Petratos is the type of player we need to nurture

Following the Socceroos’ earlier than hoped for exit from South Africa and the likelihood of a number of retirements, there has been the usual sort of crystal ball gazing into the likely make-up of our next World Cup squad. While it’s impossible to predict accurately who will be fit and firing in four years time, or who else might emerge, let alone what the thoughts of the manager, whoever that might be, are, it’s nevertheless a worthy exercise.

After all, this golden generation, who the nation has followed closely and fallen in love with, are nearing the end.

If Pim Verbeek didn’t feel it was time to rejuvenate before the World Cup, a decision which came back to haunt him in my mind, the time is certainly nigh.

The talk has been, over the past few years, that there isn’t sufficient quality coming through behind this generation.

Personally, I’m of the view there is enough out there, provided the right type of players are identified and provided they get the right type of mentoring, advice, coaching and a slice of luck.

I was certainly pleased to catch up with the A-League’s double-winning manager Vitezslav Lavicka last week and hear a similar sentiment. He feels we have enough quality. It’s now a matter of identification, development and coaching.

Gary van Egmond was one of those that had a crack at the 2014 squad for The Sun-Herald a couple of weeks ago.

The usual suspects – Matthew Spiranovic, Nathan Burns, Bruce Djite, James Holland, Tommy Oar and Ben Kantarovski – all get a mention, and others, like Marko Jesic and Eli Babalj are thereabouts as far as the former Newcastle manager is concerned.

The youngest on his list was a 16 year old by the name of Terry Antonis, who earlier this week was unveiled as a Sydney FC youth team signing.

Those of you who have been following the local scene for a while will have seen the name, and know he has been touted as the “next big thing” for some time.

Like many talented youngsters, his father has played a big part in getting him here, but the next few years will be crucial as he starts mixing it with the men.

Van Egmond, his coach at the AIS last season, certainly speaks highly of him;

“He’s a bit out of the box because his technique is so good, he’s both sided and can play as a 10, an 8 or even a 6. He’s a very complete player who could work a bit harder on his defensive duties. But with the ball, he’s a very clever player who scores goals from midfield, like [Tim] Cahill and [Brett] Holman. Antonis will develop over the next four years and I suspect he’ll have a rapid rise.”

I managed to catch one of the AIS youth team’s games last season and Antonis played a full game. Playing as a shadow striker, he didn’t really get a chance to influence things against a Sydney youth side that dominated.

But another Sydney FC youngster I have seen a fair bit more of is Dimitrios Petratos, who is one year older than Antonis and came from the same Westfield’s Sports High nursery.

Those of you with an eye towards the future of Australian football talent will remember, about this time last year, in one of my first columns on The Roar, I wrote about a young kid from Western Sydney I believe is the type of player we should be looking to develop and nurture.

Petratos (pictured above, left, playing for NSW Premier League club Sydney Olympic last weekend) is the type of player that our system has often deemed surplus to requirements; a skilful, diminutive type, excellent on ball and a good dribbler, but the type of player deemed too small and not powerful enough by some dinosaur managers of the past.

Never mind the football, never mind the technique, we need runners and athletes, the theory has often been.

I’m pleased to report that Petratos is indeed getting the right type of nurturing and mentoring under Lavicka, who, it appears, thinks quite highly of him.

After 12 months under Steve O’Connor in the youth squad, where he was used on and off, it’s been interesting seeing Lavicka’s use of him in the pre-season. Indeed, Lavicka brought him into the first team squad at the back-end of last season to give him some valuable experience.

The Sydney manager has made it clear in the pre-season that he wishes to align the senior and youth squads this campaign. He feels there was a bit of distance between them last season, and is hell bent on aligning philosophies and training techniques and providing a pathway to the A-League and beyond.

To that end, Steve Corica has been appointed youth team manager and will get assistance from the experienced Ian Crook, who was Pierre Littbarski’s assistant in the inaugural A-League season.

Last week, on a bitterly-cold night out at Marconi Stadium at Bossley Park, in Sydney’s west, otherwise known as Harry Kewell and Nicky Carle territory, it was great to see Petratos entrusted with an important role at the head of Lavicka’s midfield diamond.

With marquee Carle in the grandstand, nursing a grade one hamstring tear sustained a week earlier against Macarthur Rams in Campbelltown (which will keep him out of much of the pre-season), Lavicka had no hesitation in playing the 17 year old up against experience Marconi holding midfielder Nahuel Arrarte.

To say he carved up the former NSL side would be an exaggeration, but there’s no doubt he looked comfortable playing the creative role behind Alex Brosque and Mark Bridge. Together their movement, technique and intricate combination play was too much for the hosts, and within half an hour it was game-over.

In the second period Lavicka moved him to the left of his diamond. It was a controlled performance, but everything Petratos did on the ball was neat, and with both feet, while his defensive positioning was good.

Tonight, at ANZ Stadium in Homebush, Sydney take on Tim Cahill’s Everton in a pre-season friendly. With ‘All Night’ Dwight Yorke back in town, both Petratos and Antonis will be starting from the bench, but expect to see both of them get game-time.

In front of a crowd expected to be pushing 30,000, that is invaluable experience for Australia’s football future.

While all eyes will be on the likes of Cahill, Yorke and Mikel Arteta, for the sake of Australian football’s next phase, let’s hope it’s the likes of Petratos and Antonis mixing comfortably with the elite.