Curtis Good and Anthony Lesiotis have catapulted into international contention
Melbourne City defender Curtis Good and Melbourne Victory’s makeshift right-back Anthony Lesiotis are on the Socceroos and Olyroos radars, according to coach Graham Arnold.
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Socceroos boss Graham Arnold revealed that two Melbourne derby combatants have catapulted into international contention.
Melbourne City defender Curtis Good and Melbourne Victory’s makeshift right-back Anthony Lesiotis are on the Socceroos and Olyroos radars respectively, ahead of their high stakes A-League clash on Saturday night.
Midfielder Lesiotis’ rise is extraordinary, considering he had never played right-back until a fortnight ago, and exactly a year after he quit City to join cross-town rivals Victory in a move that’s paid off.
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Arnold’s Olyroos squad will be picked early next week for January’s Tokyo 2020 qualifier and Lesiotis will get his final chance to impress in Saturday’s night’s AAMI Park encounter.
“Lesiotis has been quite good and we’re having a look at him. We’re short of right full backs – he’s been doing very well,” Arnold said.
Stopper Good’s potential return is a tale of persistence, having endured four years of injury hell after a stellar Socceroos debut in March 2014 – which remains his solitary international match.
The ex-Young Socceroos captain was on track to make Ange Postecoglou’s Brazil 2014 World Cup squad, but a hip flexor injury ruled him out.
This season he, along with Harrison Delbridge, have kept highly-rated Austrian defender Richard Windbichler on the bench and look set to continue their partnership on Saturday.
“Every week you see Curtis Good getting better and better,” Arnold said.
“We’re short of left-footed centre backs – pretty much just him and (Western Sydney’s) Matty Jurman that give you that balance, left foot.”
Arnold revealed that the usual suspects were on his Socceroos radar ahead of March’s World Cup qualifiers.
“(Robbie) Kruse and (Andrew) Nabbout still with the Socceroos and obviously Jamie Maclaren (are on the radar),” he said.
He admitted City would have more representatives when the Olyroos squad is picked for the decisive Tokyo 2020 qualifiers.
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“(Victory defender) Tommy Deng if he comes back (will likely be picked),” Arnold said.
“City have got a good youth policy set up and a lot of good young players. They have got a lot of good young kids and recruited well – (Tom) Glover, (Connor) Metcalfe, (Ramy) Najjarine and (Denis) Genreau are the four in contention for the Olyroos, although Genreau got injured so is in doubt.
“Lachie Wales and Nathaniel Atkinson (suspended after the Cambodia scandal) would have been in contention too.”
Originally published as Curtis Good and Anthony Lesiotis have catapulted into international contention