The Socceroos are preparing to take to the field for the first time since their heartbreaking Asian Cup quarterfinal defeat to South Korea, with attention now fully focused on the road to the 2026 World Cup.
Coach Graham Arnold announced his squad for the two qualifiers against Lebanon today, but had plenty of selection headaches amid an injury crisis – particularly in one problem position.
And as Arnold looks to the future, three potential debutants could get their shot.
Here are the big talking points from today’s announcement.
ARNOLD WHACKS EURO CLUBS
Arnold has been forced into a difficult balancing act in selecting this squad – just as he did in the Asian Cup in January – over whether or not to select under-23 players.
The U23 Asian Cup next month will decide which nations qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris. Yet next month’s tournament is not held during a FIFA window, meaning clubs are not obligated to release players to compete for the Olyroos.
Arnold has tried to convince them to let talented youngsters players play for the Olyroos by omitting them from his Socceroos squads.
That was the case for 20-year-old centre-back Alessandro Circati, who was left out of the Asian Cup squad and is again absent this time around.
Parma is hunting promotion to Italy’s Serie B, making it understandable they are reluctant to lose any players in the closing stages of the season.
But if he hoped leaving Circati out of the Socceroos team would mean Parma let him play for the Olyroos, those hopes are fading fast.
“That’s to be determined. But I have to say, I’d be doubtful about that,” Arnold said.
He slammed European clubs for pressuring players to turn down international call-ups and focus on their domestic careers.
“Tony Vidmar [Olyroos coach] at the moment is getting quite a number of overseas-based clubs refusing to release players in April. I spoke to [Circati] and I think it’s one thing a lot of people need to understand: the pressure that kids get put under from their clubs overseas to [not] play for Australia is a lot.
“Alessandro and even [uncapped 20-year-old] Cristian Volpato, exactly the same. They just want to focus on their club careers at this moment in time. I do believe that Alessandro, especially, will play for Australia, and I do believe Cristian will want to play for Australia. It’s just at the moment, the timing is probably not right for them – especially with Alessandro; they’re going for promotion with Parma to get up in Serie A.”
Arnold is well-placed to comment on the plight of the Olyroos, having led them to both the 2008 and 2020 Olympics.
Selecting a squad is difficult enough. It’s made even harder when balancing the needs of the under-23 team – and when clubs don’t play ball.
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INJURY CRISIS PROVIDES BIG CHANCES
Two of the Socceroos starting XI from their last match – the Asian Cup quarter-final against South Korea – have been ruled out of this squad.
Winger Martin Boyle suffered a nasty concussion playing for Hibernian, while veteran left-back Aziz Behich, a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, has suffered an ankle injury.
Behich played every minute of the Socceroos’ five Asian Cup matches, while Boyle started all five matches and scored two goals.
But the list of injured players is much longer – “12 or 13” in total, Arnold says.
Wingers Marco Tilio (on loan at Melbourne City, hamstring injury) and Awer Mabil (Grasshopper FC in Switzerland) are both injured.
Midfielder Aiden O’Neill is battling an ankle injury, but would have been ruled out regardless after picking up a red card against South Korea. Highly touted 21-year-old midfielder Alex Robertson is out with a torn thigh muscle.
Meanwhile, there’s an added worry for Arnold after Lewis Miller – who was named in the squad – hobbled off with injury this morning.
“He called me straight from the dressing room this morning, it’s too early to rule him out,” Arnold said.
“He’s going to have scans and get checked on and then we’ll deal with that in the next couple of days.”
It means the Socceroos have been forced into a number of changes, but also provides a significant chance for players to stake their claim in the starting side.
That is particularly the case for wingers – with nailed-on starter Boyle a key absentee. Jordy Bos (more on him below) and Craig Goodwin (32) are the likely first-choice starters, though Middlesbrough’s Sam Silvera (23) could get his shot.
Brandon Borrello (28) has recovered from the ankle complaint that ruled him out of the Asian Cup and has been recalled, with the Western Sydney Wanderers attacker hoping his versatility can give him a greater opportunity at the national team level.
Zero to hero! Aussie gun redeems shocker | 00:45
Kusini Yengi, the 25-year-old striker for Portsmouth in England’s League One, also looms as one to watch this window. He was deployed on the right side of the attack this week against Burton. After missing a wide-open goal, the Aussie gun recovered to score a panenka penalty and turned it into a brace in the second half.
He now has 10 goals and two assists in 23 appearances in all competitions – but his surprise start at right-wing could convince Graham Arnold he can perform in a wider role rather than just as a striker, where there’s plenty of competition for places.
Besides Yengi, there’s veteran Mitchell Duke, uncapped John Iredale, and the A-League trio of Bruno Fornaroli, Brandon Borrello and Adam Taggart.
“All of them bring something different,” Arnold said.
BIG QUESTION OVER LONG-TERM PROBLEM POSITION
With Aziz Behich injured, the Socceroos are left with just one specialist left-back in the squad: 12-cap Jordy Bos. The 21-year-old left-back is enjoying a stellar season at KVC Westerlo in Belgium, scoring a sublime long-range strike on the weekend.
But at the Asian Cup, he played exclusively as a winger – and scored his maiden Socceroos goal just moments after coming off the bench in the opening match – with Arnold repeatedly stating that he believes the youngster is more suited to an attacking position.
Yet Behich is 33 years old, and it is unclear whether he will be capable of playing in the next World Cup in 2026.
It means the Socceroos have a big question mark over the future at the position.
Bos’ undoubted potential has led many to believe he could lock down the role for the foreseeable future.
In the Asian Cup warm-up match against Bahrain, Bos delivered a faultless performance in that position, and he previously impressed in the left-back role against Bangladesh last year.
But Arnold is likely to stick to his guns and deploy Bos as a winger this time around, especially with the absence of Boyle leaving the frontline a little lean.
Bos is more suited to the left flank, but Craig Goodwin could be deployed on that side with Bos shifted to the right.
Assuming Arnold does deploy Bos in attack, Kye Rowles is most likely to deputise on the left.
Arnold said: “Kye Rowles can also play there, it’s a good thing what we did last year in some friendlies, trying different ways (of lining up).
“Jordy’s obviously playing that role at Westerlo, it’s a familiar role for him.”
The left-footer is typically deployed as a left-sided centre-back and has formed what is clearly Australia’s first-choice partnership with Harry Souttar.
The pair played together in four of the five Asian Cup matches, with Souttar partnered by Cameron Burgess in the other.
Rowles has been used at left-back before, notably in back-to-back games against Mexico and England late last year.
It appears the most likely option for the upcoming pair of matches against Lebanon, which would give Burgess a chance to nail down a position alongside Souttar in the heart of defence.
Souttar, of course, remains in virtual exile at club level, having made just four appearances for Leicester all season in all competitions (not due to any fault of his own, but rather that Leicester’s other centre-backs have been outstanding).
But Souttar’s performances at the Asian Cup proved that despite his lack of match minutes he can be relied upon to deliver for the national team – and means that Rowles could be forced to play at left-back whenever Behich is absent.
Arnold said his lack of game time was a concern but added: “The way he plays for us, the goals he scores – he’s probably our leading scorer in my reign!”
“I know he’s working extremely hard and I know he’s ready for these games.”
23-year-old Sydney FC fullback Joel King has been viewed as a long-term prospect at the troubling left-back position after impressing at the Tokyo Olympics and in four Socceroos appearances.
He was an unused substitute at the 2022 World Cup but has fallen down the pecking order since then. All four of his Socceroos appearances came in 2022, and missed out on this window due to only just having recovered from a toe injury.
29-year-old Callum Elder at League One side Derby County could have been in the mix for a recall, only to suffer an ankle sprain a fortnight ago.
Outstanding 21-year-old Jacob Farrell of the Central Coast Mariners could be the next in line. He will feature this window for the Olyroos (U-23s) at the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-23 Championship in Saudi Arabia, a crucial preparation for the Olyroos ahead of the U23 Asian Cup which doubles as Olympic qualifiers.
Graham Arnold will certainly be keeping a close eye on Farrell – and many other Olyroos stars – as he looks to build his squad for the future with the World Cup firmly in mind.
For now, however, Arnold faces a conundrum over whether to stick with Bos as a winger or shift him to left-back, where he has both the potential and the opportunity to be the long-term answer to a major selection problem.
THREE POTENTIAL DEBUTANTS
Behind captain Maty Ryan, there are two young goalkeepers: Joe Gauci of Aston Villa and Tom Glover of Middlesbrough. The highly talented duo headline the list of potential replacements for 31-year-old Ryan, though the Socceroos’ first-choice number one shows no signs of slowing down.
Glover has been in Socceroos camps multiple times – most recently in October in London – but has not yet debuted. The 26-year-old has played 20 times for second-tier Boro this season and could well earn his first cap should Arnold look to blood the next generation.
23-year-old Gauci has not yet debuted for Premier League club Aston Villa after his groundbreaking move in the January transfer window, but has two caps for the Socceroos already and is perhaps already ahead of Glover in the pecking order.
On the other end of the pitch, Germany-based striker John Iredale would be a shock debutant given his patchy form in the Bundesliga 2 this campaign, with three goals and an assist in 16 appearances in all competitions.
The striking position is an area where the Socceroos are struggling for depth, particularly in the younger generation, and the 24-year-old boasts plenty of physicality – which could help his case for a debut.
Perhaps the most intriguing decision among the selections was that of defensive midfielder Patrick Yazbek.
The 23-year-old has been absolutely stellar for Norwegian side Viking FK this campaign and certainly deserves to be in the Socceroos. With Aiden O’Neill and Alex Robertson both ruled out, he is more than capable of stepping up as Keanu Baccus’ back-up in the defensive midfield role.
Yet questions have been raised over whether he would be better off playing with the under-23s in Saudi Arabia, where he had been called up before being poached by Arnold’s Socceroos.
