Socceroos defiance a testament to their mentality and Popovic's acumen

Michael Lynch: Socceroos defiance a testament to their mentality and Popovic's acumen - bring on the Saudis

When you ain't got nothin' you got nothin' to lose.

I'm not sure if Tony Popovic is a fan of Bob Dylan, but if he is he would recognise a line from one of his most famous songs, Like A Rolling Stone.

But whatever his feelings about the Minnesota bard, he would probably agree that Dylan's gruff sentiments would have been a fine message to his players before they took the field against Japan in Saitama on Tuesday night.

After all, few would have had much faith that the under-pressure Socceroos, who had not beaten the Samurai Blue for 15 years, would leave Tokyo with anything more than further bruised egos and an even bigger mountain to climb in their bid for World Cup qualification following their stuttering start to the current campaign.

But for a brief unexpected period, when they took a second-half lead through an own goal, it felt so close to triumph that suddenly it seemed they had everything to lose.

And even when the Japanese equalised, also through an own goal, they had more than nothing to lose.

They very definitely had something to lose, something they were grimly determined to hold on to, to preserve their precious point and do something that no one else had done in Japan's last six matches - escape without a defeat.

That they did so, with a fine backs-to-the-wall defensive display when wave after wave of blue-shirted attacks were mounted on their goal, speaks volumes about their character and ability - and also of the tactical acumen and motivational powers of their coach.

Few teams have been able to hold out against the slick, skilful Japanese, who move with pace and precision, and who create numerous dangerous situations.

But Australia, through towering performances from the man mountain Harry Souttar and back from international exile Jason Geria, managed something that has proved beyond the likes of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China so far in this qualifying stage.

That they were able to keep their defensive shape and hustle and hassle the more creative Japanese, frustrating them at almost every turn, is a testament to the mentality of a group of players who have copped their share of deserved criticism after their insipid opening games, a loss to Bahrain, a goalless draw with Indonesia and a fitful win over China when they went behind on home soil and only really looked comfortable in the second half.

It is also a big tick for Popovic, who only took on the job 22 days before this game.

In the language of politics, he has moved fast and broken things - clearing out his predecessor Graham Arnold's coaching staff, bringing in his support team of Paul Okon and Hayden Foxe and making several team changes - most notably preferring Joe Gauci in goal to captain Matt Ryan, bringing the athletic Geria back into the fold.

Popovic already had buy-in from his players before the opening game but these two results, and the four points from two games, will reinforce that belief and bring both management and players confidence that they can get on a roll

Sure, Australia is still not the most creative team in the world, but with Riley McGree coming back to fitness along with Ajdin Hrustic, who will only benefit from game time, hope springs eternal that they can generate enough opportunities to at least score once against stronger opposition such as their next opponents, Saudi Arabia, who visit Melbourne in November.

Popovic showed, with his epic triumph in the Asian Champions League with Western Sydney Wanderers, that he knows how to negotiate, frustrate, dampen and nullify Asian attacks: the evidence of these past two games suggests he has not forgotten those skills.

Saudi Arabia will be a different test. They will look to consolidate and keep an Australian team that will be expected to make all the running at bay and then hit them on the break.

But there is every reason to believe that Popovic - who may well surprise everyone by rejigging his team once more to suit a specific opponent - will find a way out of that impasse.

If he can mastermind a win over the Saudis in the Victorian capital and then Bahrain in the Middle East then he will have righted the listing ship and put Australia on the path to a sixth consecutive World Cup Finals appearance - essential for the health of both the game in this country and Football Australia's finances.