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If you hadn’t caught the Asian Cup fever just yet, Tuesday’s announcement of the 23-man Socceroos squad should have done the trick.
It was a largely predictable announcement, but there remains a sense that this team can go one better than the crop of 2011.
Form over reputation
We all rejoiced when Ange Postecoglou stated his intention to give form greater weight than reputation when he stepped into the role. It was a simple request his predecessors blindly ignored.
Thus, it was always going to be one of the focal points heading into the Asian Cup. To his credit, the Socceroos boss has largely stuck to his guns, with only five players named in the squad not considered regulars for their respective clubs.
Ante Covic aside, you’d be hard pressed to find an in-form player who wasn’t at least in contention for a call-up. Although much of the squad seemed pre-determined, Postecoglou admitted he faced a few selection dilemmas.
It’s a sign of the depth emerging in the Socceroos’ ranks, particularly in the midfield and forward line, a luxury we have rarely been afforded in recent years.
Local flavour
The A-League ain’t too bad, after all. Seven home-based players have been given the nod in the form of Matt McKay, Mark Milligan, Tomi Juric, Matthew Spiranovic, Terry Antonis, Eugene Galekovic and Nathan Burns. It creates a healthy debate for players struggling to make the grade in Europe, proving regular game time in the A-League trumps bench-warming in a more recognisable competition… for the most part, at least.
It’s a reality that has taken a number of fringe players as casualties (think Josh Brillante and Adam Taggart) and could prompt a rethink for those in a similar position in the future.
Surprise selections
While there were no selections out of left-field, the inclusion of Chris Herd and Jason Davidson raised a few eyebrows.
Although, as pointed out by Postecoglou, Herd has been on the bench for Aston Villa over the last three weeks, he is yet to make a Premier League appearance this season. His last first-team run came in the Socceroos’ defeat to Qatar in October, but Herd has the benefit of being well in-favour with Postecoglou.
Davidson has also been resigned to the sidelines since October, when he featured in West Brom’s League Cup defeat to Bournemouth. It’s been a tumultuous start to the defender’s Premier League career and his lack of match fitness must be of concern for Postecoglou. That said, Davidson was one of the best performers at the World Cup and will be eager to reclaim his place amid competition in the fullback positions.
Surprise omissions
Oliver Bozanic is arguably the most hard done-by. A congested pool of midfielders was always going to result in a couple of unlucky omissions and Bozanic will undoubtedly be on standby in the case of injury.
The 25-year-old made a solid impact in Brazil and has featured prominently for Luzern in the Swiss Super League this season.
So too, Aaron Mooy. The Melbourne City midfielder has been resurgent in his new colours this season, moulding into the creative spark that made him such hot property after his debut season with Western Sydney. Both players have plenty to offer and it’s testament to the Socceroos’ depth in the middle of the park that they’ll both be watching from the stands in January.
Attacking focus
Substance will take precedence over style at the Asian Cup. While there will be a desire for the Socceroos to play attractive football in front of their home fans, the end result is the most important thing here.
Inspiration will be taken from the World Cup campaign, but the leniency will be stripped away. Thus, there will be a great deal of pressure on the attackers to perform, largely given most of those in contention for a start have been firing at club level.
Mat Leckie and Tim Cahill seem locked in to occupy two of the three spots up top, with Robbie Kruse likely to come under some pressure given his turbulent season in Germany.
Via the likes of Massimo Luongo, Nathan Burns and James Troisi, the Socceroos possess a great deal of creativity and the chances in front of goal are likely to be abundant.
The elephant in the room remains the lack of poachers. Juric and Burns provide goalscoring threats and can hopefully lift the burden off Cahill’s overworked shoulders.
Defensive frailties
The defence has provided cause for worry in recent years. It is the lack of stability that has been the main issue, with the back four yet to be locked in. Fortunately, centre backs Trent Sainsbury, Matt Spiranovic and Alex Wilkinson all head in decent condition, having mostly featured regularly for their clubs.
Of the fullback options, only Aziz Behich has clocked up sufficient minutes recently and that, combined with his solid outing against Japan, will likely see him locked in at left-back.
As the World Cup proved, the back line needs to remain far more solid if the Socceroos plan to go all the way. Hopefully the pre-tournament camp incorporates some set-piece marking.
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