If you hadn’t caught the Asian Cup fever just yet, Tuesday’s announcement of the 23-man Socceroos squad should have done the trick.
It was a largely predictable announcement, but there remains a sense that this team can go one better than the crop of 2011.
Form over reputation
We all rejoiced when Ange Postecoglou stated his intention to give form greater weight than reputation when he stepped into the role. It was a simple request his predecessors blindly ignored.
Thus, it was always going to be one of the focal points heading into the Asian Cup. To his credit, the Socceroos boss has largely stuck to his guns, with only five players named in the squad not considered regulars for their respective clubs.
Ante Covic aside, you’d be hard pressed to find an in-form player who wasn’t at least in contention for a call-up. Although much of the squad seemed pre-determined, Postecoglou admitted he faced a few selection dilemmas.
It’s a sign of the depth emerging in the Socceroos’ ranks, particularly in the midfield and forward line, a luxury we have rarely been afforded in recent years.
Local flavour
The A-League ain’t too bad, after all. Seven home-based players have been given the nod in the form of Matt McKay, Mark Milligan, Tomi Juric, Matthew Spiranovic, Terry Antonis, Eugene Galekovic and Nathan Burns. It creates a healthy debate for players struggling to make the grade in Europe, proving regular game time in the A-League trumps bench-warming in a more recognisable competition… for the most part, at least.
It’s a reality that has taken a number of fringe players as casualties (think Josh Brillante and Adam Taggart) and could prompt a rethink for those in a similar position in the future.
Surprise selections
While there were no selections out of left-field, the inclusion of Chris Herd and Jason Davidson raised a few eyebrows.
Although, as pointed out by Postecoglou, Herd has been on the bench for Aston Villa over the last three weeks, he is yet to make a Premier League appearance this season. His last first-team run came in the Socceroos’ defeat to Qatar in October, but Herd has the benefit of being well in-favour with Postecoglou.
Davidson has also been resigned to the sidelines since October, when he featured in West Brom’s League Cup defeat to Bournemouth. It’s been a tumultuous start to the defender’s Premier League career and his lack of match fitness must be of concern for Postecoglou. That said, Davidson was one of the best performers at the World Cup and will be eager to reclaim his place amid competition in the fullback positions.
Surprise omissions
Oliver Bozanic is arguably the most hard done-by. A congested pool of midfielders was always going to result in a couple of unlucky omissions and Bozanic will undoubtedly be on standby in the case of injury.
The 25-year-old made a solid impact in Brazil and has featured prominently for Luzern in the Swiss Super League this season.
So too, Aaron Mooy. The Melbourne City midfielder has been resurgent in his new colours this season, moulding into the creative spark that made him such hot property after his debut season with Western Sydney. Both players have plenty to offer and it’s testament to the Socceroos’ depth in the middle of the park that they’ll both be watching from the stands in January.
Attacking focus
Substance will take precedence over style at the Asian Cup. While there will be a desire for the Socceroos to play attractive football in front of their home fans, the end result is the most important thing here.
Inspiration will be taken from the World Cup campaign, but the leniency will be stripped away. Thus, there will be a great deal of pressure on the attackers to perform, largely given most of those in contention for a start have been firing at club level.
Mat Leckie and Tim Cahill seem locked in to occupy two of the three spots up top, with Robbie Kruse likely to come under some pressure given his turbulent season in Germany.
Via the likes of Massimo Luongo, Nathan Burns and James Troisi, the Socceroos possess a great deal of creativity and the chances in front of goal are likely to be abundant.
The elephant in the room remains the lack of poachers. Juric and Burns provide goalscoring threats and can hopefully lift the burden off Cahill’s overworked shoulders.
Defensive frailties
The defence has provided cause for worry in recent years. It is the lack of stability that has been the main issue, with the back four yet to be locked in. Fortunately, centre backs Trent Sainsbury, Matt Spiranovic and Alex Wilkinson all head in decent condition, having mostly featured regularly for their clubs.
Of the fullback options, only Aziz Behich has clocked up sufficient minutes recently and that, combined with his solid outing against Japan, will likely see him locked in at left-back.
As the World Cup proved, the back line needs to remain far more solid if the Socceroos plan to go all the way. Hopefully the pre-tournament camp incorporates some set-piece marking.
brian drian
Guest
well said.
Fadida
Guest
You accuse me of using stats, which I'm not. I accuse you of using a players league performances soley to judge suitability for international football. No I don't watch Halloran in his club games. I don't need to. I see him at international level with his poor technique, positioning and decision making. I'm not dismissing the standard of these leagues, what I am saying is that when these players you name play for the NT they are inferior to players who are selected from the A-league. AP agrees. And he has a higher coaching badge than yours (not that that really matters) I agree with what you say re assessing the quality of a league. These measures are important. Ultimately it comes down to performances at the level for which players are vying for selection though, and currently Vidosic, Bozanic and Halloran have done nothing at NT level to demand selection. Do you plan to pick a team based on league form, ignoring international performances? This is how Jedinak has justified selection ( much better in the last game btw) I'm glad you live in Austria, lovely country, but neither that not your b licence makes your point any more valid, much like the League someone plays in.
Bfc
Guest
Perhaps Rogic would have been better served if his management team had him signed to an Eredivisie team....not sure that the hustle and bustle of the SPL is a great platform for player development, but the Eredivisie has a long history of helping players develop and then go on to bigger things. A pity he is not fit for he AFC Cup. On another note, Seasons Greetings to all!
Squizz
Guest
'That said, Davidson was one of the best performers at the World Cup and will be eager to reclaim his place amid competition in the fullback positions.' I must have watched a different World Cup. Consistently was the player keeping the gaol scorers onside. A fullback that can't defend is a liability.
The Auteur
Guest
Let's wait until the AC until we declare him our king.
Brick Tamland of the pants party
Guest
I have a question and it's genuine, have Celtic really developed any top players who have through the youth ranks in the past decade?. I can think of two off my head in Aiden Mcgeady and Shaun Maloney who have gone to decent careers in leagues in Russia and England but they aren't exactly churning them out are they?. Can't really say i see many ex Celtic youngsters tearing up Europe but i could be mistaken.
Batou
Guest
Burns? Form is important and he sure has that right now.
melbourneterrace
Guest
Oh god your actually going to keep arguing this. "Narrow minded Eurosnob" No i just actually live here in Austria and am a UEFA B coach, which means unlike most Australian football fans, i end up watching a lot of football from these leagues here as well as the A-League and would say I kinda know what i'm talking about. Relative to the A-League, both the Austrian and the Swiss Leagues have increased accurate passing and sharp movement in the final third at a higher speed, most coaches and analysts agree this is generally one of the best ways to compare league strength as it can indicate a number of things. I'm a big defender of the A-League, but deluded comments like yours do it no justice. If Bozanic, Halloran Holland and Vidosic are able to play well (and they are playing well if you actually watched them) at higher levels, then basic football logic states they should be given increased consideration. That doesn't mean they should have a right to start like Jedinak but they should be considered ahead of average local players. How many games for Fortuna Dussledorf have you seen Halloran play? Did you only watch his few socceroos games? How many 2. Bundesliga matches have you watched. I'm going to say none, like everyone else who talks crap and dismiss the standard of these leagues. The same goes for Bozanic. He has improved and his new club know how to use him far better than Arnold did, but people only see basic stats rather than actually watching him.
The Auteur
Guest
Yes, he's getting slower and he can't press effectively at the front. But who else is going to score goals? Leckie? Oar? Kruse?
Josh
Guest
Santa is still out with the shoulder injury.... boom tish
jamesb
Guest
Merry Xmas everyone. Hope you score a goal in the new year!
Mister Football
Roar Guru
I agree with you, unfortunately Ange has to contend with endless replays of Timmy's recent WC highlights reel, which is likely to cloud everyone's judgement for the next couple of years.
punter
Guest
Ships are safe in the harbour, but this is not why ships are built for.
Matt On the Ball
Guest
This is real sport.. so we have to take real risks ... Ange is right to do what hes done.. cant make an omlette without breaking eggs
Towser
Guest
Just watched a clip of Nathan Burns scoring his 10 A-League goals so far this season. Some poached,some individual,some good team play,whatever the MO Burns has been popping them in. Now we all know that domestic and International football are two different animals( read Taggart last year) ,but for me ,the lad is in cracking goal scoring form. If Ange can do an "Ernie on him" he will deliver.
AR
Guest
It doesn't look like a "strong" squad, but I remain quietly optimistic about our chances, particularly in front of home crowds. Suspect defence notwithstanding, I fear that Cahill needs a barnstorming tournament for us to progress beyond the SF, and with question marks over Kruse, and Leckie still unproven (IMO), its a big ask of our talisman. Looking forward to it.
Fadida
Guest
Bugger all. Crocked by an endless number of shuttle runs and putting the ball into the mixer ;)
Midfielder
Guest
Cheers for the season for all...
Realfootball
Guest
Can anyone enlighten me as to exactly what is happening with Tom Rogic?
Realfootball
Guest
Never rated Botanic, MT, and I think his success in Switzerland says more about that League than Bozanic's ability. BUT I agree 100% on Cahill. Now he has announced his intention to play to the next world cup. Ange's failure to deal with the Cahill problem has been a huge disappointment, for mine. Even at his best, he was a very limited player. Now he's 35 and his presence in the lineup is derailing the way we play. Off the bench, sure. Starting, no. Hiddink knew that, and Cahill was at his peak then. A long, long time ago.