ADRENALIN PUMPS
BOYS’ LAST CHANCE TO IMPRESS AUSTRALIA v CZECH REPUBLIC
TURKEY hasn’t been a holiday for the Socceroos squad as we prepare for the World Cup.
We might be near the Mediterranean and have some of the best facilities available at the Gloria Serenity Resort in Antalya, but new coach Bert van Marwijk and his team have the squad training hard.
Since arriving several weeks ago, the players have only had one real day off.
The rest has been filled with double sessions as van Marwijk tries to hammer home how he wants his team to play in Russia.
It’s why tonight’s friendly against Czech Republic and next Sunday’s clash with Hungary are so important.
Tonight’s game is more about getting some match fitness into the players’ legs, especially for the boys who haven’t played for a while.
It’s also the last match for everyone to put their case forward ahead of selection. Four players will be cut from the squad days after this match and their World Cup dream will be over.
I can assure you all the guys in camp don’t want to be one of those four, especially with our game against France about a fortnight away.
The second friendly will also be about getting match fitness but there will also be a focus on positions and style as this will be our last match before the real stuff starts.
We’ve had four years under Ange Postecoglou and his system, but until now have only played two matches under van Marwijk.
The two philosophies are totally different, but the players have embraced what their new manager wants to do.
It’s taking time to get Bert’s philosophy through to the boys.
The understanding of what he wants is there, but execution will take time.
These boys have been together for four years now and have only known one style of football, which was ingrained into them by Postecoglou.
So to completely change style takes time. They are getting better every day.
Bert and his coaching staff have been faultless.
They are ultimate professionals and experienced campaigners.
They have settled in well and they all speak very good English, so there are no communication issues.
Their mood is very upbeat in general and rubs off on the players and rest of staff. Everyone is smiling, happy and overall in a jovial mood
You can see the similarities in Bert’s sessions when you compare them with other foreign coaches we’ve had, such as Guus Hiddink, Pim Verbeek and Holger Osieck.
Their training sessions are all tactical and game-based.
Bert’s sessions are intense, very competitive and structured. The boys, while tired after the session, enjoy it.
I’m sure the boys are looking forward to getting off the training ground and onto the pitch tonight.
It’s going to hit home then just how close we are to the World Cup.
Dom Sefton is embarking on his fourth World Cup as the Socceroos’ kit man. He lives in Torquay and runs Grasshopper Soccer in the region, a skills development program for junior soccer players. You can get behind the scenes access to the Socceroos’ camp by following @grasshopper soccergeelong on Instagram.
SOCCEROOS KIT MAN, TORQUAY’S DOM SEFTON, WILL BRING YOU REGULAR EXCLUSIVE COLUMNS FROM INSIDE THE CAMP AS PART OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE WORLD CUP COVERAGE