Robbie Slater looks at how Socceroos can cope with their injury crisis at the Asian Cup
Injuries to key Socceros will open the door for two players in particular to make an impact at the Asian Cup, writes Robbie Slater.
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The great Guus Hiddink used to say that the most important quality in a coach is luck. Right now, Hiddink’s friend, Graham Arnold, must be feeling like the unluckiest coach in the world.
Hours out from the first game of his first tournament at the helm of the Socceroos since 2007, his key players have been going down injured like nine pins, and the defence of the Asian Cup suddenly got a whole lot harder.
To lose not one, not two but three certain starters from Arnold’s first XI has been a cruel blow, with Aaron Mooy and Martin Boyle ruled out and Mathew Leckie missing until the knockout stages at least (not to mention Daniel Arzani’s serious injury).
For the past few years I have seen Arnie develop a mindset that luck doesn’t come into it and that positivity is all — but even he must be struggling to cling on to that now.
The loss of Boyle is cruel on several levels. The Scottish winger who only got naturalised two months ago can play across the front line, loves to dribble and I think would have been a real threat for Australia at the Asian Cup.
But compounding that is the fact his injury came in a game that to me was entirely unnecessary. The friendly with Oman on December 30 turned into a stroll against mediocre opposition; given the time it takes to prep for a game and then recover, days of training always looked like a more productive option.
Now we have the bitter aftertaste of Boyle’s knee injury, an injury which narrows Arnie’s options considerably. It means that Robbie Kruse and Tom Rogic become vitally important as senior professionals, and it means Arnie must put his faith in two players with 15 caps between them.
Andrew Nabbout has had an extraordinary year: scoring goals for Newcastle, earning a big transfer to Japan, coming from nowhere to lead the line for Australia at the World Cup, having shoulder surgery, and now apparently in pole position to again be the focal point of his country’s attack at a huge tournament.
It’s fortunate that Nabbout has the temperament to handle such a rollercoaster of emotions, and the football intelligence to learn quickly what Arnold wants from him. At the World Cup he was a forager, the first line of defence, but now he will be expected to burrow deep into the defences of Jordan, Palestine and Syria in our group games.
Buzzing around him will I think be Chris Ikonomidis, and buzzing is the only word for the young Perth attacker right now. Last year you could see his class in a struggling Wanderers team, but the movement, touch and timing honed at Italian giants Lazio for the past few years have been on full display for Perth.
It’s a very different level to produce the same at an Asian Cup, but I’ve always been a quiet fan of Ikonomidis. He’s a player who will get better and better with more international experience, but also has the smarts to make an impact now.
The bigger question though is what impact an injury-ravaged Australian side can make as it attempts to defend the title won four years ago under Ange Postecoglou. People talked after the World Cup of the semi-finals being a passmark at the Asian Cup, but funny as it may sound, the semi-final is now the target.
By that, I mean that the first targets are to navigate the group stage, come top and get through the Round of 16 and the quarter-finals.
By then, the last four teams will all be strong, but Australia should have momentum and belief, plus hopefully a fully fit Leckie.
If Arnie’s team gets that far, then they can think legitimately about winning it.
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