Hot pair a headache for Ange
SOCCEROOS greats say it will be impossible for Ange Postecoglou to leave Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic out of the side to play Japan on Thursday night.
But fitting them in creates a selection conundrum given how well the team performed without the pair against Chile at the Confederations Cup.
Huddersfield’s Mooy and Celtic’s Rogic have started their club seasons in blistering fashion. But the way the Socceroos harassed Chile in June gave food for thought as to what might be the most effective team.
Mark Bosnich, Robbie Slater, Archie Thompson and Stan Lazaridis predict Postecoglou will start Mooy and Rogic, while Josip Skoko suggests at least one of the dynamic duo will get the nod.
Bosnich said the pieces Postecoglou put around the pair would be key.
“Against Chile all players were on the hunt when they lost the ball,” he said.
“They were much more mobile in the defensive phase of the game without those two, but you can play them as long as you have people around them who do that defensive running for them.
“Because what they do on the ball, no one else can do. And you can’t be doing that work on the ball when you’re also expecting them to run back trying to win the ball.”
The holding midfielders against Chile were Massimo Luongo and Jackson Irvine.
Thompson said he could not see Postecoglou leaving Mooy or Rogic out. Slater agreed. “But the question is valid: Does Ange bring in the players who were missing after a game in which they did so well. My view is he will,” Slater said.
“I think it’s a big risk not to play both of them because we don’t have many players at their level.”
Lazaridis said Mooy and Rogic brought an “X-factor”.
“They’re fit, they’ve got the match speed at a higher level, you can’t ignore that,” he said
Skoko said it was imperative the line-up in Saitama was well balanced.
“Playing with two attacking players like that, you have to have the back-up for them,” he said.