Ange Postecoglou will be pulling Melbourne Victory off his shoulders this week and placing the bigger burden of the Socceroos on his back.
He will begin selecting a new squad as head coach, ahead of their November 15 friendly against Costa Rica, and taking his time to look at his options.
He’s no stranger to giving some more experienced players their marching orders, and we could be seeing some new blood enter the national team.
Postecoglou has always been an advocate of young talent, and owes much of his A-League success to his young recruits. Malleable players are a winning format and will work well in a new Socceroos lineup that has languished after relying on famous names.
The newly appointed coach hasn’t been left with much breathing time between his teams.
He fielded his beloved Victory for the last time on Friday, ironically against his old team Brisbane Roar for a fitting farewell.
Now, without delay, he’ll be making some needed changes to the national squad, while looking at the youth teams for future talent.
“I’ve got my ideas of how I want the team to play … and then we’ll find out who fits into that,” he said this week.
“I’m not going in there with a target or hit-list of people, it’s not the way I work. Sometimes people surprise you. I want to get the best out of every player available. Will there be changes? Of course there will, I’ve got my own way of doing things.”
With two abysmal performances plaguing the Socceroos of late, Postecoglou doesn’t have an easy task.
Morale has to improve and focus needs to be harnessed to make for tight play.
Above all, Postecoglou knows he has less than a year to get the Socceroos at a world standard competitive level.
The game against Costa Rica will be too early to tell if we’re seeing change. The South American team sits at 31 on the FIFA rankings, and will be a tough team to beat. They have already qualified and will be joining the Socceroos at the 2014 World Cup.
The coach wants to see the local crowd gain back their trust, and hopefully have something to be proud of.
“If our players respond in the right way, they will get a lot of love from the crowd here (in Sydney),” he says.
“And hopefully we can restore some of that morale and confidence and then build it stage by stage.”
As head coach, he finds himself in the best possible position to change the country’s view on this under-appreciated game.
Socceroos v Costa Rica
Tuesday 19 November 2013: Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Kick-off: 7.30 pm AEST
Tickets are on sale Friday November 1 to the general public and can be purchased at www.footballaustralia.com.au/tickets
