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There are plenty of things happening in football right now. Major European leagues are underway, the Women’s World Cup and the stunning spectacle put on by the joint hosts is still the talk of the town and Australian domestic NPL competitions are reaching their climaxes around the country.
In addition, the Liberty A-League Women’s competition is around the corner, closely followed by the men’s a week later on October 20 and an Australia Cup Final looms as the Round of 16 matches are completed over the next couple of days.
Most relevant to Australians is the stunning success being achieved by those plying their trade abroad and the attention they are drawing from international pundits, experts and fans who appear to be finally noticing and respecting the Aussie production line that is churning out talent in considerable numbers.
Most notable has been Tottenham Hotspur’s brilliant start to the new EPL season under Ange Postecoglou, the club taking seven points from nine and sitting in behind champions Manchester City in the early running.
Ange Postecoglou. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
Postecoglou, despite all his success and professional experience, was still an unknown quantity heading to England and of course, there were doubters. Far from those doubters being completely silenced this early in the season, it certainly does appear that the 58-year-old will fit in as nicely in London as he has wherever he has chosen to coach throughout his career.
Former Melbourne Victory boss Kevin Muscat has his Yokohama F. Marinos squad sitting at the top of the J1 League after 25 matches, continuing an excellent run of consistent results since his arrival in 2021. He has the club on target for consecutive championships.
Postecoglou’s former assistant Peter Cklamovski was appointed as head coach of FC Tokyo in June, with the team struggling. Since, his squad has lost just twice in eight matches and climbed from twelfth to tenth on the league ladder, off the back of some sparkling football and a re-energised fan base.
A draw with second placed Vissel Kobe spoke volumes about what the new coach has been able to achieve in such a short period of time, using an attacking strategy that reeks of Postecoglou’s philosophical approach to the game.
Now, news has also broken around rumoured overseas interest in Socceroos manager Graham Arnold. Despite extending his contract with the national team after returning to Australia following the team’s gutsy run at the Qatar World Cup, Hibernian in Scotland has allegedly shortlisted Arnold for their coaching position after recently parting ways with the former boss.
Suggestions Arnold has also drawn interest from EFL clubs a little further south mean that should any club be keen to acquire the 60-year-old’s services, they could well be required to enter into a bidding race for them.
Just as Tony Gustavsson’s guidance of the Matildas into the final four of the Women’s World Cup puts him in the frame for a host of national jobs, Arnold’s control of the team and the positivity with which they played in Qatar has drawn respect and attention.
Even more Matildas have signed lucrative overseas deals in the post-script to the World Cup and it is hard to comprehend Cortnee Vine and Clare Hunt remaining in the A-League Women’s for anything other than the short term.
Cortnee Vine. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Despite an obvious gap in class between the Lionesses, Spain and the Matildas, play well they did. No player did their personal reputation any harm during the tournament and international leagues and scouts were clearly watching.
The new European season has seen the flock of young male talent that headed abroad over the last two seasons continue to seek out playing opportunities and minutes at their respective clubs.
It is a big season in the English Championship for Riley McGree, Tom Glover, Harry Souttar, Massimo Luongo and Sam Silvera, whilst Alex Robertson and Kusini Yengi at Portsmouth also have important seasons ahead in League One. Word from the club is that Robertson has made a sunning start to the campaign and the more we observe his talent, his long term presence in a Socceroo shirt becomes more likely.
As near as I can tell, there are Australian footballers playing in 47 separate countries in 2023. Ajdin Hrustic will be hoping for more first team football and better luck with injuries at Verona FC in the Serie A. Denis Genreau is receiving minutes in France, starting for Toulouse against Strasbourg over the weekend and the German-based Aussies are led by Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe with St. Pauli in the second tier.
Harry Souttar. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Mat Ryan and Garang Kuol will play in the top flight in Holland, Jason Davidson is starring in Belgium with AS Eupen and a host of Australians, from Iceland to Singapore and from Turkiye to Scotland, have hopeful seasons ahead. Eleven Australians will compete in the Scottish Premier League in 2023/24, four will spend the season in the top tier in Korea Republic and 14 will play in the Indian Super League.
A quick search in your browser of choice will give you the full list, and extensive it is, with over 200 male players currently abroad and an ever growing number of Matildas.
It is brilliant that the world appears to be taking notice and valuing what our domestic leagues are producing. With A-League Women’s memberships on the rise, another quality men’s competition on the cards and plenty of international football for the Socceroos in the New Year, it is certainly exciting times.
Australian football may have had its troubles in the past, but right now, we look to be moving forward rather than back.