Vital ... Tim Cahill remains on of Australia's most important players. Source: Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP
It?s been nearly seven years since Tim Cahill came off the bench to rescue the Socceroos against Japan in Kaiserslauten.
Another World Cup and a move from Everton to New York later, and he’s still the top dog in Australian football, according to a roundtable of Fox Sports football experts who have voted him the most important member of the Socceroos set-up – at the moment.
But the most heartening result of the Fox Sports Power Rankings, a product of Simon Hill, Andy Harper, Robbie Slater and Mark Bosnich’s current top-50 players in Australian football, is the faith placed in Robbie Kruse.
With plenty of football fans concerned about the re-generation of the national side, the emergence of a 24-year-old former A-League player as an indispensible part of Holger Osieck’s plan is a massive fillip for the side on the road to Brazil.
Indeed, the presence of Kruse alongside Tom Rogic, Tom Oar and James Holland within the top-20, sprinkled in and amongst seasoned veterans like Cahill, Holman and Wilkshire provides a little more confidence about the state of play of the side in the future.
Kruse's elevation comes at a time that Harry Kewell's name is a glaring omission from the list. But if you're not playing - let alone without a club - it proves no one, not even Australia's greatest, is indispensbile.
A lot of these exciting rankings are in anticipation – but if Rogic at Celtic, Oar at Utrecht, Holland at Austria Wien can continue to progress, then suddenly, there’s greater impetus in the Socceroos line-up. Further down the list, there's high hopes that attacking players like Matthew Leckie, Adam Taggert or Corey Gameiro will continue their exponential rise. Adam Sarota would have been there too, but for injury.
There were some fascinating things to learn from the list – and plenty of the questions asked could be answered by full-time on Tuesday night, when Australia’s path to Brazil will either become a lot clearer, or a lot more desperate.
1) Centre-back. Lucas Neill was chosen as high as No.4 on the list – sure to cause plenty of debate amongst our fans. But for all the bravado calling for his omission, truth is, no one has come along and demanded to take his spot. That could all change over the coming months if Neill isn’t playing during the A-League off-season and his deputies step up in his absence against Oman.
There were 13 contenders for the centre-back position nominated on the list. Not so much because of our incredible depth in the position, but because of the desire to see a De Vere, Good, Sainsbury or Topor-Stanley kick-on and nail a spot. In the short-term, there’s a golden opportunity for a Robbie Cornthwaite, Michael Thwaite or Dino Djulbic to leapfrog Matt Spiranovic and Sasa Ognenovski and nab a permanent place.
2) Mark Bresciano, Mile Jedinak or James Holland? Osieck has choice in the middle of the park. The robust Jedinak is always a reliable option in AFC World Cup qualifiers, and the Crystal Palace captain looks a certain starter. But who will be alongside him? Oman will try and hold Australia out and hit us on the counter, turning our defence around – does he opt for Bresciano’s incisiveness or Holland, who has developed as an energetic holding midfielder in Austria?
3) Matt McKay’s elevation is a credit to his consistency over the past three years but also a reflection of his versatility. Indeed, he could still end up at left-back if he is deemed the most stable defensive option there. Will Michael Zullo make the spot his, forcing McKay to fight it out with, perhaps, Brett Holman down the left?
How will the back-four cope as an organized unit, without Neill? Luke Wilkshire has a big responsibility, as does Jedinak, to ensure the tricky Omanis have no joy turning Australia’s defence around on the break.
4) Is Alex Brosque our leading marksman, or does Osieck try and play both Holman and Cahill centrally? It’s a nice choice to have, but the balance can’t be skewed. We saw with Kennedy/Cahill that Australia couldn’t avoid the temptation to go long and it distorted the side’s play. There's a balance to get right with Holman and Cahill; players who like to come from deep – so how do you accommodate both without leaving the side without a target? Holman has often played out wide and cut in. With Kruse wide on the right, and Zullo capable of getting forward on the left, it looks a safe option, with Brosque, at the moment, the option up front.
5) Where do the youngsters actually fit in? Tommy Oar was brought on against Iraq and provided the vital assist for Archie Thompson’s winner – but will we see the likes of Oar, Rogic, Holland or even McGowan, Zullo, Williams or a Milligan chosen in key moments?
6) For the first time in a while, however, the side does not look top heavy. The core remains, but a sprinkling off fresh blood has emerged and looks set to become a constant part of the Socceroos furniture.
As Kewell’s glaring omission from the list emphasises, players getting on the park will gain the ascendancy in re-generating the Socceroos side.
While the clash against Oman doesn’t hold the luster of other qualifiers, it is a crucial clash in the context of trying to secure a safe passage to Brazil. And in at least four positions, perhaps more, Osieck will have to turn to someone inexperienced at this level to get the job done.
The pressure is on and the stakes are high. Who will perform, and rocket up the list, or slide, after tonight, heading towards June's big games?
The country’s quest to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil re-starts on Tuesday night. Australia are locked in a dogfight with Oman, Iraq and Jordan for the second automatic spot in Group B, eight points behind Japan. You can watch this vital clash live and in stunning HD from 6.30pm (EDT) on Fox Sports 1 HD, with kick-off from 7pm.
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