Pim: Inexperience costly

Pim Verbeek believes the inexperience of his Socceroos squad was one of the major reasons behind the 1-0 Asian Cup qualifying defeat to Kuwait on Thursday night in Canberra.

Pim Verbeek believes the inexperience of his Socceroos squad was one of the major reasons behind the 1-0 Asian Cup qualifying defeat to Kuwait on Thursday night in Canberra.

Australia's starting eleven had just two players with more than five games experience and that told in an inconsistent performance.

The coach said his players made some naive errors over the course of the game and were guilty of trying too hard to get back in the contest after Mesaed Alenza put Kuwait in front on 37 minutes.

"I think in the second half we played more with our heart and not enough with our head anymore, which is understandable, because we have quite some young players and it's the first big international game. We don't blame them for that," he said.

"We understand we have to improve that. We have to stay in organisation we have to make our chances and we started to get impatient."

Australia resorted to the long ball for much of the final 30 minutes of the game in a bid to manufacture an equaliser. But Kuwait seemed unperturbed defending the aerial ball well.

"We have to be honest, we didn't deserve to win this game," Verbeek said. "Kuwait, defensively did very well, good organisation, were very compact, didn't give any space."

"We have to play fast, high ball speed quick decisions and you have to score an early goal, because then they have to open up score goals also."

Verbeek said the missed chances from the boots of Melbourne Victory pair Archie Thompson and Tom Pondeljak in the first half were a critical moment in the match. Thompson's shot was cleared off the line, while Pondeljak hit the woodwork from close range with the follow-up.

"We had that chance in the 20th, with Archie and Tommy Pondeljak. That was a moment which could have opened the game totally," he said.

Australia was barely in the contest to begin with, struggling to get into the game, as a lively Kuwait created several good chances. Verbeek agreed his players had started the game very flat and then were far too anxious late in the game.

"That was one of the disappointing things. It looked like that. It was too easy. There was not enough emotion, and I think the second half we played with two much emotion and we forgot organisation. Things like that we have to improve and we have six months, so it's time enough to improve," he said.