While many of Europe’s elite footballers are currently sunning themselves on the beach, one of the hottest names in the world game is preparing to take on Australia in primetime.
Pedri will probably need to come back from Japan loaded with souvenirs for his Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman.
The Dutchman was his usual apoplectic self at the news Spain had selected Pedri for the Olympics, blasting the decision after the 18-year-old wunderkind played almost every minute of the senior national team’s Euro 2020 campaign.
But Spain have always taken the Olympics seriously ever since Barcelona hosted in 1992 and having made full use of the Spanish law that requires both Real Madrid and Barcelona to release their top players, coach Luis de la Fuente will travel to Japan expecting to win gold.
That’s because their squad looks ridiculous on paper compared to pretty much every other nation involved.
Unai Simon, Eric Garcia, Pau Torres, Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo and man of the moment Pedri featured at Euro 2020, while overage players Marco Asensio, Mikel Merino and Dani Ceballos are all full internationals.
We haven’t seen our boys face a national team laden with this much world-class talent since the Socceroos took on France at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Whether it’s a blessing or a curse that we’ll get to watch the Olyroos take on Spain at the Sapporo Dome at 8:30pm in primetime next Sunday night remains to be seen.
There’s every chance the Spaniards might simply rip Graham Arnold’s team to shreds.
But if the point of international football is to test yourself against the best, the 22 players selected for Australia to take on Argentina, Spain and Egypt at the Tokyo Olympics should consider themselves lucky.
Representing your country is an honour reserved for a select few and after failing to qualify for both the London and Rio Olympics, Aussie fans should be delighted to see the Olyroos back on the big stage.
The likes of Tom Glover, Reno Piscopo and Denis Genreau deserve to showcase their talents in the international arena, while players like Daniel Arzani and Riley McGree can use the Games to rebuild a bit of confidence.
Will Daniel Arzani make his mark on the men’s Olympic football tournament? (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
And selecting Mitch Duke as the squad’s solitary overage player is a shrewd move.
Arnold might wish to use the Olympics as a launchpad for the next generation of Socceroos, but the 30-year-old Duke is the experienced veteran who can bring the whole squad together.
That’s something the Matildas need a bit of as well.
Results haven’t been ideal under new coach Tony Gustavsson, but the Swede has the chance to sweep it all under the carpet by getting off to a winning start against Tom Sermanni’s New Zealand.
Like the Olyroos, Australia’s women’s team has been drawn in a brutal group featuring the Kiwis, Gustavsson’s native Sweden and the national team the Matildas ostensibly nicked him from in the form of the United States.
Unlike the Olyroos, who’ll play their group stage campaign in the slightly cooler climes of northern Japan, the Matildas will face their Group G destiny in Tokyo and its hotter surrounds.
Only four countries are represented in both the men’s and women’s tournament, namely host nation Japan, Australia, New Zealand and perennial powerhouses Brazil.
And given our proud history in Olympic football – the Olyroos made the semi-finals in Barcelona, while the Matildas are two-time quarter-finalists – we should be genuinely excited to watch our national teams strut their stuff in a time zone we can actually enjoy.
Those, like Koeman, who insist Olympic football is unimportant can sod off as far I’m concerned. He only says that because he’s not involved.
For the rest of us, the Olympics give us the chance to watch the Olyroos and Matildas go up against some of the best players in world football.
It’s the sort of things dreams are made of.
Let’s just hope it hasn’t turned into a nightmare by this time next week.
Brian
Guest
Didn't Olmo tear Italy apart in the semi-final at the Euros? Doesn't he need a holiday?
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
They've got a good chance to get out of their group. If they do that, they'll want to be in medal contention for sure.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
I had the pleasure of watching the Spanish Olympic side face the Japanese Olympic side in a friendly last week. The Spanish are clearly a class above us, though not much above the Japanese (it was a 1-1 draw in the end). From what I saw of the match we need to keep the midfield pressure on, particularly when the Spanish have it in their own half. They were a rather different side under pressure. Sit deep and we will be cruxified (the Japanese did it for parts of the match and were luckly to survive those lapses). The problem is that it will be exhausting. Interesting thing was the Japanese side; they could go far in this tournament.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Olyroos are stacked with high work rate physical players. The only thing good about Duke is he matches that profile. Thats the only good thing in the squad and what they should concentrate on. Arnold why he played Genrau in the Socceroos was beyond a mystery. Genrau needs to be left out and Arzani and Piscopo need to be kept on the bench and used as subs. The high workrate physical players need to be selected . The Matildas have the wrong players too old too slow I see more dynamic players in the W-league. The coach is in total dreamland where did they find this guy. Van Egmond so slow and unfit will be ten meters behind anyone she marks.
chris
Guest
China making friends again?
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Yeah I cant imagine the general public breaking down the players of the winning team of the olympics by leagues played and game time played throughout the season and comparing it to the olyroos. Instead headlines will be Olyroos Nightmare, is this the end for football, no point of nsd, always keep a summer A League etc.
Nick Symonds
Guest
IDEA: The peace symbol is actually based on the semaphore positions for N and D, which stands for Nuclear Disarmament. If you added two small lines within the centre circle you could create a peace sign and this could become a new FIFA campaign. https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/style-origins-peace-symbol/index.html
Nick Symonds
Guest
"Frightening prospect facing Olyroos in Tokyo" - Not as frightening as Chinese threats of nuclear war against Japan today: https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/china-threatens-to-nuke-japan-if-country-intervenes-in-taiwan-conflict/news-story/d9af14dc6b90628082e79ab4c77629e1 - Aren't the Olympics meant to be about peace or something? It'll give the games an interesting backdrop at least.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Scouts from all over will be watching the Spanish & Argentinians....which means they will be watching our lads by default. Hopefully the Olyroos make the most of the opportunity.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
that wont happen unless they get a rich owner/s, the only way you succeed in football these days is with money unfortunately.
Remote
Guest
On paper you couldn’t argue with this article, or most comments so far. It’s a double edged sword making it to major tournaments for Australia. For football fans we know the difficulties in qualifying for them and appreciate the effort put in by players and staff. Even Arnie as the coach may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but for Australia he bleeds green and gold. However the other side of the sword is the general Australian public, who only tune in to the Olympics or World Cup every 4 years. All they see is the result or a medal. A good performance at these tournaments can rope a few casuals in, even the Euro follower may turn an eye if you beat Spain etc. It gives the game momentum. We could argue the 2006 WC qualification and strong performance in the cup gave the A-league a springboard in the early days. Let’s hope for the glass half full.
Punter
Roar Rookie
I think we agree on many things, it's just I don't loathe every other team I don't follow or believe in the victim mentality of being smaller, I'm a Derby County supporter & wished that they were more ambitious & not wish the Man City or Liverpool comes back to Derby's level.
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Looking forward to the games. Losses just mean other countries have a much better NSD...and third league....and fourth league etc. You need 15 to 20 great quality players, not a handful to win a comp. At the moment we have NPL players or the young A Leaguers that dont do 90 minutes week in, week out. Graham cant work miracles nor should he be expected to. A proper NSD and the right infastructure in place would ensure that the Olyroos arent the under dogs all the time.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
we dont agree on many things, but i still think thats the best ever australian mens national football team in any age level. (I would pick them to beat the 2006 team if they were to play in thier primce.) 92 was unlucky because they ran into a poland team with that beast of a striker Juskowiak
Punter
Roar Rookie
That 1992 Olympic team was a seriously good side & probably, IMO without doubt, the best non senior side we have ever produced.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
every tournament, teams escape tough groups. It can happen im normally optimistic with any australian national team, however these are brutal groups for the men and women. from my point of view the matildas will be lucky to get a point from their group and the men i feel will do even worse. - early exits unfortunately arnolds made some 'interesting' choices in terms of players, this tournament is going to give the 'arnold out' brigade (who im a paid member of lol) more ammunition about his coaching at international level
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
piror and current
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
the tonyik case wont be released publicly yet, more details are needed
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
AA seems a fair call, except anything can happen in these sorts of tournaments, and doubly so under the current circumstances. In 1988 we faced a very tough group, with Brazil, Yugoslavia and Nigeria, but two 1-0 wins against the last two got us through. I can recall 1992 even better. We were looking down the barrel coming into the last game, a point behind Mexico who was in 2nd spot. If they lost to Ghana, the top team, and we got a draw against Denmark, we would have been equal on points, but Mexico mayhave gone through on goal difference if they lost by just the one goal. These were the days of 2 points per win. I had already worked out that if Mexico got a draw against Ghana, we would have to beat Denmark by 3 goals in the final game to ensure we got through. Mexico did manage that draw....and Australia did get an unlikely 3-0 win to go through to the quarters, Mori being amongst the goal scorers. In the quarters we beat a very good Sweden side 2-1, featuring Tomas Brolin. This being the one and only time the Olyroos have ever made the final four of the Oympics.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Its hard to see us getting out and the fall since Staj was sacked is alarming...