Ange Postecoglou says his decision to bench Socceroos talisman Tim Cahill does not mean his influence on the national team is about to wane.
For once, Australia did not need Cahill’s magic touch as a new-look side, with a new formation, toyed with the Bengal Tigers en route to an easy 5-0 win at Perth Oval. Postecoglou said he excluded Cahill, the country’s greatest ever goal-scorer, because he wanted a more “mobile” team to attack Bangladesh from the outset.
“With the line-up we had I thought that was the best way to go,” he said.
Cahill, who turns 36 in December, is now poised to start in next week’s clash against Tajikistan in Dushanbe, which will be a far tougher assignment than Thursday night’s near-walkover. He continues to confound his critics and remains in a rich vein of goal-scoring form for his Chinese club, having put away seven goals in his last 10 games.
Postecoglou said Cahill will remain a key player for Australia – but in the same breath, also warned that no player was guaranteed a spot in his team.
“I’m not pushing Timmy into retirement. He’s still got a lot to offer,” he said.