The coach of the Socceroos, Holger Osieck, is anticipated to make a pragmatic choice by fielding a squad largely comprised of A-League players for Australia’s inconsequential World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia in Melbourne on February 29.
Late last year, during a press conference that announced AAMI Park as the match venue, he hinted at playing his strongest team, but it appears that logistics, player hesitance regarding the lengthy trip for a single match, and limited preparation time will derail his original intentions.
Since Australia has already secured advancement to the next round in the Asian qualifiers, topping their group with 12 points—six points clear of their closest competitor, Saudi Arabia, and with just one game remaining—Osieck has a degree of flexibility.
However, he certainly wasn’t envisioning this situation back in November when he remarked, “I definitely won’t approach this game as an experiment. We are in the process of getting the group together and there won’t be too many changes.”
“I’m quite pleased that I can rely on experienced and well-tested players, who will undoubtedly make up the core of our team for the upcoming matches.”
Even though players like Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer, Rhys Williams, Brett Holman, Mile Jedinak, and Carl Valeri are eager to wear the green and gold, Osieck faces a challenging task in assembling them from Australia for a match that holds no significance for qualification.
Considering their club engagements over the weekend, it would not be practical to compel these players to travel and play, especially since most would only arrive on the Monday or Tuesday prior to the Wednesday match, leaving virtually no time for preparation.
With Matt McKay and Luke Wilkshire already absent due to suspensions, this scenario paves the way for A-League players to showcase their skills to Osieck ahead of the final round of qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
This season, the local competition has showcased some standout performers, including Matt Ryan, Rostyn Griffiths, and Josh Rose (Central Coast Mariners), as well as Aziz Behich (Melbourne Heart).
Players such as Harry Kewell and Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory), Brett Emerton (Sydney FC), and Mitch Nichols (Brisbane Roar) would likely be seen as almost guaranteed selections, while the duo of Jacob Burns and Mile Sterjovksi from Perth Glory have also been performing well and would fit seamlessly into the team setup.
by Buford Balony
