They haven’t got the quality or the strength in depth to consistently match the top nations, but what they might lack in guile and finesse they can compensate for with enthusiasm, spirit, passion, commitment and tactical smarts. These were the virtues that Postecoglou, in his audition for the manager’s job, stressed that he wanted to bring back to the national team. They were qualities that under Osieck were, latterly, honoured more in the breach than the observance. Anyone who wanted a definition of that overused phrase ‘‘un-Australian’’ only had to watch the tapes of those two nightmare 6-0 defeats in Brasilia and Paris to see how far the Socceroos had dropped away. Postecoglou is not a magician and cannot wave some sort of wand, so there won’t be an instant makeover. But he is a coach with a strong footballing philosophy and a belief in his system, one which puts the onus on possession, mobility, ball retention, creativity and pace in the forward third of the pitch.

He wants to develop a team that is disciplined and tactically adroit, one that defends as a collective and attacks with urgency. One game is not enough to make any hard and fast calls, of course, but the prevailing mood after this performance was one of positivity, particularly in the first half, the period when friendly matches such as these tend to be at their most competitive. After those nightmare losses to Brazil and France, the Socceroos this time looked like a team that was happy to be on the pitch and playing. There was a fizz and competitiveness about them, especially the marauding Matthew Leckie up front, that had not been apparent in those horror shows of the past two months. Postecoglou was as good as his word in his team selection. He gave opportunities to a handful of players to see if they might be the long-term solutions to problem spots. Men such as centre-half Rhys Williams and the two full-backs, Ivan Franjic and Jason Davidson, fitted into this category, as did bullocking central striker Leckie. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Postecoglou preferred Mat Ryan in goal to Mitchell Langerak, but there was some logic in that as Ryan is a regular starter for his Belgian side Club Brugge while Langerak is the No.2 at Borussia Dortmund. After those nightmare losses to Brazil and France, the Socceroos this time looked like a team that was happy to be on the pitch and playing.

He included some tried and tested faces such as captain Lucas Neill, Mark Bresciano, Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan and Robbie Kruse, players who have, in some cases for more than a decade, been mainstays of the team. And he was, as he had suggested beforehand, an enthusiastic user of the bench, revolving players such as Tim Cahill and Ryan McGowan into the action early in the second half and playmaker Tom Rogic and winger Tommy Oar a little later, as he played pick and mix to find the right blend. Loading This was a game where the performance of individuals more than the result really did matter. Every coach wants to win every game, but sometimes it’s what he learns about individuals that is important, especially for a man in Postecoglou’s position. A good result for Australia, a memorable one for Postecoglou, but the hard work continues.