Tony Popovic has selected five A-League players in his inaugural Socceroos squad, interestingly four of them are based in Melbourne and three are from his former club, Melbourne Victory.
Jason Geria, Daniel Azani and Nishan Velupillay all featured in Popovic’s Victory squads, and all three have been invited to join the Socceroos despite only having limited or no exposure at all through Arnold.
Graham Arnold copped a bit of criticism for persisting with certain players and picking some seemingly favoured players over those with form, so for many Popovic represented a chance to break up the ‘boys club’ be it real or imagined, however is this the case?
Each coach has unique perspectives on players and the best insight towards those he has worked with. For a manager being thrown into the deep end so quickly and with an almost entirely new staff Popovic could have been forgiven for selecting the same squad as Arnold, but he can also be forgiven for selecting the players he feels have been overlooked.
The three Victory players have all received plaudits for strong performances and were shouts for selection even before Popovic’s appointment, however now that they have been selected they will face additional pressure to perform should they take to the pitch.
Although it is unlikely Geria or Velupillay will feature in the upcoming internationals Azani may be called upon, especially if Popovic needs his attacking flair to break through a Chinese low block.
The Beautiful Game 