In Rale Rasic’s 1974 World Cup squad, right full-back, Doug Utjesenovic, exuded a confidence which he acquired from playing football as a youngster in the streets of Belgrade.
His ability on the ball, passing range, deadly, low trajectory crosses and powerful long-range shots were a feature of this complete footballer.
Utjesenovic was always a first-choice selection for the Socceroos and he rarely put a bad shift in.
Before venturing to Melbourne in 1969, Utjesenovic made forty appearances for the leading Serbian club, OFK Belgrade.
However, he saw Australia as the land of opportunity and was prepared to leave his country to explore a new frontier in football.
Although, he had to become accustomed to the more direct style of football played in Australia compared to the more technical application played in Yugoslavia, it was a challenge he relished.
After naturalising in September 1972, Utjesenovic was selected by Rale Rasic on a tour to Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and South Korea.
The qualification on November, 1973 for the 1974 Finals was the icing on the cake and the reality of playing in a World Cup Finals series made all the sacrifices worthwhile.
In this interview with Roger Sleeman, Doug Utjesenovic discusses his elation at qualifying for the World Cup in Germany, Rale Rasic’s strategy, the group matches against East Germany, West Germany and Chile, the important role of Socceroo captain, Peter Wilson, and the performance of the Socceroos in the tournament.
ROGER SLEEMAN
In your wildest dreams, from the time you played football in the streets of Belgrade, did you ever believe you would be representing your adopted country, Australia, in the World Cup Finals?
DOUG UTJESENOVIC
There was no way I could’ve ever imagined it because Australia was so far way. As a child I would go to the Adriatic for holidays, was sad to leave Belgrade and happy to come home. I never thought I would leave Belgrade and my friends.
I was from a middle class family who worked hard but it was easier for young players whose family had money to make the grade in football even if they weren’t as good as me. However, I loved the game and used to imitate the star Yugoslavian players on the streets and fortunately made the grade at OFK Belgrade.
RS: What did the qualification for the World Cup mean to you?
DU: The feeling you were representing eighteen million people for the country that gave me a chance was overwhelming.
RS: Did you feel the squad was prepared adequately for the final series?
DU: In those days we were isolated from Europe so our access to play against national teams was limited.
Before the tournament, we had very demanding, physical training in Israel followed by three games against Swiss club sides.We trained in Israel 2-3 times a day, and after the preseason in Australia during January and February, I found the physical impact on my body was very hard because after all I also worked during the day.
However, by the final series, my fitness was very high, so I believe the preparation was more than adequate.
I remember the twelve minute runs on the beach in Israel which were regulated by Rasic’s stopwatch and broken into two six-minute intervals. Manfred Schaefer was the fittest man in the squad and he led the group with the stop watch and I somehow endured the pain which kept me in good stead for West Germany.
RS: What was Rale Rasic’s overall plan for the three group matches and did he have sufficient knowledge of the opponents?
DU: Against such formidable opponents, the only tactic could be tight defence and counter attack.
Remembering our first match opponent, East Germany, hadn’t lost a match in twelve months was a challenge in itself. Rasic had seen East Germany play and supplied us with photos because there was no video in those days.
My opposite number, (Eberhard) Vogel, was not technically gifted but extremely quick. When the game started, I had to quickly assess our opponents because they played the ball behind you, rather than to feet. Consequently, I stood back a few metres to combat Vogel’s speed. Vogel’s one leg was like two of mine which was obviously a product of his army training.
My one criticism of Rasic’s approach was the selection of John Warren as a containing midfielder, rather than Atti Abonyi in an attacking role. I had a great understanding with Abonyi from our club, St George and in the East German match I had very little opportunity to overlap.
RS: Did the team perform to its best against East Germany, and how did you rate them?
DU: They were so professional we saw them warming up in a nearby park as we were approaching the stadium in our bus. In the first half we had to maintain maximum concentration to contain their attacking raids.
We were sure the first goal was offside but they were a tough opponent and the 2-0 loss was a respectable result in the end. Noddy Alston performed well and who knows what could’ve been if Abonyi partnered him upfront.
RS: Was playing against West Germany a dream come true, and who did you rate as the best players in their team?
DU: When we walked onto the pitch, Peter Wilson said they were small but they took control of the game in every aspect. (Paul) Breitner and (Franz) Beckenbauer were great influencers in the first half which led to the 2-0 scoreline. In the second half, they appeared to take their foot off the gas and their supporters started booing them.
Consequently, Beckenbauer became more involved and displayed his wizardry to the crowd. My initial opponent was (Jupp) Heynckes and I had his measure until he was an injured in a tackle of mine.
His replacement, (Bernd) Holzenbein, was a better player so I was more than tested for the remainder of the game. Bertie Vogts was an amazing fullback who was built like Manfred Schaefer and with speed to boot.
Breitner had great players around him like Wolfgang Overath who scored that first wonderful goal from distance. Gerd Muller was a sniffer round the box, like the former St George and Socceroo striker, Mike Denton, and he was able to escape the attention of Schaefer to score a header from a corner in the 53rd minute.
Uli Hoeness on the other flank was so light on his feet with incredible skills for such a strong man.
RS: Should the Socceroos have beaten Chile?
DU: This was the easiest game for us but in (Elias) Figueroa they had a world class player and he had a lightning header cleared off the line by Wilson. My opponent was not in the class of the West German and East German players so I was more composed in this match.
We really only needed one goal to win the match but the storm which occurred before the second half made conditions impossible. I believed the game should’ve been called off. Nevertheless, compared to the constant pressure applied by West Germany, this was an opponent we had the measure of and could’ve beaten.
RS: Can you describe how important captain, Peter Wilson, was to the team?
DU: As a person, Wilson was very private and only Noddy Alston was close to him.
He didn’t talk a lot on the field but just played by example, because the back four played so much together, we knew each other’s game well. Wilson was a very good leader on the field and was very strong , particularly against West Germany.
Also, he was dominant in the air and the centre of the park, showed great skill and also gave the other players confidence. His goal in the qualifiers against Iran in Sydney ultimately was the deciding factor in their eliimination before we beat South Korea to qualify for West Germany.
RS: What were the lessons learned from the tournament and could we have performed better?
DU: If we had a second chance after that experience, I have no doubt having attuned to the big match build up and crowd atmosphere, we would’ve achieved better result.
Success is often about confidence and familiarity with the surroundings to make players rise to a higher level. Remember we were part timers playing against full professionals, who were continually prepared to achieve their best performance.
