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After a promising, albeit unsuccessful, showing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Socceroos are shaping up for a positive future under Ange Postecoglou. With European football up and running the evidence is there that Australia could well be on target for a new golden generation.
Potential stars are always thrown about when discussing the future of our national team, and unfortunately many never fulfil their potential and meet the expectations of media and fans.
Yet if performances from some of our Socceroos hopefuls in the European preseason are anything to go by, it might just be that we see a calibre of player come through that can compete with the best.
Australia’s biggest hopes lie in Germany and Holland, where a number of current and potential Socceroos are plying their trades, and gaining extensive minutes in the first team.
World Cup stars Mathew Leckie and Ben Halloran began their 2. Bundesliga campaigns last weekend with starts for FC Ingolstadt and Fortuna Dusseldorf respectively. Leckie played 71 minutes for his new club, and Halloran provided an assist in a 2-2 draw with Eintracht Braunschweig.
Both players are automatic starters for their clubs, and will look to kick on and secure contracts with Bundesliga sides over the next year. They represent the Socceroos’ immediate future, along with Australia’s best attacker, Robbie Kruse.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward is currently battling back from a ruptured ACL, which cruelly denied him a place in Brazil. However, he made his comeback in a 1-1 friendly draw against Alemannia Aachen last month, and will be playing Champions League football this season.
A mooted loan deal to Mainz could be beneficial though, especially with Kruse expected to play a big role in the 2015 Asian Cup.
Two other Aussie representatives in Germany are Mitchell Langerak and Mustafa Amini, who are contracted to Borussia Dortmund. Langerak has started four games in preseason, and despite Roman Weidenfeller standing in his way, manager Jürgen Klopp appears committed to giving him game time between the sticks.
Amini is a different prospect. Having been at Dortmund for two seasons he has failed to crack the first team and has been unfortunate with injuries. However, he played 17 minutes against RW Essen and started against Chievo Verona, which hopefully means he is in Klopp’s first team plans this season.
At 21, it’s time Amini started getting first team football. If he hasn’t cracked the first team by January, a loan move is a must.
Current Australia number one Mat Ryan has continued his impressive form from last season with Club Brugge, keeping two clean sheets in the first two games of the Belgian Pro League. He may well find himself at a big-name club come the end of 2014-15, as he aims to holds off Langerak.
One of the most exciting developments for Socceroos fans though, has to be the emergence of Trent Sainsbury. The 22-year-old made his debut for Dutch club PEC Zwolle last February, but picked up an injury and was subsequently ruled out of the World Cup.
He has put the disappointment behind him, and has been producing the goods in preseason, including 90 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Dutch giants Ajax in the Johan Cruyff Shield.
This is a player that can be our rock in defence for the next decade, and his experience will skyrocket if he can stay away from the treatment table, and those pesky sprinklers.
Elsewhere in the Eredivisie FC Utrecht’s trio of Tommy Oar, Adam Sarota and Michael Zullo are at different stages of preseason and their international careers. While Sarota is aiming for a strong year after missing Postecoglou’s World Cup squad, Oar is stepping up rehab after collecting a knee injury in the Socceroos’ final match against Spain.
Zullo, on the other hand, is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after rupturing his ACL. It’s a huge blow for a player once tipped for a Socceroos berth.
These three former Brisbane Roar players are all capable of cementing themselves in Postecoglou’s plans, especially Oar, who caught the eye of many European clubs with his displays in Brazil.
Eli Babalj is a youngster who has recently flown off the radar, mainly due to contract wrangles and a series of injuries. But he is expected to be involved in AZ Alkmaar’s first team this year, which is a welcome sign given Tim Cahill’s impending retirement.
Jason Davidson, who had a mixed World Cup, has swapped the Eredivisie for the EPL, signing for West Brom from Heracles Almelo. The 23-year-old is fine going forward, but was caught out of position too often against the world’s best in Brazil, and hopefully this move will see him mature into a quality defender.
The EPL is usually where fans look to determine how the national team is faring on a global level, yet Holland and Germany are probably where Postecoglou would prefer to see his more creative players.
We’ve seen the stagnation of Tommy Rogic at Celtic, and hopefully the former Central Coast playmaker can force his way into contention in Glasgow this season, along with promising Young Socceroo Jackson Irvine.
Some players suit British football however, as we’ve seen with Crystal Palace’s captain Mile Jedinak. Chris Herd is probably the only other Australian likely to start in the EPL, with Aston Villa, while the promising Brad Smith has fallen down the pecking order at Liverpool due to new signings.
Alex Cisak is deputy goalkeeper at Burnley, while Newcastle United’s Curtis Good is on the comeback trail at Newcastle United following injury.
Peter Skapetis, at 19, is a potential bolter for first team action at Stoke City this year. He signed for £300,000 from QPR in the off-season after captaining the Under-21 side. An unknown quantity from my perspective, his development will be interesting to clock.
As well as the talent in the top division on England, there are many more sculpting their games in the lower leagues, and the most interesting stories will emanate from Fulham (Adam Taggart), Reading (Ryan Edwards) and Middlesbrough (Rhys Williams).
Taggart’s move will go a long way to proving whether he can lead the Australia line, while Edwards has been described as “phenomenal” by Reading manager Nigel Adkins during preseason. Williams has to banish his injury nightmares at Boro, as he is the preferable choice to partner Sainsbury long-term (though Matthew Špiranović might have something to say about that).
Even further down, the development of Bradden Inman (Crew Alexandria), Bailey Wright (Preston North End) and Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town) should also be interesting for Socceroos fans.
In Italy, Fiorentina’s new signing Josh Brillante made an immediate impression on his teammates, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Peru Universitario last weekend. If he can grab first team experience, a place in the Asian Cup squad is almost assured.
Chris Ikonomidis, at just 19, made his debut for SS Lazio as a late substitute in their 3-2 win over Bari, and scored his first goals for the club in a 10-0 thrashing of Asiago on July 26.
His inclusion in preseason bodes well for the youngster, who has been compared to one of the Socceroos’ most talented footballers Paul Okon, due to his style of play and Lazio affiliation. He’s a player that, like Rafa Jimenez at Villarreal, could be the Socceroos’ future.
Elsewhere, World Cup bit-part players Oliver Bozanić (FC Luzern) and Dario Vidošić (FC Sion) are looking for regular minutes in the Swiss Super League, as is James Troisi at Juventus, though that seems a long shot.
James Holland will play in his second consecutive Champions League campaign with FK Austria Wien, and marauding full back Ivan Franjic has signed for Torpedo Moscow.
Bozanić is a possible long-term replacement for Marco Bresciano if he continues his rise, while Franjic’s move is much deserved, and the move could take him to the next level.
Then there’s Tomislav Mrčela (NK Lokomotiva) and Steven Ugarković (NK Osijek) in Croatia, though neither has started a match so far this season and their allegiance is up in the air.
The fact that so many present and future Socceroos are now plying their trade in Europe, at a level not seen for some years, is a strong sign that a new golden generation may be in the works. More exports to Asia would be welcome, but unfortunately there’s been a plethora of returning players from that region.
Yet the continued growth of the A-League should not be underestimated, with Postecoglou naming no less than 10 local players in the 30-man provisional World Cup squad. While the aim should always be to get youngsters off to Europe with suitable clubs, there are a number of stars to watch back home.
The brightest talents in the A-League are most definitely Awer Mabil and Daniel de Silva, who has secured a move to Italian giants Roma for the 2015-16 season.
Luke Brattan is also one to watch, as is Mitchell Duke, Mark Birighitti, Osama Malik, Dimi Petratos, Tomi Juric, Conor Chapman, touted by many as a future Australian captain, and Anthony Caceres.
There are plenty others out there too, who have a chance to take this year and turn into something special after seeing their careers slightly stall, players such as Ben Kantarovski, Mitch Nichols and Mate Dugandžić.
It is also hard to believe that Terry Antonis is still only 20 years old, as he seems to have been around forever. But this is a year where he must step up at Sydney FC, after a move to Parma broke down because of injury last year.
All of these players, with the exception of Rhys Williams and Dario Vidosic, are under the age of 26, meaning they will potentially be around the national set-up for the next eight years.
Not all of them will succeed, and new talents will emerge, but the quality is there to suggest a new era is approaching. If those established in Europe can continue their progression, and younger players move up a level, then it’s entirely possible.
This is a good time for the Socceroos, and for Ange Poctecoglou. A new era awaits, and this season will be pivotal in shaping the squad for both the 2015 Asian Cup and 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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