National coach Graham Arnold has confirmed that Cameron Burgess and Sammy Silvera will make their Socceroos debut on Sunday towards Mexico, whereas Kye Rowles might be shifted to left-back in a reshuffled Australian defence.
And as Arnold revealed a few of his choice selections for the sport in Dallas, he additionally mentioned that the knee damage attacker Mat Leckie suffered in coaching was set to sideline the Melbourne City star for about six weeks, which may even rule him out of subsequent month’s friendlies towards England and New Zealand, and place him unsure for the beginning of the A-League season.
“It was an unintentional knock, just an accident, but these things happen in football,” Arnold mentioned of the coaching floor incident that has sidelined Leckie.
“The most important thing is Lecks’ health. I’m very apologetic to Melbourne City … because they’ve been very supportive all the way through with all their players that they come into camp.
“The most important thing is that he gets back to Melbourne, and he gets looked after well.”
Leckie’s absence opens up a spot on the wing within the Socceroos’ line-up, with Arnold saying that former Central Coast Mariners star Silvera, who has made a profitable begin to his profession at English membership Middlesbrough, was set to make his nationwide staff debut – most definitely out broad – a while throughout Sunday’s contest.
“Sammy Silvera has been impressive in camp. He will get on the field at some stage (against Mexico),” the Socceroos coach mentioned.
However, Arnold was extra definitive about Burgess, saying the towering Scotland-born Ipswich Town defender would make his Socceroos debut as a starter as one among two centre-backs, the opposite being Harry Souttar.
“I was very impressed with him when I went to watch Ipswich against QPR,” he mentioned of the 198cm Burgess.
“He’s a fantastic guy, and … he’s making his debut at the age of 27, so he is mature and he has had these type of experiences at club level.
“The most important thing is that he connects with the rest of the team and the rest of the players
“With Harry Souttar next to him we’ve probably got the two tallest centre-backs in Asia by far, and both of them are very mobile, so it’s an exciting time.”
Souttar’s common central defensive accomplice Rowles will shift to the left facet of Australia’s again 4, with the squad’s different left again, Melbourne City’s Aziz Behich, hampered by a latest lack of soccer.
“This gives me an opportunity to see how Kye can perform on the left-hand side (of defence),” Arnold mentioned.
“Kye, I’ve seen play so many times in a back three so I’ve asked the question … show me how you can play in a back four.”
Arnold additionally put the onus on Souttar, who’s out of favour at Leicester, to show to his membership supervisor Enzo Maresca why he shouldn’t be ignored.
“My message to him is simple, and that is ‘this is your stage and this is your opportunity to show your coach at Leicester, and ask the question why you’re not playing, and show the fans how good you really are’.
“He’s got to use that as motivation to go out there and show everyone that’s watching this game who Harry Souter is and everyone will remember him from (last year’s) World Cup.
“He’s got a great mentality that he wants to show the world what he can do.”
Originally printed as Socceroos coach Graham Arnold to present contemporary faces an opportunity towards Mexico
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
