By Michael Church
(Reuters) – Tony Popovic, who was named Australia coach on Monday, brings a track record of continental success to the role at a time when the Socceroos must make a quick turnaround to boost hopes of securing an automatic World Cup berth from Asia’s preliminaries.
Fans will hope the former Crystal Palace defender, who also played 58 times for Australia in an 11-year international career, brings a fresh approach as he looks to lift a team that claimed one point from their last two World Cup qualifiers.
Popovic will have less than three weeks to prepare for his first game in charge against China in Adelaide before taking the Socceroos on a daunting trip to Saitama Stadium to face Japan, who have scored 12 goals in two games.
The role will be Popovic’s first in international football but the 51-year-old already has experience of the wider continental game in Asia.
As a player he spent five seasons with Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima before kicking off his coaching career leading Western Sydney Wanderers to the 2014 Asian Champions League, his team defeating Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal in the final.
Popovic’s coaching career has gone on to be a qualified success, even if it has not since scaled such heights.
He led Perth Glory to the A-League Premiership by topping the regular season standings in 2019 after leaving Wanderers for a short spell in Turkey and got Melbourne Victory to the title decider earlier this year.
Overall with Wanderers, Perth and Victory, Popovic boasts the unenviable record of having steered teams to five A-League Grand Finals only to lose them all.
He oversaw a significant upturn in results in his three-year spell at Victory but his departure in June saw few tears shed by the club’s die-hard support due to his team’s dour playing style.
Popovic takes over a Socceroos side who have struggled both creatively and in front of goal, finding it increasingly difficult to break down teams that pack their defences and look to hit on the counter.
A lack of penetration and slow ball movement were criticisms that were levelled at Popovic during the latter stages of his time with Victory, however, leaving the new Socceroos coach with a point to prove as he steps into Graham Arnold’s shoes.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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