With Brazil just over three months away and Ange Postecoglou hinting at opportunities for players from both the A-League and overseas for next month’s Ecuador friendly, here I run the rule over some of the European-based players likely to be in his thoughts.
Postecoglou has suggested that the squad, to be announced next week, will have a new look and feel, and has started that process by adding new support staff in assistant Ante Milicic, analyst Peter Cklamovski from the Melbourne Victory, and sports scientist and conditioning coach Andrew Young.
That freshness looks likely to extend to the playing pitch.
The manager, of course, has recently been on scouting mission overseas, and this squad should give us a great insight into what he has seen.
For example, we constantly hear names from the English lower tiers being pushed.
Among the most recent names being thrust is central defender Bailey Wright of League One Preston North End.
This selection will indicate whether Postecoglou thinks that level and standard is good enough to allow players like Wright to step onto the international stage.
Certainly Mile Jedinak, who is a regular in the EPL, and playing well, gets in, but there remain doubts about whether there is enough quality being produced across the UK to throw at the likes of Spain, Holland and Chile.
It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if the manager is more inclined to go with those playing regularly on the continent.
There was another pointer to that yesterday when reports filtered through that Western Australian raised central defender Tomislav Mrcela, playing in the Croatian top flight, appeared likely to get a call-up.
Mrcela is a player that the Football Central website have been tracking, and it appears that Socceroos management have been doing the same, recently touching base with him to indicate he was on the cusp of a call-up.
Central defence is certainly an area that Postecoglou hopes to find a pearl or two, and while Matt Spiranovic has been impressing domestically (more on that in another article), it’ll be interesting to see if Mrcela does get a call up, and game time against Ecuador.
Certainly it would send a message to Australian footballers the world over that performances are being monitored, something that should be a given, but rarely has been in recent times.
Whether there are any beyond Mrcela that Postecoglou uncorks remains to be seen, but a sweep of Europe indicates there is a foundation of names at least playing regularly.
Two that are near certainties are Tommy Oar and Mat Leckie, particularly given the unfortunate injury to fellow front man Robbie Kruse.
Another I would throw into the mix now that he’s back from a long term knee injury, playing consistently, and seemingly playing well is Adam Sarota.
A player I’ve long admired, it was terrific to see Sarota recently feature alongside Oar for FC Utrecht in an Eredivisie game against Trent Sainsbury’s PEC Zwolle.
While he was at times a little too deep for my liking on the right side of a midfield diamond, he made some delightful long passes that showcased he has great vision and passing range.
Certainly Sarota’s creative qualities present another option for the manager in a squad likely to contain holding midfielders Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan, James Holland and Matt McKay.
The manager was full of praise for left back Jason Davidson after the Socceroos beat Costa Rica in November and he’s been getting game time in Holland, so is likely to remain in the mix.
Postecoglou has made no secret of the fact he wants people playing. A couple that have been getting game-time in Germany are Ben Hollaran and Nikta Rukavytsya.
The former would be a blotter, but not a complete surprise. In many ways, he could be the biggest benefactor of Kruse’s misfortune.
If Halloran does get a call-up, it will be fascinating to see just how much he’s developed since moving from the A-League, where he showed exhilarating pace but not always with the requisite composure in the final third.
It would certainly send an encouraging message or two to someone like Kwame Yeboah, who has recently taken a similar path.
Meanwhile, Oliver Bozanic and Dario Vidosic continue to get games in Switzerland, while Holland features in Austria.
Add Mat Ryan, who is playing consistently in Belgium, and Jedinak, and there’s 12 names based in Europe, playing regularly, who should be right in the mix.
12 European based players in the Socceroos mix:
Mat Ryan
Mile Jedinak
Mat Leckie
Ben Halloran
Nikta Rukavytsya
Tommy Oar
Adam Sarota
Jason Davidson
Oliver Bozanic
Dario Vidosic
James Holland
Tomislav Mrcela
Next I take a look at the A-League players most likely to be in Postecoglou’s plans.
fadida
Guest
Butcher hasn't improved. His football is ugly and prehistoric. The quality of coaching is actually a reflection on the quality of the league. That Butcher is regarded as a top coach says a lot about the SPL. And it's not a positive. If Mackay is one of the "top 10 midfielders" in the league (he's top 15 I'd agree), just what percentage of the league are "stars"? About 20% by your reckoning, given that by extension the top 10 in each position are therefore "stars"
eric1
Guest
The Richard Porta brigade is less vocal these days.
Realfootbal
Guest
Vinnie, you don't "already know" anything. You're simply making an assumption based on scant knowledge of these players and a clearly inaccurate perception of the past (or passing) players that you have pointed to. And bringing up Kewell as a youngster is pointless. He is the best player we have ever produced. He's a once in a generation player. He can't be used as a yardstick.
James Anderson
Roar Guru
Coaching cannot be compared to playing. Two very differnt things, and Terry was a bad coach 7 years ago, so maybe he has gotten better? ... (yeah i know, he was pre hopeless) But McKay is one of the best players at Roar, he changed the game as a substitute last week against Jets, and "mid-upper level" doesn't do him justice. Certianly in top ten midfielders in A-League.
vinnie
Guest
and we didnt lose a generation cos of the gap between the nsl and the aleague, there were still junior games and leagues all around the country, they are just being coached like robots these , no individual skill, just the same old triangle passing drills one after another.
vinnie
Guest
your just a good writer Rob, with all the excuses in the book. when you compare Oar to where viduka or kewell were at his age , they were scoring and staring for their team, kewell was a leeds established star at 19. no comparision. listen , happy for you to prove me wrong. another, take a closer look at these players, none of them have the solo one on one attributes skills that kewell and vidukes had, scoring instinct that Timmy cahil had. i already know based on that , that none on that list are going to do anything special.
Jack
Guest
Kisborno a star? Couldn't get out of te reserves in championship believe he player a bit if league one
fadida
Guest
I was very tempted to mention Butcher and leave it at that! One of the few coaches who doesn't make Osieck look outdated :)
Griffo
Roar Guru
+3, especially the football world producing more quality players, and the game in general moving on in quality and pace compared to even a decade ago...
realfootball
Guest
That last sentence tells you everything you need to know about the SPL.
realfootball
Guest
Good on you for having the patience to take Vinnie through the logic, Rob G. Agree on every count. An excellent antidote to Vinnie's knee jerk negativity.
fadida
Guest
Interesting definition of "star". Mackay is a mid-upper level player here. No "star" Kisnorbo was a championship "star" but is average here. Terry Butcher is a "star" manager at SPL level!
Jack
Guest
Don't forget McKay can't get game time there and now he is a star here so well above
fadida
Guest
Irvine and McGowan wouldn't be stars at all. They'd be mid-level players.
fadida
Guest
Excellent points Rob. I might copy those and paste to every second Vinnie post :)
striker
Guest
Rob i agree not to mention a large amount of second generation of kids of ethnic backgrounds came through the same era around 60-70 italian,croatians,greek migrants knew nothing else but football,viduka,skoko,schwarzer,popovic,kalac and more,i knew my dad and countless others all we knew was football, it will take another 5-10 years before the next generation to come through and i am confident of that.
Rob Gremio
Roar Pro
I think you have missed the point. It's not the fault of the A-league, nor the Dutch coaches. Rather, it is the significant gap between the NSL ending and the A-League beginning. Further, to judge our players based on where they are playing now compared to a group of truly exceptional players from 10 years ago is also unfair. The football world has moved on a long way from those days, and there are other places in a bigger, global football market, from which to draw players. The big question is whether your Aloisi's and others would still be getting a gig at the clubs you listed in today's market, if they were starting their Euro Journey now. Also, note the ages of the majority of the players in the list. How long did it take for Cahill to crack it with Everton? What about Neill at Blackburn? Sure, you have your Viduka and Kewell, but at the age that Tommy Oar is now, Viduka was playing where? in Croatia? Not a bad start for Oar, is it? Or Kruse, at Leverkusen. Where was Viduka at Kruse's current age? Celtic? Not bad in comparison, right? So before you go and blame all the ills of the world on the "dutch coaches and curriculums" maybe you should take a more considered view. We lost a generation, in some ways, due to the demise of the NSL, but if you look at where the players that Tony listed are now, and their ages, it's not too bad, don't you think? But anyway, maybe that's just because I'm a glass half full kind of guy.
James Anderson
Roar Guru
Not sure about that. Celtic, though no world beaters, are a huge club and could comfortably beat any A-League team. They win every year, so the SPL standard cannot be judged on Celtic alone, but look at Aaron Mooy who was struggling to get game time at St. Mirren, and comes to A-League and is one of our better midfielders. If Jackson Irvine or Dylan McGowan came back to the A-League I'd bet my money that they would be stars. So I think the SPL is still a cut above the A-League.
vinnie
Guest
No, we wont go back to the NSL days, that would be the end of football in this country, your missing the point whether you like it or not the aleague is not producing quality exports, look at our national team and you will see if you cant handle critisism dont have a sook about it, all these dutch coaches and ciriculums that were introduced when we had a gun side in 2006 was only meant to move us up and forward but all thats happened is a sinking ship disaster waiting to happen at the next world cup
jack
Guest
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