After nine months out of the game, Terry Antonis’ inclusion in the Socceroos friendly squad came as quite a shock.
But one person who can definitely understand the ability of the Greek Australian player is Ange Postecoglou.
As an A-League coach for Brisbane Roar and then Melbourne Victory, Postecoglou was able to see the young star in action on a weekly basis when he was fit and healthy. After he fell out of favour with his Sydney FC coach, Ange Postecoglou witnessed not frustration from Antonis, but determination to earn his respect back, not force it.
Those qualities made the decision simple.
With a number of key World Cup Socceroos sidelined thanks to injury, Postecoglou had another tough squad selection for the team’s upcoming friendlies.
He used the opportunity to test some players who haven’t had the limelight shone on them for a while.
“We’re always going to have injuries, that’s the reason we need to create some real depth … so that leading into the Asian Cup we have some options,”
Postecoglou said on announcing his provisional team.
“I felt we didn’t have a lot of options going into the World Cup.
“So with that in mind, we’ve made a number of changes for the upcoming friendlies and given the opportunity to a number of players who haven’t been involved or have been on the periphery to get some game time and put their case forward.”
For Antonis, the selection has been a way to make up for missing a big opportunity. Last June the Sky Blues player ruptured his thigh tendon, and injury that ruled him out of the Under 20s World Cup.
Now, with the selection sinking in, the 20-year-old is thinking ahead.
“I’m really excited and happy to be called up,” he said.
“It’s an honour to be selected to go and play for your country and I can’t wait to get into camp.”
Antonis joins Tomi Juric, Brad Smith, Chris Herd, Trent Sainsbury and Bailey Wright as newbies to the national squad.
Some of the best still made the cut, including World Cup superstar Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinac, but there are talent deficiencies as seven World Cup squad members have been sidelined: defenders Rhys Williams (knee), Curtis Good (hip flexor), Ivan Franjic (knee) and Matthew Spiranovic (ankle), playmaker Tom Rogic (groin), midfielder Matt McKay (ankle) and striker Adam Taggart (ankle) won’t feature in the Belgian and Saudi Arabian friendlies.
Strengthening the national player pool is Ange Postecoglou’s number one priority in the lead up to the Asian Cup in January.
He will have a maximum of six friendlies to play before the competition.
After the World Cup campaign against the world’s best teams, Postecoglou says there won’t be any fear taking on Asia’s best.
“If we were prepared to take it to countries like that in a World Cup arena under that sort of pressure, there’s no excuse for us to not do it moving forward.
“Whatever challenges we’ve got ahead of us, I don’t think any of it will be as daunting as what we’ve faced.
He hopes the World Cup has given the team a sense of camaraderie and confidence, something that has been lacking in previous squads.
Australia squad: Terry Antonis (Sydney FC), Joshua Brillante (ACF Fiorentina), Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls), Jason Davidson (West Bromwich Albion
F.C), Ben Halloran (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Chris Herd (Aston Villa FC), Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace FC), Tomi Juric (Western Sydney Wanderers), Robbie Kruse (TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Mitchell Langerak (B.V. Borussia 09 Dortmund), Mathew Leckie (FC Ingolstadt 04), Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town FC), Mark Milligan Melbourne Victory FC), Tommy Oar (FC Utrecht), Mat Ryan (Club Brugge KV), Trent Sainsbury (P.E.C. Zwolle), Brad Smith (Swindon Town FC), Carl Valeri, (Melbourne Victory FC) Alex Wilkinson (Jeonbuk Hyundai FC), Bailey Wright (Preston North End FC).