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Ange Postecoglou will step down from his role as Australia’s national football manager at the end of the 2018 World Cup, according to Les Murray.
Murray tweeted on Thursday morning: “Enjoyed interviewing Ange Postecoglou at the AFI dinner last night where he confirmed that after the 2018 World Cup he’s stepping down.”
Enjoyed interviewing Ange Postecoglou at the AFI dinner last night where he confirmed that after the 2018 World Cup he's stepping down.
— Les Murray (@lesmurraySBS) April 5, 2017
Postecoglou has managed the Socceroos since he was appointed to a five-year contract in October 2013 after the sacking of previous coach Holger Osieck.
Before that, he coached the Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in the A-League, winning two championships and a premiership with the Roar.
The Socceroos have a record of 17 wins, seven draws and 12 losses in 36 matches under his guidance, but eight of those losses came in 2014 and the team has only lost four times since.
However, the Socceroos currently face a battle to qualify for the 2018 World Cup – they are behind Saudi Arabia and Japan in their group, with crucial fixtures against both sides and Thailand still to come this year.
If Australia fails to achieve a top-two spot in the group they will still have a chance to qualify through a series of two-legged play-offs, but direct qualification would be a much easier route.
Postecoglou, however, has said he wants to do more than just qualify for next year’s World Cup – he wants Australia to make an impact when there as well.
“That’s the whole plan,” Postecoglou said in March.
“Everything we’ve done, and everything I’ve done since I’ve taken over, is to try and create that. There are so many things you need to factor into it and you just don’t know, but everything we do, every decision we make — about selection, the way we play — is designed so that if we do get to a World Cup, we can make an impact.
“Whether that happens or not, time will show all that, but in the meantime I’m not going to try and sit in a place of consolidation or try and sort of reel it back in because potentially, we might not qualify if we’re not as bold in the way we do things. I just don’t think that serves any purpose for anyone.
“I know people feel good about qualification, I understand that — I certainly want to qualify for a World Cup — but just qualifying for a World Cup has proven in the past is not as fulfilling as maybe people think it is when you’re in the middle of it.”
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