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Opinion
Taking players to the World Cup that have served the country well and played with dignity and pride over a long period is one thing.
Looking into the future and selecting for the next phase of success is another – and a potential positive for the national team in the long run.
In a few hours’ time, we will know the names of the 26 men destined to carry Australian hopes to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
The travelling party is likely to feature many of the names to which we have all become accustomed and potentially be one that lacks the dare and investment that any Australian team heading abroad should feature.
Mathew Ryan, Mitch Langerak, Trent Sainsbury, Aziz Behich, Aaron Mooy, Jackson Irvine, Ajdin Hrustic, Riley McGree, Jamie Maclaren, Martin Boyle and Awer Mabil have earned the right to already have a suitcase packed, with the knowledge they will be playing significant minutes.
(Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images)
However, those ten require 16 allies to go along for the ride and that is where the selection headaches for coach Graham Arnold begin.
From a defensive standpoint, the 4pm announcement (AEDT) is likely to see Harry Souttar backed after his recent return from injury with Stoke, and Milos Degenek, Thomas Deng and Fran Karacic to also earn spots.
Bailey Wright, Kye Rowles, Nathaniel Atkinson and Jason Davidson are likely to fight for what could be another two positions in the defensive unit.
Despite recent injury concerns for Rowles and Atkinson, Australian football would be best served by investing in them now, as well as selecting Wright, who played superbly for Sunderland last weekend.
After keeping a keen eye on Sydney FC’s Rhyan Grant across the opening weeks of the A-League season, I am astonished that more people have not pushed for his inclusion.
Grant has rarely let the Socceroos down and brings a grunt and attitude that former coach Guus Hiddink appeared to identify as missing during his recent trip Down Under for the duo of matches against New Zealand.
Whilst Karacic and Degenek have represented with merit over the years, their presence is unlikely to be game changing. Arnold should blend his core group of Sainsbury, Deng, Souttar and Behich with the younger men and Wright, with Grant there to inject some venom down the right-hand side of attack.
Midfield is less contentious, with Mooy, Hrustic and Irvine locks, and group of players in the frame that appear difficult to look passed.
Cameron Devlin of Hearts is a young midfielder on the rise, McGree should be an automatic pick and, despite limited football, Tom Rogic has the quality and class to add precisely what the Socceroos might need off the bench in a tight encounter that heads into the final 20 minutes with scores level.
If he was at all keen to represent Australia, Christian Volpato would have rung Arnold and expressed an intention to do so. The fiasco that would be the coach waiting for his acceptance or Volpato denying his place in the squad should cancel him out immediately.
Cristian Volpato of AS Roma (Photo by Antonietta Baldassarre/Insidefoto/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Up front is where real possibilities lie in terms of resisting the urge to choose quality men who have proven in the past that, as professional and competent as they are, the future lies elsewhere.
Maclaren deserves his starting spot at the arrowhead, Mitchell Duke is a perfect second option who enjoys the unwavering support of the manager and, despite a knee concern that will cause him some pain, Martin Boyle is a key component.
Mabil has been somewhat inactive recently, yet is simply too talented to leave out.
But this is the moment to have an eye on the 2023 Asian Cup and leave out stalwarts Mathew Leckie and Adam Taggart, as well as Jason Cummings, looking towards men whose international journeys lie very much in front of them.
Doubters of Garang Kuol need to return their heads to the sand and Daniel Arzani now has a solid bank of football under his belt with Macarthur FC, proving once again on the weekend against Wellington that when he attacks players on the edge of the box there are few Australians capable of the same.
In place of Taggart and Leckie, Nick D’Agostino and Chris Ikonomidis benefit the future of Australian football significantly, with the confederation challenge lying ahead in 2023 soon to be followed by a lengthy World Cup qualifying campaign that will begin the journey to the 2026 tournament.
Sadly, Reno Piscopo, Brandon Borrello and Keanu Baccus may well miss out on the final 26, yet hopefully a few of the more seasoned professionals that Arnold has long supported are also jettisoned for some more spritely and promising names.
In 2018, the Socceroos travelled to Russia with a conservative manager and played in the most conservative way. Arnold should approach things differently this time around and massage the squad to achieve a delicious mix of the old and new; the tried and the untested; the present and the future.
After all, what have we got to lose?
The squad Graham Arnold should pick
Goalkeepers: Mathew Ryan, Mitch Langerak, Andrew Redmayne
Defenders: Harry Souttar, Trent Sainsbury, Thomas Deng, Nathaniel Atkinson, Aziz Behich, Bailey Wright, Kye Rowles, Rhyan Grant
Midfielders: Aaron Mooy, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Cameron Devlin, Riley McGree, Tom Rogic
Forwards: Jamie Maclaren. Mitchell Duke, Awer Mabil, Garang Kuol, Daniel Arzani, Craig Goodwin, Martin Boyle, Chris Ikonomidis, Nick D’Agostino