Robbie Slater says it’s time to be positive about the Socceroos as they chase World Cup qualification

WITH the Socceroos still in with a great chance to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday night, now is not the time to dwell on the loss to Japan.

Australia has a great chance to qualify directly for the World Cup.

WITH the Socceroos still in with a great chance to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday night, now is not the time to dwell on the loss to Japan.

Was it a disaster? No. Is it a disgrace to lose to Japan away? No. Did we play well? Not particularly.

But you’d certainly rather be in our position - needing to beat Thailand at home - than in Saudi Arabia’s, who have to beat Japan.

QUALIFIER: Will Aaron Mooy play?

SOCCEROOS: Smith not fazed by criticism

Yes, Japan were better than us on the night, but with qualification hanging in the balance it’s time for everyone to get behind the Socceroos. We’re playing Thailand at home and, though they may not be the ‘easy-beats’ some have made them out to be, we’ve got a fantastic record at home and we’ll be playing in front of a packed AAMI Stadium with a wonderful atmosphere.

So now is the time to be positive and confident about our chances of securing direct qualification.

Australia has a great chance to qualify directly for the World Cup.

There are likely to be some tactical changes, especially up front where we need to start with an out-and-out striker. Tim Cahill isn’t fit enough to start, but Tomi Juric should be ready to go.

Brad Smith’s performance against Japan wasn’t at the required level and that’s no slight on him in respect to his ability, it’s the fact that he just hasn’t had enough game time. So Alex Gersbach should come in for him, while the return of Aaron Mooy will obviously be a huge plus.

It’s not entirely in our hands and we have to expect Saudi Arabia to beat Japan, particularly as Japan may decide not to send their star players now that they’ve already qualified. That means the pressure is on us to score goals, perhaps four or five them. But let’s be positive about it. We’re in with a great chance to qualify and while we can’t control what’s going to happen in Saudi Arabia, we can control one thing - us. And that means the team and the fans must be united for the cause. Bring it on!

On a personal note, I lost a great mate and football lost another legend in Mike Cockerill this week. He was a champion of the game, a visionary, a great commentator and an excellent journalist. He wrote columns about moving into Asian long before we did - he always had great thoughts and ideas on the game.

I’ll miss him, I’ll miss our talks and I’ll miss calling games with him. Not only was he a great professional, but he was a great man, a family man, and a good person to be around. You just don’t replace people like Mike Cockerill.