Man City snap Liverpool’s unbeaten run
pregnable Iran, Asia’s top-ranked team at world No.29, potentially await in the semis.
Whoever the Socceroos meet, new coach Graham Arnold has consigned the epic 2015 win to history.
“If you look at the last four years and the World Cup qualifiers, we finished probably fifth-best in Asia and qualified in fifth place more or less, played off against Syria and Honduras,” Arnold said.
“I just see it’s totally different. Different group of players. Different staff. “Everything’s different. “You can’t compare it, and there’s a lot of fresh faces who are doing great things.”
That is true, and training form certainly suggests Arnold is on to a good thing with his new order and flexible philosophy.
But there’s no denying the injury-inflicted absences of Aaron Mooy, Daniel Arzani and Martin Boyle are significant blows.
Not to mention the absence of Mat Leckie during the group stage, although the hamstrung forward looks likely to be remain in camp to provide impact later in the tournament as part of a rejigged attack.
Even then the squad remains strong, and there’s X-factor potential in youngsters like Chris Ikonomidis and Awer Mabil, with more established faces – including Jackson Irvine, Massimo Luongo and Tom Rogic – well primed.
Still, if Australia goes all the way under current circumstances, it’ll be something of a miracle.
Good thing Arnie believes in them. PEP Guardiola declared Manchester City had won a “final” to stay in the Premier League title race after their 2-1 home victory inflicted Liverpool’s first loss of the season yesterday.
City’s back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester had given the Reds a commanding lead in their quest for a first title since 1990. But the champions are back within four points thanks to Leroy Sane’s 72nd-minute winner.
Roberto Firmino had cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s first-half opener for City.
“It was a final for us, because losing today, it was almost over,” Guardiola said.
“We are four points behind them and they are the leaders. We have to fight a lot, but this gives us a lot of confidence. I am proud of them (the players), but not just today. We lost two games in four days, but TOM Rogic belted a ball into the back of the net with such force the sound echoed around the Socceroos’ Asian Cup training ground.
“F...ing Wizard of Oz,” the watching Graham Arnold bellowed.
And with that, the coach declared Rogic a key contender to win player of the tournament.
“I expect Tommy to be nearly player of the series,” Arnold said later.
“You saw him today, he’s in great shape. Make Tommy happy, make him smile, miracles will happen.
“Because he is a backyard footballer. To say that, to call him that, he’s an indoor footballer who’s gone into top footballer and he’s doing great at Celtic.”
There’s a reason Rogic has been something of a puppet pulled between a club and a country both eager to get as much of their star playmaker as possible.
For the 26-year-old is the most unusual of playmakers, a gangly but graceful presence seemingly too tall for his mazy dribbling runs, and with a penchant for powerful shots that knock the socks off anyone in their path.
Arnold remembers first seeing Rogic play about eight years ago when he signed him to the Central Coast Mariners.
The then teenage Canberra futsal star had already become one of eight worldwide wannabes chosen for a stint at the elite Nike Academy, and Arnold saw a raw talent ready for development.
“Ronny Smith put him forward through to me from Canberra,” Arnold said.
“When I had him he was growing into his body. He was you can’t forget what they have done for 16 months.”
With no more league meetings between the teams to come, Liverpool’s destiny is still in their own hands, but they will now have the pressure of having a City team that romped to the title with a record 100 points last season on their tail.
“If somebody had told me after both games against Man City we would be four points up, I would have paid money,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said.
“We never won it as a team, so we want to finish the season as strongly as possible, and we are still in a pretty good position.”
A Liverpool defence that had not conceded twice in a game all season in the league was breached when City managed to free Aguero from Virgil van Dijk’s shackles.