Natal some 6 months prior, where Japan looked out of ideas, spark and interest despite their clear man for man advantage.

It’s long been the problem for Japan, that no one individual player can step up and seize the day. Keisuke Honda had been impressive during the group stages, but so had his colleagues around him. It seems if Japan have an off the day, the whole squad has an off day. That isn’t confined to those on the pitch, as Javier Aguirre pulled off an Alberto Zaccheroni, hopelessly trying to fling substitutes on from the bench without any real purpose. His future, like his predecessor could be short lived with match-fixing allegations continue to burn his neck, while the history of Japanese football adds another missed opportunity to its record books.

Asian Cup Matchday Review (Group Stage GW3)

The group stage has flown by with 24 matches passing with not one single draw to pick from. While China PR provide the surprise package in Group A, the remaining groups ran to script with the “big four” of Korea Republic, Australia, Iran and Japan all clinching qualification to the quarter finals. Joining them in the knockout phases will be Uzbekistan, UAE and Iraq. A lot more fun is still to come as we narrow down to the last eight, but first a look back at the winners and losers of the final group stage encounters.

The Player

Korea Republic’s progression through to the quarter finals of the Asian Cup has took no one by surprise, however the manner in which they’ve performed has. Each of their victories have come by the margin of only one goal, and in defence they’ve kept three successive clean sheets. Against hosts Australia, one man barrier Kim Jin-Hyeon kept up that stat with a compressively solid display, from a keeper who had only just made his competitive debut for Korea a week before.

It had been a widely held view that since the retirement of legendary keeper Lee Won-Jae, there was no better replacement than his eventual Suwon Bluewings replacement Jung Sung-Ryong. Despite a drastic dip in form, and experimentation ahead of the World Cup, Hong Myung-Bo remained stubborn about changing from his experienced number one, and it’s only been seen now under Uli Stielike that a change in net has been present in a competitive tournament.

Kim performed solidly in the opener against Oman, before falling foul of illness for the Kuwait match, however it was in the Australia encounter where he came into his own. Commanding in the first half, his shot stopping was called upon in the second. First denying Nathan Burns as he waltzed through the Korean defence, before somehow clawing away a late Robbie Kruse effort to assure the win and top spot for his nation. Korea’s defensive solidity has been one of the highlights of the tournament, this alongside Kim’s heroics will need to be on top form once again against a revitalised Uzbekistan side in the quarter finals.

The Team

The way they celebrated, you would’ve thought they’d won the whole competition, however Iran who had previously guaranteed a quarter final place in round two had claimed top spot in the most dramatic of circumstances. Struggling for control of possession throughout the 90, options and chances were at a premium until substitute Reza Ghoochannejhad broke the offside trap to clip home and send through the Iranians as group winners.

The outpouring of emotion that greeted the winning goal, both on the pitch and in the dugout illustrated the strong team spirit Carlos Queiroz had instilled in his squad. It’s a recognised technique for a side to bond around the idea of “us vs. them”, them being the outside world and any competitor they come up against, however in this case Iran are battling tooth and nail against their very own Football Federation. Yet again, a lack of preparation has been expertly whitewashed by Queiroz and his men, making it through to the quarters after three back to back victories.

The solidity of their defence is as usual their key starting point, despite being ravaged by crucial injuries to Pejman Montazeri and ongoing military service issues involving many of their key defensive cogs. However, it’s in attack where they’re starting to up their game. Throughout World Cup qualification and the tournament itself, Iran ground out results on the back of defensive counter attacking tactics which didn’t ever look sparkling but did attribute tactical admiration. While the results remain steady, the extra attacking dimension through the likes of youngsters Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakhsh has shown that Iran can now threaten as much through an instinctive approach rather than their default reactive attacking tactics. It’s argued that Iran have drawn the most favourable draw in the quarters pitching them against arch rivals Iraq later this week. While lesser sides could struggle with the passion on display, Iran continue to embrace the emotion behind the game, which should yet again see them pass through with little trouble.

The Talking Point

Seemingly back from the brink after an initial stumble against China PR, in which they could and probably should’ve got something from the game, Saudi Arabia returned to form with a comprehensive victory over lowly Korea DPR setting up a last chance saloon to qualify against Uzbekistan in the final group match. While they picked up some nice interplay, and carved out some decent openings, disappointment was again visible on the Green Falcons’ fans’ faces as they went down 3-1 to the Central Asians.

Some haphazard defending let in Uzbekistan too often to create a one goal advantage going into the final minutes, something that was further exposed as the Uzbeks countered for a third to put the game to bed. The blame game has started and one direction has been pelted more than most, that being the coaching change which occurred on the eve of the tournament. The appointment, on a temporary contact of Costil Olariou seemed a reactionary ill-judged decision on the back of a disappointing but far from disastrous Gulf Cup campaign, which for my opinion they remained the most consistent performers. The squad is in need of confidence and stability, so despite the initial outcry for Olariou’s head, the Saudi FA might be best placed to ensure a longer contract for the Romanian if he isn’t to return to the Emirates as was once thought.

Talent in the squad is high, depth in the squad also makes for great competition for places, but as has been the missing piece for the last year, Saudi Arabia fail to click together as a team unit when needed. Excuses will range from lack of preparation under the new coach to the knockout injury of talisman Nasser Al-Shamrani, while the real issue of lack of chemistry remains unaddressed. On their day, there is no question that Saudi Arabia have the talent to mix it with the top four or five in Asia, something that needs to be keenly enhanced as they prepare for World Cup qualification later in the year.

Asian Cup Matchday Review (Group Stage GW2)

Week two in the Asian Cup has come and gone in a flash, as we waved farewell to Oman, Kuwait, Korea DPR, Qatar, Bahrain and Palestine who will play their final matches in the group stage next week before heading home. Only three places remain in the quarter final line-up, so the final round of matches will prove to be far from pedestrian. Time to assess the winners and losers that made up Game Week 2.

The Player

When comments from your coach compare you to World Cup winning striker Geoff Hurst, you know that you’ve had a pretty decent match. While, it might be a slight exaggeration to compare the talents of the two players, over one match Hamza Al-Dardour had the same desired effect as he turned around Jordan’s Asian Cup campaign to move within one match of qualification for the quarter finals. Four goals capped off a dazzling display where he continued to cause havoc in the Palestine defence in what was the striker’s first appearance in the tournament.

Al-Dardour’s name is hardly of household stock in the footballing community, arguably not even in the Jordanian football community, with manager Ray Wilkins admitting afterwards that he hadn’t got a clue of his match winner’s previous career. In truth it hasn’t been spectacular, especially domestically. He’s yet to really settle at one club but continues to be a regular squad member with Jordan, in which he has impressed in spurts through numerous age groups.

His pace and cool head in front of goal were devastating against Palestine. From the first whistle, his running in behind continued to push Jordan up the pitch which ultimately proved the catalyst for victory. A return from injury of usual striker Ahmad Hayal is unlikely to disturb Al-Dardour’s place in the XI against Japan, where a victory of any sorts will guarantee progression. Not an easy task for Wilkins’ Jordan side against the pre-tournament favourites, however considering he’s only just broken his duck after 10 months without a win, Jordan can count their blessings for selecting Al-Dardour out in attack.

The Team

Many lauded the back-to-back victories and subsequent qualification of China PR and UAE, however the true highlight from Game Week 2 came from Australia. The hosts have inched forward under the radar despite dispatching Kuwait and Oman comprehensively, scoring 8 goals over the first couple weeks of competition. These games were clearly seen as gimmes, but given Korea Republic’s struggles against the same opposition in the reverse fixtures illustrates the quality Australia are displaying to their home fans.

Hosting a continental tournament such as the Asian Cup can go one of two ways for the national team concerned. Either expectations are too much to deal with, leading to players collapsing within themselves and choking under pressure, or in Australia’s case, using the home support as a force for change to rectify what has been some dismal form over the last 12 months. While crowd’s have turned out in high numbers for all the games at the competition, Australia often double or even treble like for like venues and they’re using it to their advantage.

Postecoglou’s use of his squad has also brought praise from outside, eight different scorers have notched up a goal at the tournament, with three of the new starters against Oman repaying the faith put in them. Qualification has come at a counter, but the real tests are still come as Australia seek to top the group with a positive result against a lukewarm Korea Republic side. There’s still plenty more football to be played, but the Socceroos’ look to have finally found their groove since Postecoglou took the reins.

The Talking Point

Two months after a solid tournament victory in Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Cup, many looked at Qatar as the most likely dark horse in replicating their tournament winning form in Australia. What has followed has been underwhelming, as they exit the tournament with one game to spare, comprehensively beaten by West Asian rivals UAE and Iran. 2014 was the most successful year in modern Qatari football, while fans can only hope that 2015 doesn’t see the most unspectacular response.

The post-mortem has already started, as the media rips apart preparations, team selection and individual performances in the search for answers. The initial squad announcement caused raised eyebrows after long term attacking leader Sebastian Soria was left out of the 23. Since then promising manager Djamel Belmadi has continued to over-tinker with the status quo including a baffling decision to leave playmaker Khalfan Ibrahim out of the line-up for the Iranian encounter.

On the pitch, blame has been firmly placed at goalkeeper Qasem Burhan’s door who fell foul to 3 out of the 4 UAE goals and has since failed to regain any confidence. A lack of attacking invention from those who starred at the Gulf Cup, from the likes of Boualem Khoukhi and Hassan Al-Haidos just hasn’t remerged in the Asian Cup, while injury to skipper Bilal Mohammed can give them at least one excuse to fall back on. What’s done is done, Qatar have failed in Australia, but now the country must look forward. With their host World Cup approaching in two cycles time, Qatar’s focus will now shift to qualification at the end of the year for Russia 2018.

Asian Cup Matchday Review (Group Stage GW1)

The Asian Cup kicked off in great style this week, with a number of impressive performances put in by nations and individuals alike. This week, I’ve had a look at the key player, team and talking point of the first round of matches, and what we can expect from the remainder of their group stage campaigns.

The Player

Often overlooked in favour of artistic playmaker Omar Abdulrahman or an inform Ahmed Ali Mabkhout, Ahmed Khalil came into this tournament under somewhat of a cloud, with some fans back in the Emirates calling for his starting place to be relinquished in the build-up to the Asian Cup. However, after an explosive start to the tournament, no one will be taking the striker lightly again after a man of the match display was highlighted with a crucial brace to overturn an early deficit against Qatar.

UAE came into the tournament on a wave of hype, despite an initially promising Gulf Cup campaign ending prematurely. Their squad has been honed for years now, after mounting successful under age tournaments and competing at the London Olympics. Khalil has been a key part of their success but has fallen off the boil in front of goal for the past year after losing his starting place for his club side Al-Ahli. However, the national team coach Mahdi Ali has never swayed from his commitment to Khalil, remaining loyal to his main out and out centre forward.

The Emirati side have started emphatically, blowing away Gulf Cup champions Qatar 4-1, going some way to ensure qualification for the knockout stages from their so called “Group of Death”. Khalil’s initial poacher’s effort was supplemented by a sublime curling free kick, sending their fans into joyous raptures. Three points against the group’s weakest side Bahrain in the next matchday should cement progression, while attention will fast turn to avoiding the pre-tournament favourites, Japan in the quarter finals.

The Team

Under mounting pressure and conceding a penalty on the hour mark, many would assume it was all going downhill for China PR. However, half an hour later, the East Asian nation finished with all three points and a wave of admiration for a thoroughly professional performance against one of the tournament’s strongest outfits.

A late deflected free kick from Yu Hai may have been against the run of play against group favourites Saudi Arabia, but it was created on the basis of a thoroughly methodical approach. Built on a solid defence, China restricted the Green Falcons to few real clear opportunities, the first main chance afforded being the penalty the Saudis forced on the break. Birthday boy Wang Dalei in the Chinese goal, profited from a tamely hit penalty from Saudi striker Naif Hazazi, something that was later revealed to be inspired by the ball boy behind the goal instructing the goalkeeper to dive to his left.

While the local ball boy has been appointed as a cult hero back in China, before being subsequently requested to tend the area behind Dalei’s net in their second match, the team itself has been widely praised for their ever improving form that’s peaking at the right point. Coach Alain Perrin hasn’t been universally accepted in the footballing community, however a strong first year in charge has forced people to change their minds. A victory over Uzbekistan later in the week will surely leave no one with any doubts over the direction he’s taking his team in.

The Talking Point

A narrow 1-0 victory would usually be accepted by most national teams at the start of a regional cup competition such as the Asian Cup. However, mounting pressure on Korea Republic to improve aesthetically will unlikely relinquish as they continually fail to impress with their performances. Ever since the appointment of German coach Uli Stielike, Korea have put together a promising set of results, while the performances on display have hardly set pulses racing. This has lead to concerns that the South Koreans won’t make a real impact in the latter stages of the Asian Cup.

In their opener against Oman, Korea found their opponents in a frustrating mood and for the most part impenetrable to their attacking pursuits. The majority of the Korean's attacks were played at arm’s length, distant punts that hardly troubled Ali Al-Habsi in the Omani goal, leaving Oman quite content in their defensive display, aiming to hit Korea on the counter. As has been apparent under Stielike, Korea did enough, forcing the opener through Cho Young-Cheol who had been pretty ineffective for the rest of the proceedings, before languidly hanging on to their slender lead for the second half of football.

Against weaker opposition, Korea’s talent is there to see with little effort or invention needed. While narrow victories at the beginning will satisfy the fans back home, an improvement in the final third is needed if they're going to make a real fist of making it to the latter stages or even winning the competition in Australia. Next up for Korea is another, on paper easier task against an out of form Kuwait side fresh off a heavy beating by the hosts. Stielike has already indicated that he’ll fully utilise the whole of his squad as he desperately seeks that extra spark needed to build up a head of steam.

The Sandal for Goalposts Asian Cup 2015 Preview

The Asian Cup in Australia is now only weeks away and over at Sandals for Goalposts we're planning on keeping you up to date with every bit of action down under.

A big thank you for the efforts of Amro Alkado and Tom Daníček, for helping to put together a downloadable preview for the tournament. At present with only a few squads being announced before Christmas, we’ve gone for broadly probable squads but aim to update them in the new year once finalised.

THE SANDALS FOR GOALPOSTS ASIAN CUP PREVIEW 2015 – CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Keep an eye out on the Sandals for Goalposts website and on their twitter page as we endeavour to increase your enjoyment of this great continental tournament.

@Sandal4Goalpost

sandalsforgoalposts.com

AFC International Week Focus (November)

For many, November’s international window hosted their final preparation matches before January’s Asian Cup in Australia. With no official break scheduled for December, the established nations of Asian football will only return at the turn of the year for their pre-tournament training camps, while other nations (mainly West Asian sides) have organised unofficial preparation outside the FIFA calendar for the end of the year. This month also saw the participation of the final regional tournaments of the year with West Asia’s Gulf Cup and the EAFF East Asian Cup qualifiers taking place.

 

Good Week

 

The period’s biggest winners were undoubtedly Japan, with the Samurai Blue recording back to back home victories ahead of their Asian Cup crown pursuit. Javier Aguirre reverted back to much of the World Cup squad that had failed under Zaccheroni, and they repaid the faith, starting with an impressive 6-0 victory over Honduras before comfortably beating Asian Cup host’s Australia 2-1. Returning veterans Yasuhito Endo and Yasuyuki Konno claimed goals to push forward their squad contention hopes, while diminutive winger Takashi Inui grabbed a brace against the Central Americans.

 

Iran took to the international stage for the first time officially since the World Cup and impressed with a solid 1-0 home victory over Korea Republic. A late Sardar Azmoun goal sank the Korean’s after a bad tempered affair in Tehran. Carlos Queiroz, who signed a contract extension last month tinkered with the shape of the side and promised a more attacking outlook when they travel to Australia. The approach is likely to take time to embed but the introduction of Alireza Jahanbakhsh from the start and Rubin Kazan’s Azmoun off the bench points in the right direction.

 

Seven West Asian qualified nations kicked off their Gulf Cup campaigns this week, and prior to the competition were broadly successful in their preparation matches. Hosts Saudi Arabia overcame Palestine 2-0, while fellow Group A nations Qatar and Bahrain eased past Korea DPR and Singapore in their respective friendlies. Reigning Gulf Cup champions UAE also went into the tournament on a high with a narrow 3-2 win over Lebanon while Oman beat Yemen 2-0 in Muscat.

 

Average Week

 

Only in his second month in charge, Uli Stielike took his Korea Republic side to West Asia to face Jordan and Iran. Despite a narrow victory over the Jordanians, Korea went down 1-0 to a late winner in Iran. Complaints over the officiating of the match and the winning goal in particular riled the German coach after the match. Stielike suggested that Iran’s over-physical tactics weren’t punished sufficiently over the 90 minutes but reflected that the trip had been an overall success despite the defeat with a number of returning internationals such as Kwak Tae-Hwi and Yoon Sun-Young bringing themselves back into January’s squad contention.

 

After a couple of promising months China PR were frustrated in November picking up two home draws over the week. Letting slip a late equaliser to New Zealand after Wu Lei put them in front was disappointing after the Chinese equipped themselves well, while the second encounter against Honduras was a stiffer contest against a side on the bounce back of a hammering to Japan, the game eventually ended in a stalemate. It was similarly bitter sweet for Palestine, who despite defeat to Saudi Arabia recovered to ease past Vietnam 3-1 courtesy of a debut goal for centre forward Mahmoud Eid.  Both sides have time to finely tune their squads, and will face each other in mid-December to further cement their Asian Cup starting line-ups.

 

Elsewhere, Kuwait’s preparation for their Gulf Cup campaign ended in anti-climax after being held to a 1-1 draw with Yemen. A result that previously would have been considered a disappointment, has looked better in hindsight after both sides started promisingly in Saudi Arabia. Similar fortunes for Korea DPR who were defeated by Qatar 3-1, before going on to record two victories and a draw as they ensured qualification for next year’s EAFF East Asian Cup.

 

Bad Week

 

Asian Cup hosts Australia continue to struggle to pick up results in the run up to the competition after they lost for the 8th time in 11 matches against rivals for the crown Japan in Osaka. Manager Ange Postecoglou ringed the changes after a disappointing camp in West Asia last month but were again thankful of their usual talisman Tim Cahill rescuing some pride from the bench in the 2-1 reverse. A handful of areas remain a concern, but what Postecoglou’s side needs is confidence, something the Socceroos will have to develop on the training pitch ahead of January.

 

Similar struggles are being felt by Jordan at the moment, who have failed register a win since qualification for the Asian Cup, some 7 months ago. Little tangible change has been felt since Ray Wilkins took the helm last month, and with back-to-back defeats to Korea Republic and Estonia, Jordan can expect another drop in the FIFA’s world rankings. They do however have time to improve ahead of the Asian Cup with friendlies scheduled in December and early January, as will Uzbekistan and Iraq who sat out this month’s friendly window, the latter have subsequently begun slowly in their Gulf Cup campaign.

AFC International Week Focus (October)

We’re now a month closer to the Asian Cup in Australia, with qualified nations gearing up their preparation over October’s international break. Further to their upcoming continental commitments in January, many West Asian sides are set to finely tune their squads ahead of the Gulf Cup taking place in Saudi Arabia next month. Here’s a run-down of all 16 AC qualified nations and whether they’ve succeeded in this international window or are in need of greater improvement over the coming months.

 

Good Week

 

Qatar are gearing up impressively ahead of both the Gulf Cup and Asian Cup after three back-to -back victories this week. The achievement was even more impressive considering their opponents, either side of a comfortable 5-0 victory over Lebanon, Qatar eased past Asian Cup dark horses Uzbekistan before concluding the week with a narrow victory over January’s hosts Australia. Three goals from Meshaal Abdulla capped a brilliant week for the Qataris who have great hopes of going far in both tournaments in the coming months.

 

China PR also continued an impressive up-turn in form, as they made it four games unbeaten with a 3-0 win over Thailand and a 2-1 victory over Paraguay. Widely disregarded as also-rans, the latter result has firmly put China back on the minds of many pundits ahead of Australia. The credentials of Palestine are also improving month-by-month after they themselves collected two wins from two this week. Victories away in India and Pakistan went some way to allay fears of destabilisation after long-term manager Jamal Mahmoud resigned last month.

 

Others who had impressive weeks were Kuwait and Iran. The former overcame their 55 position ranking deficit to come away from a double header in Jordan unbeaten. Seemingly off the pace previously, Kuwait now look an appealing prospect in the Gulf Cup next month. Iran themselves, have been all over the place as usual from an organisational point of view. Two wins from two inspired by striker Sardar Azmoun on an unofficial tour of Portugal will go some way to calm the nerves of their supporters, but a stiffer test against Korea Republic next month should push them further.

 

Average Week

 

The two big guns in East Asia; Japan and Korea Republic are going through flux at present after both changed their coaches since their World Cup exits in the summer. Both recorded a win and a loss over the week which leaves them both with room to improve. Javier Aguirre continued to tinker with his Japanese squad, and despite a solid 1-0 win over Jamaica, they were thoroughly hammered by a Neymar inspired Brazil side in Singapore. Korea on the other hand picked up their first win of Uli Stielike’s tenor against Paraguay before limply falling to Costa Rica.

After a comprehensively impressive September, Uzbekistan struggled in October with back-to-back blanks away from home, losing 3-0 to Qatar, before a goalless draw with Bahrain. A return to form with a 4-0 away win over UAE suggests they merit their Asian Cup dark horse tag, but there’s still some work to be done. As there is with Gulf Cup hosts’ Saudi Arabia who clinched two home draws during the window. An eye-catching 1-1 draw with Uruguay wasn’t followed up sufficiently with a disappointing draw with Lebanon by the same score line.

 

Another two to feel slightly deflated are Bahrain and Iraq, after they shared the spoils with a goalless draw in Ar Rifa to finish the week. Bahrain’s solidity hasn’t been in question, but scoring goals continues to be a problem. A 0-0 draw against Uzbekistan in Dubai was a good result, but draws can only go so far when the Gulf Cup kicks off. Iraq, had promised to threaten at both tournaments but have gone off the boil of late. A 1-1 draw with Yemen that preluded the Bahrain draw won’t have gone down too well back at home.

 

Bad Week

 

Ange Postecoglou celebrated 10 matches in charge of Australia this window, but failed to clinch another victory to his portfolio over the week. A solid but far from spectacular 0-0 draw away in UAE was followed up with a 1-0 defeat to Qatar. While their squad and general play up until and during the World Cup impressed many, Postecoglou can’t get away from a miserable record of winning only two of his first 10 matches in charge.

 

Despite their draw with the Socceroos, UAE finished their week miserably with a home hammering by Uzbekistan. Up until then, the Emirati’s had drawn their last four, with goal scoring becoming a real headache for them ahead of the Gulf Cup. No such problem for Oman who scored 3 against World Cup overachievers Costa Rica. However, going down 4-3 in the end to the Central Americans, plus a 3-0 home defeat to Uruguay isn’t great news for their leaky defence.

 

From one struggling side to another as Ray Wilkins’ term as manager of the Jordan national side started poorly. In back-to-back home matches against Kuwait, Jordan were regularly second best and ended up picking up only one draw. Despite their high FIFA rank, Jordan have been in disarray of late after numerous managerial changes, something Wilkins will hope to change next month as they take on Korea Republic.

 

The other Korean nation travelling to Australia in January, Korea DPR continued not to play any official public friendlies this international break, an inactive period that now stretches back 8 months. This will come to an end in November, after organising four friendly matches against Qatar, Hong Kong, Guam and Chinese Taipei.

AFC International Week Focus (September)

We’re now two months on from the World Cup final in Brazil and we return for another international cycle starting with the September internationals. While Africa looks on at the AFCON qualifiers taking place over the next few months, Asia are preparing themselves for upcoming Asian Games, Gulf Cup and Asian Cup competitions coming over the horizon. Here's a look at how the Asian Cup qualified sides have done this international period and which sides still need to make improvements ahead of Australia 2015.

Good Week

Uzbekistan were the clear victors in Asia over the international break, with back to back victories over Jordan and New Zealand. Many would argue that they weren’t the stiffest of opponents, with both matches taking place at home, but recording two goal victories over two similarly matched teams isn’t to be scoffed at. The usual suspects in the Uzbek line-up turned in great displays, a brace from Akhmedov and another from Djeparov sealed the 3-1 win over the All Whites.

Another side to have kept an unbeaten record during the week at home was China PR, who recorded a win and a draw over the week. A win over Kuwait followed up with a draw against Jordan are solid results to take into their remaining preparation. Bahrain, likewise collected a win over Kuwait as they prepare for November’s Gulf Cup, where their opponents will likely be a rival for a semi or even final place.

After a dismal World Cup display (in fairness not out of keeping of the rest of Asia), new ground was being tread by Korea Republic as they tried to kick on into a new international cycle. After announcing Uli Stielike as their new head coach last week, Korea recorded an impressive victory led by returning striker Lee Dong-Guk against Venezuela before being edged by a superior Uruguay side. Stielike will take charge of his first match when the October internationals roll around, but he will have been relatively happy with what he saw this week.

Average Week

As average goes, three consecutive draws in a week is pretty stable. However, considering the location of the matches and the opposition they faced the United Arab Emirates will be happy with their period of matches. Their tour took them across Europe to face Norway, Lithuania and Paraguay, and to come back only to have conceded one goal illustrates the standard in which they have been playing at over the last year.

Also on the build are Australia who impressed without getting the results in Brazil, with much of the same being seen again from Postecoglou’s men this week. A loss to an impressive Belgium was expected, while an exciting 3-2 loss to Saudi Arabia in London at the very least avoided an unenviable all time consecutive loss record. There were little tweaks on show, but the final product is still a way away. On the other side, Saudi Arabia have a stable side who struggled defensively against the Australians. They could be forgiven to be playing in an unfamiliar environment, considering the amount of European based talent Australia had at their disposal, but they will have been impressed with their attacking profits.

An away defeat at Uzbekistan illustrates where Jordan are right now within the Asian rankings. An Asian Cup title is a way off at the moment, but a solid showing is necessary to appease their public. A follow up draw with China in Harbin was more impressive and showed what the fans wanted from their team. Qatar equally had an erratic week, after holding AFCON 2015 hosts Morocco to a 0-0 draw in Casablanca they lost 2-0 at home to Peru. The opposition were a stern test, but question marks will remain over their attack going into the Gulf Cup.

Palestine go into the Asian Cup as the lowest rank side and will be happy enough to just be there after a whirlwind few years. That being said a hammering at the hands of Myanmar, who they had clearly progressed further than in the AFC Challenge Cup three months ago wasn’t promising. A 7-3 (after extra time) win over Chinese Taipei gave them some hope, but the standard of opposition is clearly going to step up in Australia. A further note of disappoint was the news that Jamal Mahmoud has stepped down as head coach only months after leading Palestine to Challenge Cup glory.

Bad Week

It’s all change at Japan but the same old problems persist. Mexican Javier Aguirre has stepped into Alberto Zaccheroni’s vacant managerial shoes and has immediately stamped his imprint on the side. Reverting to a 433 with a few unfamiliar names, Japan were soundly beaten by Uruguay before scraping a draw with Venezuela. Both matches illustrated the lack of defensive cohesion that they still suffer from, with their best CB prospect Masato Morishige playing in an unfamiliar holding midfield role.

Back to back defeats against China and Bahrain will not do the confidence of Kuwait any good and just shows their turnaround in fortunes since last year, when they pipped Bahrain in September; with a reasonably strong group in the Gulf Cup they could well struggle. One of their opponents in the competition will be Oman who were outclassed by Ireland in Dublin early in the week. It was a shame they hadn’t organised a second friendly against a similar strength side to themselves ahead of the Gulf Cup, something that isn't being carried over to October where they play Costa Rica and Uruguay.

Iraq were in a similar predicament, after only playing one friendly this week; a 2-0 loss to Peru in Dubai. Iraq have had to piggyback on their neighbour organisations to arrange friendlies in the last decade due to security worries of hosting internationals in their own country. Similar problems were felt by Korea DPR who haven’t played an official friendly since February and will continue to struggle ahead of January to organise worthwhile preperation. Iran have less excuses after a solid showing at the World Cup, but also failed to organise a friendly over the international period. Focus has been firmly fixed on the managerial future of Carlos Queiroz, his soap opera involving the IFF could finally be coming to an end after hearing some promising sounds coming out of both camps in the last week.