Rasic slams Ange over view of new Roos boss

AUSTRALIA’s godfather of World Cup qualification Rale Rasic says Ange Postecoglou should pay much more respect to new Socceroos boss Bert van Marwijk.

Rasic says he is appalled that Postecoglou, who quit the Socceroos after leading Australia to FIFA World Cup qualification in Russia this year, had a crack at van Marwijk’s coaching style even before the Dutchman’s first official Socceroos hit-out in two friendly matches March.

Postecoglou last week claimed van Marwijk’s style would be much more pragmatic than his philosophy, which Rasic claimed never reached fruition.

Van Marwijk had taken the Netherlands to the FIFA World Cup final in 2010 and claimed a UEFA Cup and the Dutch Cup with Feyenoord, led Saudi Arabia to the 2018 World Cup for the first time since 2006 and managed Bundesliga giant Borussia Dortmund.

“That is the worst comment to attack van Marwijk and that Ange doesn’t agree with his defensive tactics is not very smart,’’ said Rasic who led the Socceroos to their first ever FIFA World Cup tournament in 1974.

That squad also earned one more point than Postecoglou when he was at the helm of Australia’s disastrous zero points at the 2014 Brazilian World Cup campaign.

“The game has always been about winners and losers and that objective will never change,’’ Rasic said.

“That is not the right way to treat a great man that has been brought here.

“He has come here to clean up Ange’s loose ends. Ange was rightly criticised.

“The Socceroos did not play one quality game in qualifying.

“Against Saudis we were lucky, against Thailand they should have had a clear-cut penalty and there should have been a send-off early in the game.

“But to criticise a man that has taken Holland to a World Cup final and has done wonders for the Saudis is very disrespectful.”

In a touch of irony van Marwijk’s Saudi side scored one more goal than Postecoglou’s Socceroos in the final World Cup phase for Russia and won direct qualification whereas Australia was forced to qualify via two playoff matches.

“Van Marwijk is talking a lot of sense,’’ Rasic, a former coach of Adelaide City’s NSL side said.

“You can see he is a very serious and professional man and he will work to the strengths of the team and not the other way around.”

Postecoglou walked away from the Socceroos on November 22 to coach J-League club Yokohama F Marinos.