No logic behind Tom Rogic being a Socceroo favourite

@ Dylan Arvela: I think you're putting 2 and 2 together & coming up with 10!!! Ok, if one starts on the assumption that Rogic didn't have his best game against Ecuador, that still leaves the secondary question you pose indirectly - who, if not Rogic, do you play in the CAM role? Bresciano? IMO, no - he's too slow and will be shown to lose the ball just as often as Rogic as he'll be caught in possession by the likes of Busquets, Alcantara, De Jong, (Strootman, if he wasn't injured last weekend!), Chile's Carlos Carmona. Not to mention Paulinho and Luiz Gustavo if we by some minor miracle make it to the 2nd Rnd! Holman? IMO, no as well - as mentioned above, he's pretty much just a running machine who has an ok shot. His workrate is good, but his distribution is poorer than Rogic's and he's less likely to be able to create opportunities on the dribble too. Cahill? IMO, no - the Ecuador match showed that we're probably best served with him as our lone FWD in a 4-2-3-1 formation, as his mobility & aerial strength is better than any of the alternative combinations we have in that position. Vidosic? Possibly - his distribution is arguably better and he may have more pace too, but he can't ride a tackle better or hold up possession as well as Rogic. He may be better suited to one of the wide roles, but he's definitely an alternative to Rogic. McKay? IMO no, as I haven't seen him influence games as much as Rogic has. Ange knows him better than most and could probably get the best out of him, and he has more NT experience so it could be a safer bet. Leckie? This wouldn't be a straight swap as I'm assuming Leckie would take Cahill's position who would then drop down into the midfield. But my answer again would be no as we would most likely play a style of game (relying more on running on to balls played behind the opposition back 4 & thus not under control) that limits our ability to play up the field given the quality of opposition we face in the WC. We'll need someone in midfield that can hold onto the ball for long enough for our players to move up the pitch - the 2nd half of the Ecuador game showed a classic example of what will happen if we can't do that well! This is something that Rogic arguably does better than any of the CAM alternatives (if not the whole squad!)

Cant agree with this article. Watch Rogic for 90 mins and his immense technical quality cannot be ignored. Right from his pro debut the guy has shown that he has considerable talent. I haven't seen anyone in the a-league glide around opposition defenders as effortlessly as rogic does. Important to remember that he is still young (Thursday was his first international start). But that is all the more reason to give him socceroos game time - lack of experience may be the main 'problem' in his game right now. Certainly seems very harsh to call for him to be benched at the wc based only on 50 minutes in his starting debut (putting aside whether he did play badly or not)

Exactly. It frustrates me when the majority of fans are calling for coaches such as Osieck to get axed for not regenerating the squad and not looking to the future. And rightfully so, hence why Ange has come along. But then Ange replaces Holman for the talented and promising Rogic, and dumb articles such as this condemn such a move.

Yes it is

That's it. No one is pretending he is ADP or "world class". He is however our best option. Game time at the WC will hopefully 1) improve him and 2) get him the hell out of the SPL, to a league that suits his skill set

Well, thank heavens Ange is the coach .. .although, I'm sure Ange reads The Roar before picking the team! :-D

The tall poppy syndrome is alive and well.

I'm interested to know who you'd replace him with if he isn't a starting Socceroo

Thank you, I was going to write something along the same lines. He's good now, but he isn't starting in the socceroos. He has a small amount of goals and a sprinkle of assists, thats it.

What a dud analysis. Rogic is 21 years old and our most technically gifted player. If you couldn't see his involvement in the second half then why do you write about football? He was instrumental in receiving the ball in tight areas. On countless occasions a brilliant ball from deep was played to Cahill (Often by Jedinak or Spiranovic), and Cahill would cushion the ball first time for Rogic. These two players worked very well with each other. Rogic would then keep the ball with ease, albeit sometimes taking one two many touches, but in most cases found a player to retain possession. In some cases he had the confidence to take on the Ecuadorians, and managed to wriggle past two or three, but a lack of support or a poor decision to not play the ball resulted in turning the ball over. I'm not saying that he didn't make mistakes, but I guarantee it would have been a very differrent first half without him THE FUSS IS WARRANTED! 3 Years time (if he continues to improve at this rate) he'll be playing regular football in Europe.

Let Ange work on him. My tip is that he will take his game to a new level in Brazil.

For me, Tom Rogic is the most technically-gifted player we have had since Harry Kewell. He is a pure delight to watch. When he gets the ball, something happens. My only criticisms as a spectator: 1. he holds the ball a bit too long - since he always attracts 2-3 opposition players, he should make use of this & lay the ball off earlier 2. his stamina needs to improve for the position he plays. Without Rogic, our attacks are rudderless & impotent. Unless Bresciano can work his way back into the squad.

We are going to need him as he is part of the way forward for the Socceroos. My only criticism is that he doesn't press quite hard enough to immediately regain possession once he's been dispossessed, a quality we are going to need in Brazil as we may be spending a fair bit of time off the ball.

Nonsense. Flat out nonsense. I can't really see the point in saying anything else.

What you say is true Dylan. Rojic is showing potential but he his not world class yet. This is why Celtic have him on the bench, if he was ready Celtic would not have loaned him out to Melbourne. I am not saying he should not go as we don't have anyone better and the experience of a World Cup can only benefit him. I think the media puts pressure on a lot of these kids if they score a couple of good goals they are talking them up for Brazil. Give these kids a pat on the back but don't put them on the plane yet.

yes I would say "sublime first touch but lacks troubling pace".I must have watched a different game the first 20-25 minutes I thought Rogic was a stand out player for us being involved in some great little exchanges just outside the box and drawing fouls from Ecuadors defendersThe author states on a number of occasions Rogic fluffed his lines in an attack but I only saw him really do that once early in the second on a counter attack,he waited too long to put a through ball in when he had Cahill and Leckie on either side of him. My main concern and only real gripe with Rogic is he can drift in and out of games,I think he has abit of an languidness about him but that im sure Ange has noticed and will work on.A quality midfielder must be pulling the strings for 90 minutes not in 10 minute bursts particulary at that level.

Are you BLIND? Rogic's ability to find the angle with his passing was brilliant.

Might not be adp or even a kewell but he is showing potential to be a good player for the roos where there are otherwise not a lot of options or depth. My hope is he will become a good player able to play first team in most leagues. Tbh not many that good at the moment... Luongo maybe, oar, Kruse....

I misse the game against Ecuador but from what I've seen against elsewhere I agree. Against Costa Rica he showed he is a fantastic dribbler and his marker resorted to fouling him because he couldn't stop him, but he gets caught with the ball too often. Needs to pass much earlier. Bresc should start and Rogic on as a sub in the last 20 to change it up and run at the defence.

Yes, he did contribute as you say but maybe people are expecting him to impose himself on the game more than he's shown so far. A comparison with what Marco Bresciano has provided to the Socceroos may be a fairer point of conparison.