Brisbane coach John Aloisi says Jamie Maclaren will have no problem handling the pressure of a Socceroos starting debut against England later this month if coach Ange Postecoglou decides to throw him in the deep end.
With the likes of Tim Cahill, Nathan Burns and Apostolos Giannou unavailable for selection, Maclaren is one of only two strikers included in Postecoglou’s 23-man squad for the high-profile friendly at the Stadium of Light.
The other is Tomi Juric, who has only just returned to full fitness for his Dutch club Roda JC and, in any case, has started just three times in his 15 Socceroos appearances.
No stranger to big games and big moments himself, Aloisi believes Maclaren, after scoring a record 20 goals in the last A-League season, has what it takes to deal with what would be a momentous occasion in the 23-year-old’s burgeoning career.
“Whenever he’s been put under pressure, Jamie’s shown he can cope with that pressure,” Aloisi said.
“There was the pressure of playing against his old club Perth Glory. He proved he can perform there and scored every time we played against them.
“The finals series showed me and showed Ange that, on the big occasions, Jamie can step up.
“I’ve got no doubts if he has to play or start or get given an opportunity against England at the Stadium of Light, he’ll take it.”
Meanwhile, Aloisi is breathing a sigh of relief after veteran Spanish midfielder Corona sent a huge injury scare through the club.
Even though the A-League season is over, Roar players are continuing to train together until their mid-year break.
On Thursday, Corona was sent for scans after going down in agony with what appeared to be a major ankle injury – just hours before he was awarded the Gary Wilkins medal as the Roar’s best-and-fairest player later that night.
Fortunately for the Roar, it won’t put the 35-year-old’s long-term fitness in any doubt.
“He just rolled it. It’s never ideal to get any sort of injury but he’s alright – it’s nothing serious,” Aloisi said.
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.
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
The loser of the Sydney Derby will be under immense pressure entering the final three matches of the season.
Anthony Caceres is a player with immense talent and has a fantastic work rate, broke the deadlock against the Mariners in the 74th minute.
Round 19 was an interesting weekend of football with no draws, 19 goals in six matches, two five-goal games on Sunday and for the…
One of the biggest games on the Australian sporting calendar took place in front of a huge crowd on Saturday night – and it…
