The Australian national soccer team has suffered its second consecutive thrashing by a top team, the first coming at the hand of Brazil and the most recent being instilled by France. Both scorelines were an emphatic 6-0.

The game against France, at the Parc des Princes in Paris, really couldn’t even be called a contest. The Aussies just weren’t in it, plain and simple. In fact, they were lucky the score remained 6-0 with the French scoring four goals within 30 minutes, clinching their sixth on the 51st minute.

Although this game was a friendly, it was no excuse for the extremely poor display from the Socceroos. To make matters worse, manager Holger Osieck was sacked by Football Federation Australia after the embarrassing defeat to Les Bleus.

FFA chairman Frank Lowry said, “”The decision is based on the longer term issues of the rejuvenation of the Socceroos team and the preparations for the World Cup and the Asian Cup.”

“FFA has set a strategic objective of having a highly competitive team in Brazil and then handing over a team capable of winning the Asian Cup on home soil in January 2015.

“We have come to the conclusion that change is necessary to meet those objectives.

“I thank Holger for his contribution to Australian football and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Considering France is in danger of not even qualifying for the Brazil 2014 World Cup, the loss really puts the Socceroos’s ability in perspective. This really just isn’t the same team from the self-proclaimed “golden generation” anymore and the two losses help show the nation where we really stand in terms of world football. It’s a reality check, if you will.

Now, that Australia has already qualified for the World Cup, a lot needs to be done if the team stands a chance to be competitive in Brazil next year. Perhaps, the new manager (whoever it may be) will help instill some confidence in the players. We will just have to wait and see. Cross your fingers, this has the potential to get ugly.