Regardless of the latest 3-1 consequence towards China, the Socceroos squad appears to have clear issues in terms of attacking gamers. It’s particularly damning that the participant with the very best targets per match ratio for Australia throughout that match was a defender, with Harry Souttar scoring 11 targets from 33 matches, or one purpose in each three video games.
The primary striker was Mitchell Duke, who has scored 12 targets from 43 matches for Australia which might be a couple of extra video games than he ought to have had. It really works out to about one purpose in each 3.6 matches, whereas he was solely the ninth-best striker within the A-League when he was first chosen for the 2018 World Cup squad.
He’s now in Japan, the place he’s solely scored 4 instances in 28 matches, or one in each seven. He additionally hasn’t made a single help.
Trying on the remaining forwards you’ve Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Craig Goodwin, Nestory Irankunda, Samuel Silvera, Daniel Arzani and Nishan Velupillay. You may additionally maybe embody Riley McGree and Ajdin Hrustic together with them, however they is perhaps higher utilized in midfield.
In the event you take out McGree and Hrustic then the midfield turns into a lot thinner with simply Jackson Irvine, Keanu Baccus, Aiden O’Neill, Patrick Yazbek and Luke Brattan. It’ll be a debut for each Yazbek and Brattan, whereas O’Neill has performed simply 15 instances for the nationwide squad. There’s an actual lack of expertise right here with out McGree and Hrustic.
Right here’s a listing of gamers within the present squad together with their targets per match information:
Forwards
Duke (12/43)
Goodwin (7/28)
Irankunda (1/5)
Arzani (1/7)
Silvera (0/7)
Velupillay (1/1)
Stamatelopoulos (0/0)
Forwards (A-League)
Stamatelopoulos (Jets = 17/25)
Irankunda (Adelaide United = 8/25 + 6 assists)
Silvera (Mariners = 8/29 + 5 assists)
Arzani (Victory = 4/31 + 6 assists)
Velupillay (Victory = 8/77 + 5 assists)
Midfield
Irvine (11/73) [1 goal per 6.6 matches]
Hrustic (4/27 since 2022) [1 goal per 6.75 matches]
Baccus (1/20)
McGree (1/26)
O’Neill (0/15)
Yazbek (0/1)
Brattan (0/1)
As you’ll be able to see, there isn’t a lot to work with and the dearth of expertise and depth is obvious. In actual fact, this squad choice is so dangerous that it warrants asking whether or not Tony Popovic must be eliminated primarily based on that alone.
However we’re caught with him for now, so how is perhaps one of the simplest ways a arrange the squad?
To start with, it is perhaps finest to make use of a 5-2-3 formation because the Belgians used efficiently of their 3-2 win over Japan on the 2022 World Cup. It’s a bit uncommon, however let’s go together with it.
Beginning with the striker, Duke could also be out with harm and fairly frankly he’s not that nice anyway, so it appears prefer it’s time for Stamatelopoulos to make his debut in a match towards the strongest staff in Asia in an vital fixture for our qualifying marketing campaign.
Taking a look at his highlights, he scores a number of his targets together with his head which I assume makes him the subsequent Tim Cahill. Though like Cahill, his type as a striker dictates a special type of play, which is probably not one of the simplest ways ahead long run.
On the left it’s a really clear alternative with Goodwin, leaving solely the precise in query. Irankunda struggled within the match towards China, maybe creating a possibility for another person to begin in his place.
It’s principally a statistical toss-up between Silvera and Irankunda, which means that Silvera might be the go to possibility if you wish to substitute Irankunda as a starter. Then you would nonetheless deliver on Irankunda in direction of the top towards tiring legs.
At this level it must also be famous that regardless of his purpose towards China, that Velupillay has each the bottom targets per match ratio in addition to the bottom assists per match ratio of the ahead choices. His lone purpose towards China was a statistical fluke, as was Lewis Miller’s.
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In midfield, I’d go together with McGree and Hrustic who would possibly mix effectively with Jordan Bos and Miller as wingbacks. On the left this might provide you with a Bos-McGree-Goodwin mixture whereas on the precise you’ll have a Miller-Hrustic-Silvera mixture.
That is how the attacking gamers look in a 5-2-3 formation:
Goodwin – Stamatelopoulos – Silvera
McGree – Hrustic
Possibly you prefer it, possibly you don’t, however given the out there choices that is what I’ve give you. Goodwin, McGree and Hrustic are the skilled gamers, whereas Stamatelopoulos can be on debut and Silvera will get simply his eighth look.
Maybe it’s simply adequate to presumably get by, however the total squad has such low expertise and such poor depth that it doesn’t depart you a lot to work with. Particularly, the poor targets per match ratios of those gamers depart quite a bit to be desired, and nobody must be stunned after they appear to lack reduce by.
However that’s right down to the gamers that Popovic himself chosen. It could be time to discover a new coach.
