Asian Cup 2015: Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou says his team aren’t reliant on Tim Cahill for goals

SOCCEROOS boss Ange Postecoglou has backed Tim Cahill’s supporting cast to score Asian Cup goals.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 04: Australian coach Ange Postecoglou looks on during an Australian Socceroos training session at Collingwood training Ground on January 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

SOCCEROOS boss Ange Postecoglou has backed Tim Cahill’s supporting cast to score Asian Cup goals.

And Postecoglou is confident that there won’t be a repeat of Spain World Cup collapse, when Australia “ran out of petrol”.

Cahill has scored eight of Australia’s 12 goals on Postecoglou’s watch, including two of the three in Brazil.

But Postecoglou said that Mathew Leckie, Robbie Kruse and A-League top scorer Nathan Burns are among the players that could rattle the net this month.

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Tim Cahill, Mark Bresciano and Nathan Burns get down to work at Socceroos training.

“We’ve got goals in us and I don’t think it’s just relying on Timmy,’’ Postecoglou told the Herald Sun.

“If Timmy scores it’s great for us as well, but we’ve got more flexibility.

“Lacks is going really well and I’m sure he’s got goals in him at international level, but it takes time.

“He’s played his 15 games now and once you’ve played 15-20 games I think you start feeling comfortable, particularly as a goalscorer.

“If he gets one he’ll certainly be a threat. He was a threat at the World Cup, he could’ve had a couple and he can add something.

“Krusey hasn’t played (a lot) but there’s no denying he can score goals at international level.

“We took Tags (Adam Taggart to the World Cup) on the back of scoring a lot of goals but he was still very inexperienced, but Burnsy’s not inexperienced.

“He’s already played national team and he’s certainly not there to make up the numbers, he’s there to contribute and he’s scoring (A-League) goals.

“Then there’s guys from midfield as well, Mile (Jedinak) and Bresh (Mark Bresciano) have scored goals, they’ll get into dangerous areas.’’

Nathan Burns will be aiming to replicate his red-hot A-League form for Australia.

The 3-0 loss to Spain in Curitiba was a harsh lesson for Postecoglou, whose squad was down to bare bones.

But he is more confident in the 23-man squad he’s picked for the Asian Cup.

“We were patched up going into that game. We ran out of petrol,’’ he said.

“Millsy (Mark Milligan) tweaked his hammy, we thought Bresh was out with a groin but he ended up having to come on, we lost (Ivan) Franjic, Timmy was suspended.

“And with the Holland game we lost Millsy and Franjic after Chile, we had to shift (Ryan) McGowan to right back and I didn’t feel at all comfortable with the options we had.

“But you look at it now, all the inclusions can play the kind of football we want to play.

“I just think I’ve got a lot more flexibility going into this tournament with the team I can put out there and off the bench than I had at the World Cup.’’

Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou says his team aren’t reliant on Tim Cahill for goals