Ange Postecoglou says he is more comfortable with his squad selection now than he was during the World Cup. The Socceroos coach says he has more quality players in his arsenal now and is hopeful he will be able to field a strong team for the Asian Cup in January.
Earlier this week, Postecoglou chose his 46-man provisional squad for the cup, and while he will need to cut the squad down to just 23 by December 30, he’s confident he’ll be able to field a competitive team.
“I’m far more comfortable with this extended squad than at the same time leading into the World Cup,” he said in his column for the FFA website.
“We have more depth across all positions and most of them have been with us on the journey over the last six months.”
Postecoglou named two Greek Australians in his squad, with Sydney FC’s Terry Antonis and Zulte Waregem’s James Troisi (Greek on his mother’s side) on hand.
For Terry Antonis, the inclusion will come as a relief after the 20-year-old was dumped for the Japan friendly last month after he was involved in a minor car accident on the way to the airport.
Troisi was signed under Ange Postecoglou’s reign at Melbourne Victory and proved to be one of the team’s best strikers.
Sticking to his philosophy of including young, malleable players, Postecoglou says their inclusion is more for safeguarding the team’s future prospects than chasing results.
“For some of the younger guys, the Asian Cup may come a little early but they can rest assured that they have the opportunity to play a part in the next four-year cycle, leading into the 2018 World Cup,” he said.
The 46-man team includes all 23 players from this year’s World Cup in Brazil while Josh Kennedy, Robbie Kruse and Rhys Williams, who all missed the Cup through injury, have been added. Sixteen A-League players have also made the cut.