Germany and Brazil should be examples for Ausstralian football to follow, says Davutovic

THE time is right for Australia’s sharpest football minds to sit down and discuss future direction of Australian football in a civil manner.
Ange Postecoglou’s appointment was perfect, and his role will be all-encompassing, but it would be silly to think that he alone can solve all of Australian football’s ills.
The two areas Australian football is lagging is players’ technical and tactical knowledge, and that’s due to the lack of quality coaches.
The rapidly improving coach education courses are changing that, but it’ll take time.
In the meantime, parents and junior coaches and parents should encourage kids to dribble and attempt tricks at home, training and in games.
As football’s globalisation means more nations are become organised, individual skill and x-factor is increasingly deciding games.
There were also lessons for Football Federation Australia, who perhaps threw an egg too many in the ‘Oranje’ (Dutch) basket recently.
Germany and Brazil are the two nations we must gain intelligence from in updating our junior pathways.
Something we can’t replicate from Brazil (or Argentina, Uruguay and the rest of South America) is street football, but futsal needs to be incorporated into youth (especially sub-junior) level.
Germany, however, are the best international replica of the Socceroos.
When I watch Germany play, I look at Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira and Philipp Lahm and think there is no reason this type of player can’t be produced in Australia.
Producing a Xavi Hernandez or Andres Iniesta is tougher, but it would be foolish not to incorporate ideas from Spain and Barcelona’s outrageously talented football factory.
In terms of mentality, game-style and multiculturalism, Australia has a striking resemblance with the Germans while Australia’s position is akin to theirs after their crushing 1998 World Cup exit, when the youth structure was overhauled.
FFA could do worse than pick the brains of the great Franz Beckenbauer, who was instrumental in the overhaul and had a huge say in Japanese football’s long-term strategy.
Australia produces few x-factor players (arguably Mark Bresciano in the 2014 team and Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka from previous World Cups), and culture is part of the problem.
Juniors are discouraged from dribbling (“don’t be a hog”) and panicky parents order their kids to “boot it long” for fear of their child making the mistake that leads to an opposition goal.
This flies in the face of development pathways in Spain and Brazil, where deception and trickery are lauded, and coaches/clubs are the ones who must make a stand and educate parents.
Arsenal and Germany defender Per Mertesacker has the turning circle of a ship, but his composure was developed this way and is why he plays at Champions League and World Cup level.
At 183cm, some would deem Brazil captain Thiago Silva too small to play stopper, yet his calmness, comfort on the ball and aggression makes him the perfect defender.
Rosy times are ahead for Australian football, if a collaborative approach is taken.
Originally published as ‘We should look to Germany, Brazil for help’