What was Pim Verbeek thinking?

After two and a half years of methodical planning, what possesses a cautious, conservative coach to suddenly tear up the script on opening night and go feral?

What sort of unpredictable mid-life crisis causes him to abandon every concept he has held dear and throw players willy-nilly into positions totally alien to them?

Will the Dutchman now acquire a diamond-stud earring and shave his head?

If Verbeek's unforeseen walk on the wild side was meant to throw the Germans into disarray, it had a far more devastating impact on his own players.

They were all over the shop.

Admittedly, they were up against a young, fresh, inventive, skilful, attacking German team which produced a performance so dazzling it might have cut to ribbons many teams higher ranked than the Socceroos.

Mesut Ozil in particular announced himself as an early candidate for young player of the tournament, and maybe more.

He was simply irresistible.

It was almost as difficult to identify a German player anything short of brilliant as it was to find an Australian who could scrape past mediocre.

But the World Cup is no place for experimentation, especially against one of the genuine powerhouses of the game.

Just look at what some of the Socceroos were being asked to do.

Richard Garcia playing up front on the strength of quarter of an hour in a friendly against the US?

Jason Culina exiled to the wild blue yonder of the left flank after spending a Socceroo lifetime in a holding midfield role?

Carl Valeri thrust into Culina's normal place as a starter rather than a substitute?

Mark Bresciano, out of form or not, suddenly given the flick after being made a permanent fixture?

Josh Kennedy left to grow his hair on the bench after being groomed for so long for the lone striker's role?

Harry Kewell made to keep Kennedy company, despite Verbeek's insistence that the injured soapie star was fine to play?

What must have Kewell, one of Australia's finest talents, thought when Verbeek, two-thirds of the way through Australia's greatest ever World Cup finals debacle, overlooked him and opted instead for Nikita Rukavytsya, an untested 22-year-old with four caps?

This is not all about being wise after the fact.

It is about being dumb before the fact.

If all of these measures were such great ideas, why hadn't Verbeek tried them before?

What on earth got into him?

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP