Deliver on your promise and everyone says you are only producing what you predicted. Fail, however, and everyone accuses you of too much hubris and not paying sufficient respect to your opponent.

So which side of the  ledger will Trent Sainsbury, the Socceroos centre-back, sit on after Australia's semi-final on Tuesday night against the United Arab Emirates.

Sainsbury didn't mind decrying the work-rate of the UAE's main man when asked about the threat posed by the Gulf nation's  star playmaker, Omar Abdulrahman, and how Australia could best stop him.

"He's not the hardest worker and I think we can exploit that," Sainsbury said in the lead-up to the game.

"He has just got that arrogance about him ... to keep him playing backwards would be a good plan for us. If we can ... get in his face and not let him get his head up hopefully we can stop him."

Sainsbury is probably on the right track. Abdulrahman has sublime skill and vision, but may not enjoy having opponents who harry and pressure him from the start, preventing him from having time to settle on the ball and dictate the tempo and rhythm of the game. But Sainsbury will be hoping that Australia can shut him down and that he is not forced to eat his words. If Australia succeed, they will likely win the game.

The Saudi-born midfielder has been linked with moves to several European clubs but has yet to leave the security of the Emirates.

He is widely tipped to be named player of the tournament, an award that would once again only heighten the expectation that he should move to stiffer challenges in major European leagues where he could refine and develop his game.