Ange Postecoglou will trot out another new-look Socceroos squad for a final friendly against Japan later this month ahead of next year’s Asian Cup on home soil.
Postecoglou has turned his sights towards the A-League in an effort to find the mix of players capable of playing the football he wants, recruiting Australian-based midfielders Matt McKay, Mitch Nichols, Terry Antonis and Aaron Mooy for the trip to Osaka on November 18.
McKay will make his first appearance for the Socceroos since the World Cup following ankle surgery, despite not yet suiting for his A-League side, the Brisbane Roar, and will be joined by the in-form Antonis from Sydney FC. They replace Adam Federici, Bernie Ibini, Tomi Juric, Brad Smith and the injured Tommy Oar from the side that failed to collect a win in a two-game away stand against the UAE and Qatar last month.
Postecoglou says he’s happy to continue his open-door rotation policy until the right combination is found.
“You’ve got to deal with realities,” he said.
“The realities are that we need to expand our playing pool. It’s as simple as that. You can’t just manufacture that overnight.
“Should our national team ever be settled? As I’ve said from day one, I don’t feel that anyone should think that being part of the national team is guaranteed. I don’t want to be caught short by injuries on the eve of the Asian Cup. From that point of view, everything we’ve been doing has been working exactly as I want it.”
The international stars have retained their spots in the side, including Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinak, however experimenting with the A-League’s talent pool remains key with the 49-year-old coach.
“We want to play a certain style of football and are looking for footballers who will fit in to that. I’ve been really impressed with the A-League the first few weeks (of the season), I think the standard’s gone up another level,” he said.
“It says to all the players that if you perform well in the A-League, you’ll get a look in at international level.”
Socceroos squad v Japan: Terry Antonis, Aziz Behich, Mark Bresciano, Joshua Brillante, Tim Cahill, Jason Davidson, Ivan Franjic, Chris Herd, James Holland, Mile Jedinak, Robbie Kruse, Mitch Langerak, Mathew Leckie, Massimo Luongo, Matt McKay, Mark Milligan, Mitch Nichols, Aaron Mooy, Mat Ryan, Trent Sainsbury, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, James Troisi, Alex Wilkinson
Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
