Aussies to focus on own results
MATILDAS coach Alen Stajcic won’t lie awake at night wondering what the Japan and South Korea score might be before his side’s important second match against minnows Vietnam.
However, Australia’s Asian Cup and 2019 FIFA World Cup qualification destiny will be much clearer once that clash is over given Japan and South Korea face off in the earlier match tomorrow.
A score draw will be Stajcic’s nightmare scenario leading into the Matildas’ final Group B clash against Japan on Friday given the Asian Football Confederation’s competition rules take in head- tohead results if teams fighting for a knockout semi- final berth are locked on equal points at the end of the group stage.
“The best scenario for us is to worry about ourselves and what we can do,’’ Stajcic said at team hotel in Amman.
“I think about all those things ( tournament permutations) but I certainly don’t talk about all those things with the team. If we win every game then we’ll go through, if we don’t then we have to rely on luck and the draw and it’s really not a good mindset.”
After Sunday’s scoreless draw with South Korea in Australia’s Group B match fizzled to a stalemate when the Koreans parked the bus to snare the result, Stajcic is confident the expected seven changes he wants to make to his starting II against Vietnam in the AFC Asian Cup clash at Amman Stadium will slot in seamlessly.
Stajcic’s record against Vietnam in his four matches since he won the national team job in 2014 is 26 goals scored and none conceded including 11- 0 and 9- 0 scores in the last two matches.
While Australia is expected to belt Vietnam, Stajcic says talking big scores and winning the clash easily before a ball is kicked is the wrong message to send out to his team.
“It’s a dangerous mentality thinking you’ve won a game before we’ve played it,’’ Stajcic said after Vietnam lost its opening match 4- 0 to Japan.
“At the Olympic Games qualifiers ( where Australia won the tournament and qualified for the 2016 Rio Games) we won our game against Vietnam 9- 0 but some of their other scores were close 1- 0 and 2- 0.
“We played against Thailand a few weeks ago ( a 5- 0 friendly win in Perth) and I think Vietnam are a similar level in terms of ability. But they can hurt you – they had three or four chances against Japan the other night.”