Knowledge gained from the Socceroos’ convincing Asian Cup win over Indonesia has Olyroos coach Tony Vidmar confident of conquering the same nation in the under-23 version of the continental tournament.
The OIyroos meet Indonesia on Thursday night in Qatar at the under-23 Asian Cup, which doubles as qualifiers for the Olympic Games.
Vidmar’s men, who started their tournament with a 0-0 draw against Jordan on Monday night, can ill-afford to drop more points against the Indonesians if their dreams of qualifying for this year’s Paris Olympics are to remain alive.
Indonesia’s squad contains several players who represented their nation at the senior Asian Cup, and has the same coach, South Korean legend Shin Tae-yong.
Vidmar was part of the Socceroos’ coaching staff at the Asian Cup, and has taken plenty from Australia’s 4-0 defeat of the Merah Putih.
“We’ve looked at many of their games, both with their 23s and their seniors, so it gives us an idea of what to expect,” Vidmar said.
“Also they could do something completely different, and that’s what we have to be aware of. They could spring a few changes … but there’s a good chance that they will stick to a similar formation and style of playing. I don’t see that changing.
“We’ve got to be prepared for it and really ready to come out, work and fight.
“You’ve got to compete, and then the quality at the end is what we’re banking on to win us the game.”
Vidmar also said his players had to learn to be patient with potential time-wasting tactics that frustrated them during their stalemate with Jordan.
“That’s a challenge that we have. We don’t get that in our domestic competition, so for a number of players, it’s a new thing,” he said.
“The more that it happens, it frustrates them, and that’s something we’ve said to the players, that it’s part of the game but we can’t we can’t influence the referees.
“They have to make their call on whatever it is, and (we need to) just focus on what we have to do.
“They (Indonesia) will have that game plan where they will take time out, delay it, and that upsets your rhythm of how you want to play.
“That’s a big learning step for these players. They’ve experienced it, it’d be great to experience it more for them. They’re only going to get better for it.”
Vidmar suggested a couple of changes were likely, with late arrival Jacob Italiano a good chance to make his first appearance of the tournament.
The Olyroos need to secure a top-three tournament finish to guarantee themselves a spot in Paris.
Finishing fourth will force the Olyroos to qualify for the Games via a playoff against the fourth-placed African confederation nation, Guinea.