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Luongo grabs baton from Bresciano

Expert
19th January, 2015
9

He’s overtaken Mark Bresciano in the Socceroos’ pecking order but rising star Massimo Luongo doesn’t see the veteran as his direct competitor.

Luongo’s sensational Asian Cup form has squeezed Bresciano out of the Australian side – no mean feat, given Ange Postecoglou’s previous reliance on the 83-cap midfielder.

Bresciano was the national team’s go-to creative outlet at the World Cup and in subsequent friendlies but has played just 44 minutes at the Asian Cup so far.

He is unlikely to earn a recall for Thursday night’s quarter-final against China at Suncorp Stadium with Luongo – the breakout star of the tournament – set to earn a fourth consecutive start.

But the 22-year-old said there is no sense of rivalry between himself and Bresciano.

“Definitely not,” Luongo said.

“Obviously his heart’s in the right place, he really wants to work hard still and I think he’s going to be ready if he has to play the next game, start the next game or whenever he’s called upon.

“At your club team, you think a player (in your position) comes in and you kind of get a bit upset or rival that player.

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“But I don’t think here, we all come from the same place and we’re all here for the same thing.

“If he plays and I don’t play … it doesn’t weaken the team at all.

“We all just want to do well as a team.”

Luongo said he looked up to Bresciano as a child and admires his “quiet” demeanour – particularly when dealing with the media, a challenge the Swindon Town midfielder is still grappling with.

“I haven’t really picked his brain as much, he’s a hard person to read,” he said.

“I like to keep my head low and be the quiet one that just does well – a lot like Bresc: he’s a good icon to follow.

“I think here (the media attention has) been a bit extreme, especially for the first game.

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“I understand obviously it comes with doing well and stuff like that, but it’s new to me and I’m getting used to it.”

Another player who has been seemingly frozen out of the Socceroos side due to the emergence of the next generation is Tommy Oar.

Still only 23, Oar’s only appearance at the Asian Cup was as a 77th-minute substitute in the 4-0 win against Oman.

Former Socceroos boss Pim Verbeek has expressed his surprise at Oar’s absence given the level of his performances in the Eredivisie with FC Utrecht, where he often plays as a No.10.

Midfielder Matt McKay said his ex-Brisbane Roar teammate is coping well despite his exclusion.

“He’s looking good, training well. Given an opportunity, Tommy won’t disappoint,” McKay said.

“He tries his heart out all the time and he’s got those good qualities about him, but it’s obviously up to the gaffer.”

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