Socceroos Power Rankings: Lucas Neill won’t be there but who will make the top 30?

LUCAS Neill won’t be there, but a week from Ange Postecoglou naming his preliminary Brazil top 30, here’s our final World Cup top 50 Power Rankings.

ONE tough decision has already been made, and now the first day of reckoning for the rest of our Socceroos World Cup hopefuls arrives next week when Ange Postecoglou names his 30-man preliminary squad for the tournament in Brazil.

The group will assemble in Gosford for a training camp from May 16-22, where they will sweat it out for one of the final 23 spots available in the final squad.

We’ve been tracking the Socceroos squad since March 2013, and a lot has changed - with then skipper Neill coming in at No.4.

With one week to go, here’s the final top 50 of our World Cup POWER RANKINGS series.

VISIT OUR FINAL TOP 50 HERE

The top four selects itself - but who rounds out the 50?

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WHO’S SAFE

The top seven players speak for themselves: Cahill, the talisman; Jedinak, the likely skipper; Bresciano, the creative veteran; Ryan, the No.1; Oar, the left-sided attacking option; Spiranovic, the first-choice centre-back.

After that, positions on the list get a bit murky.

Josh Kennedy’s goal scoring consistency for the green and gold, value as a physical target and pinch hitting option against defences who would rather not have a presence to contend with, sees him come in at No.8.

It could be a magical year for Ivan Franjic.

Matt McKay might be on the periphery of the starting line-up, but he has been a Roos mainstay since the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, and his versatility is valuable, while Jason Davidson’s consistent game time in Holland with Heracles Almelo has him in the box seat for the left-back berth.

Ivan Franjic will be there, on the back of A-League double success, and perhaps as the starting right-back while Borussia Dortmund No.2 Mitch Langerak will be there too. James Holland, who played 32 games for Austria Wien in its third-placed finish in Austria’s top flight, isn’t someone we see or hear a lot of but the 24-year-old midfielder has done enough to earn a spot too.

ROGIC CONUNDRUM

Tom Rogic has been ensconced in our top 10, but there are now genuine concerns about the prodigiously talented midfielder’s fitness heading into the World Cup.

The game time, consistency, fitness and development everyone expected to see during a loan stint at Melbourne Victory never came because of a groin injury.

It would still be a surprise to see Postecoglou not take him, but his ranking has slid as it’s impossible to see him contributing in every game in more than a cameo role.

MOVING UP

On the other hand, Adam Sarota and Ben Halloran are timing their runs nicely.

Both are types of players Postecoglou admires – technical, mobile and clever. Sarota has featured 15 times for FC Utrecht in Holland, after coming back from a long term knee injury, and is an option both centrally and on the right for the Socceroos.

Adam Sarota in the green and gold in 2011.

Halloran, ironically, has been starring for Robbie Kruse’s old club Fortuna Dusseldorf, in Bundesliga 2. The former Gold Coast and Brisbane flyer scored four goals on the bounce in April and has rocketed into contention to replace the injured Kruse.

Ben Halloran has timed his form to perfection.

CENTRE-BACK CONUNDRUM

The story looks as simple as this.

Lucas Neill won’t be going after his last-ditch bid at Doncaster, who were relegated to League One on the weekend. Sasa Ognenovski, despite being a popular candidate after his Sydney FC stint, also doesn’t appear to fit into Postecoglou’s plans.

Matthew Spiranovic is the clear first choice, but injuries to Curtis Good (hip) and Trent Sainsbury (knee), the other two best young candidates, has created a headache. Good will be fit but lacking match practice, but Sainsbury is still only a 50/50 proposition.

Ryan McGowan is the consistent squad member who looks likely to travel, regardless, while Alex Wilkinson could be the beneficiary if there are any other casualties. Osama Malik and Luke De Vere are bolters, while Postecoglou would love to have Chris Herd and Rhys Williams healthy and available, but neither will be there.

Mark Bosnich has called for Brisbane’s Jade North to be given serious consideration, while Nikolai Topor-Stanley had started mounting a case until his match-turning grand final injury.

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UP FOR GRABS

There are a cohort of midfielders that are hard to split, sitting on the cusp of the 23, including Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town), Olivier Bozanic (Luzern), Luke Brattan (Brisbane) and Jackson Irvine (Celtic) who are all capable, mobile, young central options – but the formers’ previous involvement in Socceroos camps probably has them with their noses in front.

A-LEAGUE BOLTERS

Ange Postecolgou has been in the stands throughout the finals series as he surveys the contenders in our domestic league.

The prime candidate is a man he lured to Melbourne Victory – James Troisi. With 12 goals, he was a constant threat in the final third, and is another candidate in the mix to contend for Kruse’s right sided berth.

A-League Golden Boot Adam Taggart is the other raw talent whose form has shot him into the mix. 16 goals – with some special highlights, too – should see him get the chance to show his wares in the preliminary 30.

David Williams finally lived up to his potential with Melbourne Heart this term, and if you’re looking for players in form, he’s put his hand up as an attacking, pacey outlet, while Michael Zullo, Luke Brattan, Malik, North and Matt Smith will have their fingers crossed over the next week.

Brad Jones got the nod as the third choice goalkeeper against Ecuador, but 2006 No.3 Ante Covic, and 2010 No.3 Eugene Galekovic will feature in discussions as well.

Originally published as Socceroos Power Rankings: Lucas Neill won’t be there but who will make the top 30?