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Familiar issues were painfully clear to see as the Socceroos battled past a Lebanon side that put up a hell of a fight on Thursday night.
The Socceroos struggled to create much in the way of chances, outside of a lucky fifth-minute goal from Keanu Baccus that he joked was deliberate – but really was intended as a cross.
Defender Kye Rowles made it 2-0 in the second half off a corner, but the Socceroos’ worrying inability to carve out opportunities from open play was on full display once again despite a win that moves Australia closer to the 2026 World Cup.
Even a change to a 4-4-2 formation didn’t spark much life into a Socceroos attack that has long struggled to break down opposing defences.
There was, certainly, flashes of brilliance and reasons for optimism. Ajdin Hrustic showed flashes of his instinctive, creative best – something the Socceroos have missed with the playmaker having been stuck in club purgatory for just about all of 2023, where he managed all of 45 minutes for the national team.
“He gives you that little bit of X factor,” coach Graham Arnold said. “Some of the flicks around the corner, the little chips over the top – those type of things are what we’re wanting, and what we need in the final third against some of these opponents.”
And there was the caveat that many of the players had just one training session together after assembling in Sydney, while Arnold also pointed to a Commbank Stadium turf that “wasn’t an easy pitch to play on”.
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NO CLEAR ANSWER TO BIG NO.9 ISSUE
When Graham Arnold named his 25-player squad for this pair of fixtures, one thing stood out: the inclusion of a full SIX strikers.
Since the retirement of Tim Cahill, no number nine has well and truly made the shirt their own. There has been no shortage of good players given a shot in that position, but with focus turning to the World Cup in 2026, it remains one of the biggest headaches for coach Graham Arnold.
The biggest problem is that many of his striker options are in their 30s – and may not still be fit and firing by the time 2026 comes along.
In the current squad, there is 36-year-old Bruno Fornaroli, 33-year-old Mitchell Duke, and 30-year-old Adam Taggart, while Brandon Borrello is 28.
By the next World Cup, Arnold will be lucky to have all of them available for selection – or perhaps even a couple of them.
Kusini Yengi (25) started against Lebanon alongside Taggart – the two most in-form attackers at club level – while John Iredale (24) debuted off the bench alongside Duke.
The four each had promising moments but none made a real statement that they should be the starting No.9 moving forward.
No centre forward has scored for the Socceroos since before the Asian Cup in January – now a six-game drought.
All six of the players offer unique skill-sets, as Arnold said when announcing his squad.
“All of them bring something different,” Arnold said.
That was on full display tonight.
Taggart frequently ran in behind the defence, Yengi is strong and loves to dribble at opponents, Duke is an excellent hold-up player and tireless in pressing, and Iredale is fast and physical.
“Six centre forwards in the squad is an exciting prospect for us,” Jackson Irvine said this week, “and it will be interesting to see how that unfolds over the next couple of games.”
Tonight none of them put their name up in lights.
Arnold will have his fingers and toes crossed that one of the six grabs the reins on Tuesday and makes the number nine their own.
DEFENCE DOES THE JOB AGAIN
Thursday’s victory made it eight clean sheets from the Socceroos’ last ten matches – an impressive record in defence.
Sure, all-but-one of those matches have come against lower-ranked opponents, but you can’t deny that the Socceroos success is being built on a foundation of a strong defence – even if that clean sheet was somewhat fortunate, given Lebanon finished the better side and struck the post late on.
Harry Souttar continues to defy his lack of club minutes at Leicester City in England’s second tier, while Cameron Burgess has converted his strong form for Leicester’s high-flying Championship rivals Ipswich Town into solid performances for the Socceroos. The third centre-back, Kye Rowles, has become one of the most dependable performers for the team, even despite being pushed out to left back to replace the injured Aziz Behich.
The depth at centre-back is extremely pleasing – as is their knack of scoring goals.
“That’s what we need, we need everyone to score!” Arnold told Channel 10 with a wry smile.
Souttar already has 11 to his name for the Socceroos, while man of the match Rowles scored his first against Lebanon.
Rowles and Souttar are both 25, while Burgess is 28. The trio could have locked down the centre-back spots for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile Maty Ryan, the captain and first-choice number one, was typically solid between the sticks and made two fine saves.
While depth on at both fullback spots remains something of a concern, the defence – and particularly that core group of four players – is in rude health.
INJURIES WILL FORCE MORE SHUFFLING … AND MORE CHANCES
Arnold’s selections for the Asian Cup and this pair of World Cup qualifying fixtures made it clear that he’s looking towards the future.
Asked pre-game if it felt like a ‘new phase’ for the team, Arnold told Channel 10: “Yeah look, the things I said before the Asian Cup about regenerating the squad came – hopefully – through thick and clear.
“With some of the older boys out injured in this game – Craig Goodwin, Mat Leckie’s still injured, Martin Boyle, Aziz Behich – the young ones that we gave a chance at the Asian Cup, this is a great opportunity for them.”
Keanu Baccus (25) and Connor Metcalfe (24) were both impressive after being named in the starting XI on Thursday night, while the returning Ajdin Hrustic also reminded Arnold what he can offer the team.
But a pair of first-half injuries – to Riley McGree and 21-year-old Jordy Bos – means that Graham Arnold will be forced into more changes for the Lebanon rematch in Canberra on Tuesday.
Arnold immediately ruled both out of that match, while Baccus earned a yellow card that will see him suspended on Tuesday night.
The Socceroos will have Craig Goodwin available, with the winger recovering from an illness and ready to play the second match.
“(Goodwin) is so good he’s already down in Canberra waiting for us,” Arnold said. “He’ll be available on Tuesday.”
21-year-old Patrick Yazbek and diminutive 24-year-old Josh Nisbet will be hoping to debut in the midfield in that game, while 23-year-old winger Samuel Silvera has been in strong form for Middlesbrough in England’s second tier and will also hope to get on the pitch.
While the raft of injuries to veteran players has left the squad short on experience, it’s a huge opportunity for the next generation to make their mark.
And should the Socceroos win on Tuesday, Australia will be guaranteed a place in the next stage of World Cup qualifying with two matches to spare.
In that case, matches against Lebanon and Palestine in June will become dead rubbers – and Arnold might be tempted to roll the dice on blooding a whole raft of young guns.
