Germany and Argentina have between them won six World Cups (Germany four, Argentina two) and have collectively been runners-up in another seven. They are countries steeped in the game with a glorious history at international and club level.

Compared to those two - and the other leading nations in the world - the Australian game is barely out of prep class.

It might seem absurd for Australia to even contemplate competing against the best given those historical and cultural disparities, but that is not how new coach Ange Postecoglou sees it.

And he is right to aspire to the heights, although Australian fans would be wise to accept that they can't run before they can walk.

The Socceroos shocked plenty in 2006 when they made the round of 16 and gave eventual winners Italy an awful fright, so it shows what can be achieved.

That, of course, was with the country's ''golden generation'' and it is fair to say that the current crop is some way off the quality of that group.

The fact that its last two remaining members of that storied class, Mark Bresciano and Tim Cahill, were the key players in Brazil this time round shows how few genuine top-level players have come through in the past decade.

A coach is ultimately only as good as his players, so while Postecoglou is highly regarded by fans, he is not a miracle worker. Having said that a good coach can get players who certainly are not superstars a long way - as Costa Rican coach Jorge Luis Pinto showed in getting the Ticos to within a penalty shootout of a World Cup semi-final spot this time.

Costa Rica can serve as something of a template for smaller, emerging nations. It showed that with good structure, a well devised game plan and self-belief that a team could be more than the sum of its parts.

It had some handy players - such as captain Bryan Ruiz, defenders Giancarlo Gonzalez and Cristian Gamboa, a stand-out goalkeeper in Keylor Navas and a hard-working striker in Joel Campbell - but no real big names. But the key factor for them was that all of their players were comfortable on the ball - something Australian sides do not always appear to be.

Postecoglou has given every indication that he is at home on this stage, and clearly has the ability to inspire his players and get them to buy into his vision.

What Postecoglou needs to do is find some quality options to replace Bresciano as the creative fulcrum of the team, and Cahill as its main threat.

He will be reliant on the new programs being put in place by the FFA to encourage the development of technically more accomplished youngsters and the clubs for nurturing and bringing those players on.

There does need to be a cultural change at the very lowest grassroots levels of the game if long-term change is to be effected.

Everyone with fitness and game intelligence can be organised, as the Ticos showed. What makes a difference is players with individual skill. So right from the under-sevens and upwards youngsters should be encouraged to take risks, do tricks, beat players and, in some senses, ''show off''.

Time enough to get them involved in disciplined, structured games in their mid-teens, when they have developed an innate technical ability to control the ball and do the unexpected. Those who can become the game-changers and game-winners, and Australia does not have enough of them.

Australia's midfield is physically strong, hard-working and competitive, but those are its chief virtues. Postecoglou has to hope that Tom Rogic recovers to become the playmaker, or others - perhaps Brisbane's Luke Brattan - emerge over the next couple of years.

The Socceroos will be better with the oft-injured defender Rhys Williams back in the squad, while another young centre-back Curtis Good has great potential, as does Trent Sainsbury. Robbie Kruse's absence through injury was a big blow, so his return for the Asian Cup will be a major boost.

Mathew Leckie showed that he can compete at this level and he should become a mainstay of the team for the next six or seven years - perhaps he can assume the Cahill role as he matures and betters his finishing?

Josh Brillante has just joined Serie A club Fiorentina, while Adam Taggart has moved to Fulham, who have just been relegated to the Championship in England. Perth Glory youngster Danny De Silva, at 17, has signed for Roma. These are all players who should come into the picture over the next year or two.

It would be better if the A-League season went on for longer and players had more than 27 games plus a few finals. The FFA Cup will help in that regard, but it is still desireable - from a national team perspective - if the best players go overseas and play regular football at a good level after they have proved themselves in the A-League. Regular football, however, is the key. Too many talented 17 or 18-year-olds have in the past left and fallen into a hole and end up playing youth or reserve team football before dropping down the divisions, their development stunted or retarded.

Making the Socceroos competitive at the highest level is a long-term project and will require vision, commitment, patience and loyalty to the coach as he tries to build for the future. Germany's Joachim Low, with an infinitely stronger talent pool at his disposal, has been in the national set-up for the best part of a decade and it is only this week that he has climbed to the summit of international football.

The next stage - the Asian Cup - comes soon enough, in January, but no one should be overconfident just because Australia is the host.

It might be years before they get to the Maracana or one of the other temples of the world game as realistic championship chances, but no one got anywhere without having the dream first.