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Kruse and Troisi would be better off at home in the A-League

Melbourne Victory and James Troisi. (AAP Image / Joe Sabljak)
Expert
7th June, 2017
19
1205 Reads

A professional footballer’s life is one of near-constant upheaval; the physical trauma of the craft is paired with the gruelling gauntlet of travel, and is seasoned with an oppressive atmosphere of expectation and scrutiny.

While the heavenly peak of victory is a high like no other, there is no lonelier place than the pitch ravine of defeat, of failure, or worse – of injury. It’s no surprise then, that footballers can be twitchy types, at least professionally; theirs is a career with a terribly short lifespan, and making good on the swells of momentum that come and go is an important thing indeed.

As far as Australian footballers go, having to begin in a country where the sport is not the dominant code, maligned socially and under-exposed, the situation is exacerbated. As much as the A-League has progressed over the last ten years, it still can’t hold a candle to the luminous bounty that the European leagues offer, both financially and in terms of professional progress.

That’s, of course, assuming you can make it there.

The national team is currently wading through a low ebb. A lot of our stars are either sliding down the wrong side of 30 – Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinak – or only just creeping up into their professional primes, think Aaron Mooy, Jackson Irvine, Mass Luongo and Tom Rogic. Some are fighting through some particularly difficult periods of career instability – Robbie Kruse, Matthew Leckie and, until only recently, Mat Ryan.

Ange Postecoglou is currently suffering under a particularly intense period of criticism, where needling over team selection is piling further unwanted pressure as some crunch World Cup qualifiers loom. He is trying to negotiate picking from a small pool of in-form players who are getting game time, the best of the best from the A-League, and his old favourites, and he’s doing a relatively good job.

The Socceroos squad that was announced last week, however, certainly implies Postecoglou is more and more comfortable picking from the A-League; five squad members play at A-League clubs, ranging from aged City marquee Cahill, to Adelaide youngster Riley McGree. Veteran Danny Vukovic has forced his way into the national set-up, as has Rhyan Grant, a player who has only ever played in the A-League as a senior professional. It is, it seems, as viable a league as any when it comes to national team prospects.

Tim Cahill scored a beautiful volley

(Instagram: Tim Cahill)

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Robbie Kruse spoke this week about turning his focus to the upcoming Roos qualifier against Saudi Arabia, a change of subject that must come as some relief considering his disappointing 2016-17 season at club level. He is without an employer at the moment.

Similarly, James Troisi – although having enjoyed a hugely successful 16-17 season in the A-League- is also embroiled in no small amount of discussion as to his future, with multiple clubs rumoured as being his destination, one of them being Brighton, and none of them being the Melbourne Victory.

Remembering back to the scene of the Socceroos’ last great triumph, the Asian Cup victory in 2015, Kruse was substituted just after the hour mark of that breathless final, with Troisi replacing him. Troisi scored the winner in added time, a thrilling moment for him. As Troisi celebrated, enraptured, Kruse was hobbled by an injury that would leave him sidelined for months.

It was a stark contrast, and the same divergence has lingered into this season just finished. Troisi, having spent the best part of a year out of national team thinking, has been picked for the last two qualifiers, and was one of Australia’s best players in the win over the UAE in March.

His brand of dynamic, bull-rushing forward play is hitting its straps, and he is, apparently, pushing for another crack at Europe. Kruse, on the other hand, managed seven club appearances throughout the torturous entirety of last season, and is at a critical crossroads in his career, despite having enjoyed largely uninterrupted involvement in the national team over the last year.

So, one player teetering on the edge of what he hopes will be a successful soar into higher echelons, and another teetering on the edge of what he hopes is not a deathly tumble into the darkness. Is it just me, or does anyone else think both of them would be better off at home?

Robbie Kruse for the Socceroos

(Photo: AFP)

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Troisi signed his first professional contract with Newcastle United in England, but made no appearances for them. He moved the Turkey, and had enough success there to earn what ended up being a fairly bizarre spell in Italy, partially – then fully – owned by Juventus but playing for Atalanta.

A loan to the Victory was followed by a brief sojourn in Belgium, and a strange trip around Asia, playing in Saudi Arabia and then China. Eventually he returned to the Victory, and has had his best season in a while there.

His career has been, basically, a demonstration of how restlessness can hurt a player. He is 28, and his most compelling football has – with the exception of his four years in Turkey – come while playing in Australia. Certainly his recent revival has been as a direct result of his homecoming.

Has he learned the lessons from the past? Would a move to Brighton really be the best option for him, at this point? Or would another great season with the Victory be the better choice, both for him, for them, and for the national team. His demands have, reportedly, been too high for the Victory to entertain.

Kruse, too, must consider the A-League as his best option right now. The wage dispute that led to his contract being terminated in China must have soured his view of playing there again next season, for another club.

His six years in Germany trailed off horribly, and it’s doubtful many teams in Europe would be willing to to gamble on his health and his form. He would, though, improve almost every A-League club, and a great number of them would be extremely pleased to sign him. He’s the same age as Troisi, and a similarly rapid career resurgence in the A-League is entirely possible, probable even.

Postecoglu said Kruse was lucky to be in the squad last week. Troisi is flirting with the idea of repeating the mistakes of the past, trying too eagerly to cash in on one good season.

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The best short-term path, for both of these players still firmly placed in their primes, is one that rambles through the warm Australian sunshine, and leads them back into the restorative surrounds of home.

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