Australia's Harry Kewell, center, controls the ball through Paraguay's Claudio Morel Rodriguez, left, and Enrique Vera during their soccer friendly in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010. Australia won the match 1-0 . (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
I don’t fancy it will, but Harry Kewell’s omission from Holger Osieck’s 18-man squad to face Wales should act as a reality check for the Socceroos star.
Next week’s assignment, despite being against an opposition ranked almost 100 places below the Australians, looms as a crucial tune-up for World Cup qualifying which begins just weeks later.
For Osieck to not include Kewell speaks volumes, not only regarding his stance on a less than glamorous fixture, but as a value judgement upon the Socceroos’ most famous name.
Plain and simple, Kewell and his management have been playing an increasingly alienating game of funny buggers for the best part of three months. Far too long where Osieck and the Socceroos are concerned.
Internationally, Kewell has been linked with Queens Park Rangers and Fulham in the Premier League as well as various MLS clubs in the States.
The saga regarding his possible playing in the A-League has been well documented with Sydney FC, and more consistently Melbourne Victory, speculated to be ever so close to securing his services.
However for a variety of reasons, mostly wage related, Kewell remains clubless and with all major European leagues set to get underway in the next couple of weeks, Osieck was left with no choice but to leave the perennial Socceroo out of his short-term plans.
And thankfully so, as Harry’s in desperate need of a reality check, with a temporary absence from the national team perhaps working as the tonic.
For Osieck, now shapes as an ideal time to send Kewell such a message as he attempts to perform a facelift of sorts in the area of the park in which the Socceroos are in most need of generational change.
Osieck needs to make over an ageing attack and identify reliable sources of goals outside of Kewell and Tim Cahill.
It’s why Robbie Kruse has been a regular since the Asian Cup, why James Troisi continues to feature and why Scott McDonald is on the kitchen bench defrosting.
In fact Osieck is currently in Colombia watching the Under-20 World Cup, closely monitoring the progress of the likes of Bernie Ibini, Kerem Bulut and anybody else capable of causing some headaches up front.
Meanwhile, the coach has decided that for now – and possibly beyond – he can live without Kewell, regardless of the legacy and skill set he still brings.
Unfortunately for Kewell it’s a stance most European and A-League clubs might start adopting too. Melbourne Victory in fact has given the thirty-three year old until close of business tomorrow to make up his mind.
Time is indeed running out for Kewell. For the sake of himself, his reputation and perhaps his future with the Socceroos, he seriously needs to sort out his club status.
Thankfully Osieck has sent him that particular message in the form of a Socceroos squad which, for a rare instance, neither requires nor requests him.
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