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January’s Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait is not only an opportunity for Australia to seal qualification, it’s also a chance for fringe players to push their cases for World Cup selection.
And with the squad now announced, those who missed out will be shattered.
Australia boss Pim Verbeek’s announcement of the 23-man squad which will assemble in Dubai for a seven-day training camp before the January 6 match in Kuwait City, brought with it the usual talking points.
Of course, there’s the debutants like youngster Tommy Oar or those getting another run like Archie Thompson which attract attention, but the stories we shouldn’t forget are those who missed out.
And the absence of several names from Verbeek’s list could be interpreted as something quite significant. Perhaps it is the nail in the coffin for several fringe players’ World Cup hopes.
Arguably the biggest story is Perth Glory’s Chris Coyne, who has been overlooked yet again since his move back to Australia despite some decent form in the A-League.
Coyne’s snub is a damning advertisement for A-League clubs trying to lure home Socceroos playing abroad.
Verbeek insisted yesterday he has two options for each position in the squad, so Coyne’s non-selection suggests Matthew Spiranovic and Simon Colosimo are ahead of him in the Dutchman’s mind, along with Craig Moore, Lucas Neill and Patrick Kisnorbo.
It makes you wonder if Coyne will bother seeking a loan deal in January anymore.
But he won’t be the only Australian defender feeling a tad upset today.
Asian-based pair Jade North and Mark Milligan missed out, although it should be noted Verbeek opted not to use any players plying their trade in Asia.
In the case of Japan-based frontman Josh Kennedy, the Dutchman revealed he was given a reprieve after a hectic schedule in the last 18 months following his move from Karlsruhe.
And a similar situation may apply to Milligan, but surely not North, who barely played a game for his Korean club Incheon United in the last six months.
Over in Europe, given the winter breaks for leagues in Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, Denmark, Croatia and Romania, Verbeek had plenty more names to choose from but opted to continue to ignore a few.
James Troisi, who plays his football with high-flying Kayserispor in Turkey’s Super Lig, hasn’t been selected by Verbeek since 2008’s June World Cup qualifiers and he remains out of favour with the Dutchman.
There are a few other curious Europe-based absentees, such as AZ Alkmaar’s James Holland who appears to have been overlooked in favour of Perth Glory’s defensive midfielder Jacob Burns along with Mile Jedinak and Jason Culina.
It was only in August that Holland made an appearance for the Socceroos against Ireland, yet his lack of first-team action at AZ seems to have cost him.
And I can assure you he is injury-free, having played a full game for Jong AZ last week against a Jong Twente side featuring called-up Nikita Rukavytsya, who too is struggling for first-team games.
Speaking of injuries, there are a few who’ve been ruled out with complaints such as David Carney (shoulder) and Brett Holman (calf), while Turkey-based goalkeeper Michael Petkovic strangely missed Sivasspor’s weekend win at Ankaragucu despite being their regular number one (I should note, I haven’t been able to receive confirmation on his injury status).
Indeed, the race to be one of Mark Schwarzer’s two understudies at South Africa is an interesting one and Verbeek has opted to give three A-League stoppers a chance in Kuwait, ignoring Sweden-based veteran Ante Covic who is currently in off-season.
Danny Vukovic or Eugene Galekovic will certainly get a chance to lay their claim on a seat on the plane to South Africa with their performances in Kuwait.
Nevertheless, speaking to the press yesterday, Verbeek strongly suggested what players do in the next 5-6 months at club level will have a lot to do with his selections.
It puts A-League players at an obvious disadvantage.
But the latest squad announcement and imminent get-together should offer all Socceroos hopefuls an insight into their chances of joining the squad to head to South Africa next year, however positive or negative that may be.
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