The Football Tragic

Four long-service Socceroos were suitably farewelled in last night’s testimonial match in Brisbane (the Paraguayans may have foolishly believed they were taking part in a friendly international). Let’s have a look, then, at the gaps they have left, and how they might be filled.

None of the four, of course, were considered first-teamers at the World Cup (although Tony Vidmar might have been, had his heart condition not intervened), so it could be argued that the losses should occasion nostalgia rather than genuine concern. Nonetheless, there are certain qualities that were offered by some of the departing quartet that we will miss.

Tony Vidmar

Perhaps our best player over the two legs against Uruguay last year, Vidmar’s flexibility was one of his best qualities; he could play anywhere across the back four, and his positioning was generally sound wherever he was deployed.

Of the current green and gold crew, both Lucas Neill and Mark Milligan are comfortable operating both at fullback and in central defence. But Neill appears to be a fixture in the middle now, while Milligan has apparently been marked out by Graham Arnold for a midfield role.

Patrick Kisnorbo, not entirely convincing in his Socceroo appearances so far, may yet grow into the role of national team utility. Another one to keep an eye on is David Tarka, currently operating at left-back for Perth, but quite capable of fulfilling a central role.

Tony Popovic

Poppa’s stopper role, so crucial against tall, strong forwards, might fall into the hands of Ljubo Milicevic in the future, or even Adrian Leijer. But he will be missed at the other end, too, where his head often connected with set-pieces to good effect (as Gary Neville, for one, will remember). Few other current Australian defenders are so dangerous in the air; Jamie Harnwell is perhaps the only one who is similarly adept at exploiting set-pieces.

Stan Lazaridis

Australia has a number of promising left-sided midfielders at the moment, but how many have the ability to beat their fullback as regularly as Laza did in his prime?

Harry Kewell’s career currently hangs in the balance, and it’s doubtful that he will ever be the force he once was on the left wing. Alex Brosque has shown promise in the position, but there is still debate as to whether he is best deployed there.

In the long term, Australia’s best option on the left wing may turn out to be another Sydney FC player – David Carney. He, for one thing, has no qualms about taking on and beating opposing fullbacks.

Zeljko Kalac

Although Kalac’s comments on Mark Schwarzer’s form prior to the World Cup were tactless and selfish, the competition between the two arguably spurred them on to better performances for the national team.

Schwarzer’s performances leading up to the World Cup were superior to Kalac’s, but the Spider loyalists complained that Schwarzer didn’t take sufficient command of his area. Up to a point, this was true, although it could be countered that Kalac often attempted to take command in his area and didn’t (the pre-World Cup Greece friendly was a good example of this).

Ante Covic looked ordinary in his Socceroo debut against Bahrain. Sooner or later, Danny Vukovic must surely be entrusted with the Socceroo gloves; in almost every respect, he has shown himself a wonderfully accomplished young keeper.

On a final note, congratulations to Carlos Gamarra on a distinguished international career with Paraguay.

# posted by Mike Salter @ 10:22 AM