Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Imagesitting third in Group B, one point off second-place as the third phase of AFC World Cup qualification enters the home straight, the Socceroos find themselves walking a tightrope as they prepare for pivotal games against Vietnam and Oman.
The border situation has also meant the Socceroos have been forced to stage all but one of their last 10 qualifiers outside Australia, robbing them of one of Asia’s strongest home-field advantages. Further, thanks to the side’s reliance on commercial airlines during a time of mass-flight cancellations and disrupted services, the team have often had little time together to train and prepare for games as a unit.
These issues have been present since they returned to action but, given that most were exhibited during an 11-game winning streak largely, there was a prevailing lack of appetite amongst the Australian footballing zeitgeist to properly confront them. The motivations not to look a gift horse in the mouth or not judge the national team too hard in a time of hardship are obvious. But there is now the possibility that reality may bite at the most crucial of junctures.
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