By Craig Foster
The Jordan loss was a tremendous learning moment, one the Socceroos will benefit greatly from because it provides another opportunity to evolve or become better at managing situations.
Football is about solving problems one by one, made easier if the playing style is clear and consistent which is obviously the case for the national team, and the evidence is in the way the team has changed from last year's World Cup.
Midfield has been changed and attacking movements accordingly, particularly of the wingers or wide attackers whereby Massimo Luongo has evolved into a quasi-winger spending most time inside the midfield spaces, and the other attackers changing according to the game.
The Asian Cup was a seal of approval for the changes made as well as an important boost to the belief of the players in the direction they are headed, a belief that can no longer be compromised from one or two losses along the route to Russia 2018.
Giving chase: Tarek Elrich pursues Hamza Aldaradreh during the Socceroos' 2-0 loss to Jordan. Credit: Getty Images
The reason that the learning process is so important is because this match was the second, after Kyrgyzstan, where the Socceroos have experienced serious trouble on the counter-attack, the main threat that must be overcome for any team playing a proactive style.
This allows the technical staff to review, discuss and understand precisely how and why the team, and individuals within are experiencing these difficulties and allows choices to be made within the overall philosophy of play.
While Ange Postecoglou has many choices open to him, whether to modify the attacking plan slightly to keep more defensive cover in place, or to choose defenders based on their ability to defend these precise moments, the point is that these issues can only be fixed when they are experienced by remaining firm in the intention to go forward and play in an attacking manner.
In this sense, we can thank Jordan for providing a snapshot of what we will face, only at a higher level, in the next year and beyond.
When such a loss occurs, it is absolutely normal, not to say inevitable that some will question the wisdom of attacking teams away from home in the same manner as in Australia, where the conditions, crowd and atmosphere are purely positive factors, but I am not one.
The way of playing is critically important in that it suits the mentality of the nation, and our job is to get better at it after the feedback of a loss, rather than question or reconsider it. This is the case at all youth levels as well where we are often having difficulty qualifying, each an opportunity to understand why, what the implications are for the technical staff and player production lines and take another step forward.
So, instead of asking what style could have been better, the appropriate questions are how could it be better applied, which players are most effective at doing so, and which modifications within the style can be made to create the balance needed.
This is a very important distinction.
Postecoglou deserves credit for the team selection because he chose a team that needed to be tested to grow, rather than simply one best suited to overcome the situation at this point in time.
He resisted the temptation to use Tim Cahill in the knowledge that, while he is happily still available, the team must develop beyond him as quickly as possible so that he represents a bonus, not a necessity.
The Jordan match was the most important and most difficult of this group stage and therefore playing Mathew Leckie and Tommy Oar in attack, and Bailey Wright in preference to the fit again Trent Sainsbury in defence was in a sense taking the maximum risk but, also, the most valuable test of their ability in the most important games, under the greatest pressure.
The outcomes of this test are better found, and the benefits accrued now than in the next stage of qualification, when the consequences are more severe.
To my mind, then, Jordan was an excellent test that raised questions around controlling games under pressure and when having conceded, dealing with the counter attack, the optimal use of Tommy Oar inside or wide and the continual exploration to find both the most effective back four, and highest number of candidates who can fill the positions.
The loss will have immense value when the inevitable, greater examinations are upon us.