Ange Postecoglou hopes China’s inexorable rise does not adversely impact the Socceroos plying their trade there, expressing concern about the gap in quality between the top and bottom teams.
Some Chinese Super League sides have invested huge sums on overseas talent this year, such as Guangzhou Evergrande (Jackson Martinez), Jiangsu Suning (Alex Teixeira, Ramires), Shanghai Shenhua (Fredy Guarin) and Hebei China Fortune (Gervinho).
The big spending is showing no sign of slowing down, with clubs also investing in high-quality coaches and staff.
A growing number of Australian internationals have taken up lucrative contracts, including Tim Cahill (Hangzhou Greentown), Trent Sainsbury (Jiangsu Suning), James Troisi (Liaoning Whowin), Matthew Spiranovic (Hangzhou Greentown) and Ryan McGowan (Henan Jianye).
Postecoglou wasn’t sure what effect the league’s world-record transfer-window outlay would have on his stars, only hoping they would continue to be adequately pushed.
“When you look at the calibre of players they’ve signed in the Chinese Super League in general, and the coaches there, you’d like to think there’d be a spike in the quality,” Postecoglou said.
“There’s probably three or four teams in the last couple of years that have invested fairly highly, but there’s still a gap as far as I saw in the level of competition between the top and bottom.
“I hope it’ll even out because some of the players who have gone there, from my perspective and a national team perspective, are still players who are not yet in their prime.
“They’ve still got improvement, so hopefully the league is challenging enough to keep that improvement happening.
“The one positive in my mind right now is that they love Aussie defenders and foreign strikers, so that will be a good match-up for our boys to push themselves on a weekly basis.”
The Socceroos will play their final first-phase qualifiers in March, against Tajikistan in Adelaide and Jordan in Sydney, and are heavily favoured to progress.
After that they are slated to play an away friendly against England in May, before returning to Australia for early June’s two-game friendly series with Greece.
The second, tougher phase of qualifying will kick off in September.
Postecoglou said all matches provided an opportunity for him to continue testing the depth of his squad, reiterating he planned to bring in new players.
In-form Brisbane striker Jamie Maclaren has already caught the national coach’s eye, and Postecoglou did not rule out A-League selections.
“There’s not a place our boys are playing that I’m not looking, the A-League included,” he said.
“The last few weeks the football has been really good.
“There’s been some really exciting and good-quality games, and there’s been Aussies at the forefront of that.
“We’ve cast the net far and wide (for talent), and even in March we’ll see some new faces in there and continue to do that in the games against Greece.
“By the time the main round of qualifying comes, we’ll a really solid base and strong foundation to tackle what’s ahead.”
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