New Socceroos coaching staff keen to nurture ‘young playing group’

Getting the best consistently out of several younger and inexperienced Socceroos is a challenge that awaits the national team’s new coaching staff.

Former A-League prodigy Nestory Irankunda is chasing Socceroos selection for Australia’s upcoming matches against China and Japan. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

New Socceroos assistant coach Paul Okon says Australia’s poor start to the latest round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers is partially due to the “inconsistency” of a “young playing group”.

Last month’s 1-0 home loss to Bahrain and 0-0 away draw with Indonesia led to the resignation of coach Graham Arnold after six years in charge of the national team.

Former Socceroos defender Tony Popovic was quickly appointed as Arnold’s successor and has made changes to the coaching staff, including bringing another ex-national team great in Okon on-board.

“It was very unexpected, but I’m delighted (and) excited,” said Okon, whose distinguished playing career included stints in Italy with Lazio, Fiorentina and Vicenza and in England with Middlesbrough, Watford and Leeds.

“It (the approach) came at a time when I certainly wasn’t thinking about it, but the moment I spoke to ‘Poppa’, and he asked if I was interested to come on-board, I didn’t need too long to give him the yes answer.”

First day in the office for Tony Popovic’s new coaching staff ✅

We welcomed Hayden Foxe, Paul Okon and Frank Juric to @FootballAUS HQ today 🤝 #Socceroospic.twitter.com/Xu0WCdbSvB

— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) October 1, 2024

Okon said the results against Bahrain and Indonesia were “a little bit disappointing”.

“But at the same time when you are using a lot of young players at the same time, that little bit of inconsistency can be there,” he said.

The young and inexperienced brigade included 18-year-old whiz-kid Nestory Irankunda, fellow attacking weapons Sammy Silvera and Kusini Yengi, midfielder Josh Nisbet and the unfortunate Alessandro Circati, who is facing at least nine months on the sidelines after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

“It’s a young playing group. There’s maybe a little bit of inexperience, and it comes with the territory when you’re trying to make the team younger, when you have that turnover of players, a new cycle after the (2022) World Cup,” Okon said.

“It’s our job now to try to find a way to use these young boys that have formed this new group but get results at the same time.”

Okon, a former Australian under-20 coach, said it was vital the Socceroos bounced back to form against China next Thursday in Adelaide and against Japan on October 15 in Saitama.

“We have two very important games, starting with China in Adelaide, and in this business, certainly in international football, often you don’t get much time, and you need to come up with results, and that’s certainly what we need in the next two games,” he said.

Another ex-Socceroo who has also been appointed by Popovic as an assistant coach, Hayden Foxe, echoed Okon’s sentiments.

“First and foremost, we prepare for China and we prepare well,” Foxe said.

“We put a good performance in, and then the results will take care of themselves.”

Popovic is set to announce his squad on Friday in Adelaide, with Melbourne Victory right-back Jason Geria, whose only Socceroos appearance came in 2016, tipped to be recalled after a lengthy absence.

Originally published as New Socceroos coaching staff keen to nurture ‘young playing group’