Socceroos’ line- up for opener against France almost done and dusted Bert has few doubts left
SOCCEROOS coach Bert van Marwijk confirmed what we strongly suspected – the team to play France in Australia’s World Cup opener next Saturday is almost set in stone. Almost. “I don’t have much time so I had to make already some decisions ( about choosing players),” he said.
“But if you look ( closely) you can see in which positions it’s not 100 per cent sure.”
That leaves a glimmer of hope for one or two of the Socceroos outside of the XI who started against Hungary on Saturday.
Mat Ryan will start in goal, Aziz Behich will be at left back and Trent Sainsbury will be in the centre of defence – possibly as Australia’s World Cup captain.
Alongside them, Josh Risdon will have a nervous few days after a hesitant, unconvincing display against Hungary on Saturday.
Risdon was as poor as he had been impressive a week earlier against the Czech Republic, possibly down to fatigue after a training regimen unlike any other he has faced.
But Rison will still likely get the nod, and likewise Mark Milligan alongside Sainsbury despite his own well- below- par display. Milligan’s midfield experience means his passing is usually on- point, and he needs it to be in training this week.
Aaron Mooy, Robbie Kruse and Mat Leckie can also be confident of starting, despite the fact that none looked particularly effervescent against Hungary. They all have experience, big- game awareness and know what it takes at this level.
At best there are three areas still in doubt for van Marwijk in these final few days of preparation.
Who starts upfront? Andrew Nabbout looks odds- on favourite after starting in both warm- up games, though he needs to shake off a knock picked up late in the win over Hungary. It’s an incredible ascent for Nabbout, from a debut to starting against France inside three months.
Poor Tomi Juric was granted just a cameo off the bench against Hungary, while Tim Cahill and Jamie Maclaren are both options off the bench.
The question marks over Mile Jedinak are huge and, until very recently, almost unthinkable. The veteran captain looked crestfallen at not starting against Hungary, but gave the best possible response with a second- half display bringing some order to the Australian midfield.
Was it enough to sway van Marwijk? That’s one of the biggest quandaries of this final week before France.
The other big call is at No. 10. Tom Rogic showed again on Saturday that he has more creativity than the rest of the forward line combined.
But Jackson Irvine also offered vision and intelligent running in his second- half appearance – will his greater defensive capabilities be seen as more important against the French?
Those are the issues facing van Marwijk. No wonder the Dutchman’s brow was furrowed as he left Budapest’s Groupama Arena on Saturday night.