- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
It is not long now until the Socceroos run out against some of the best teams in the world. Teams that boast the attacking talents of Robin Van Persie, Alexis Sanchez and Pedro Rodriguez.
If the display against South Africa is anything to go by, then the Socceroos’ defence is far from prepared.
The partnership against the Bafana Bafana of Alex Wilkinson and Ryan McGowan had a combined total of 11 caps, and while they could have done worse, they also could have held up a lot better.
They looked shaky and despondent, and it was lucky that they were playing a side with strikers from Bournemouth and Ajax and not Barcelona or Chelsea.
It was the first time that these two have played together so perhaps we shouldn’t be too critical of them.
But maybe we should criticise Ange Postecoglou for cutting adrift former captain Lucas Neill and 2010 Asian footballer of the year Saša Ognenovski, two players that have been there, done that and know what is required of them.
Postecoglou was dealt a cruel blow when Middlesbrough captain Rhys Williams was ruled out of the World Cup back in January with an achilles injury. Postecoglou then made the decisions that an “unlucky” Lucas Neill would not make the World Cup due to lack of game time, all the while leaving Sydney FC defender and 2011 Asian Cup sensation Sasa Ognenovski in the dark over his chances of making the squad.
The issues at the back reached a new low on Monday when it was confirmed that Curtis Good would not be fit for the World Cup due to an injury he picked up playing for the Socceroos against Ecuador back in March.
Good, who had spent 2014 on loan to Scottish club Dundee United, was apparently the favourite to partner Matthew Spiranovic at the back in Brazil, even though he has only one cap for the Socceroos and only 40 professional matches in his still infant footballing career.
The Socceroos are going to Brazil with four centre backs, all of which have not shown anything at a level that would make anyone confident that they could go toe-to-toe with Arjen Robben or Fernando Torres. McGowan, Wilkinson, Bailey Wright and Matthew Spiranovic – 28 caps in total, with a combined number of professional matches of 565, 40 less than Lucas Neill.
Ange has judged these players on their age. Neill is 36 and Ognenovski is 35, both are close to the end of their careers but they still have the footballing brain to be there for the Socceroos in Brazil.
Ange cited a lack of matches as the reason Lucas Neill wouldn’t be considered for selection, even though he managed five games in 2014, only two less than Marco Bresciano has played since the turn of the year. But no one would want to see the bald maestro miss a spot in Brazil.
Saša Ognenovski did exactly what Postecoglou wanted from his players in getting game time. He got a contract with Sydney FC, in which he has been a permanent fixture playing 10 games for the Sky Blue and steadying their defence to make the final series, but he has gone on record to say that Ange has not been in contact with him.
Lucas Neill has 96 caps and Sasa Ognenovski has 22, and combined they have as many caps as the seven defenders in the Socceroos 27-man squad going to Brazil.
Much has been said about how Postecoglou is the manager to undergo the “transition” that Australia have seemingly been going through for the past five or six years, but the World Cup isn’t the place to experiment and test new players. Spain won’t be doing that, Brazil won’t be doing that, Argentina won’t be doing that and they are a few of the favourites for the trophy, so why are we following a model that has no proven track record?
You need to pick the best 23 players and if the Socceroos were to do that, Lucas and Saša would be in the squad. Ange’s snub is not because they are bad footballers, instead he is leaving them out for their advancing years, and it is a real shame.
What if Ryan Giggs was an Aussie? He has played a dozen games since the start of the year but he is 40 years old. So does that mean Ange wouldn’t pick him even though he would undoubtedly be our best midfielder?
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.