Gone was the hesitancy, the lower defensive block, the lack of crispness and movement in their passing and build-up and the lack of belief that punctuated most of their group stage outings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On paper, the 4-0 defeat against Australia was the Garuda\u2019s<\/em> worst result at the ongoing Asian Cup but on the pitch it was their best performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the issue that has long plagued reaction and analysis in Southeast Asia where scratchy, \u2018heroic\u2019 wins, are lauded and heavy defeats, where the team has often played well, being denounced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hopefully this match against an Australia side that, even with their own issues, remain among the tournament favourites, is the marker that provides belief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s that quality that\u2019s often been the divider between performance and results when stepping outside of regional competitions and it\u2019s one that\u2019s been, by and large, driven by foreign coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve seen with nations such as Tajikistan at this tournament when you marry technical quality with a coach that gives the players both belief and freedom, results often flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n