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New Socceroos Coach Guus Hiddink has named a 28-man squad for the training camp in Hoenderloo, Holland, with a clear emphasis on youth players.
The super coach has made the changes in an attempt to fix the team’s defensive problems and have more options at the back.
“I’ve watched Australia’s recent matches and in consultation with (assistant coach) Graham Arnold and (technical advisor) Ron Smith we have put together a squad which gives us an opportunity to do some intense training,” Hiddink said in an FFA statement.
Graham Arnold added, “What we’ve tried to do is give Guus a lot of options in the defensive half of the field for him to look at,
“Guus has seen enough DVD’s and seeing it live that he just said he would have liked to have more versatile and adaptable players to look at,” Arnold said.
Hiddink replaced former coach Frank Farina after the Socceroos defence was exposed badly at the Confederations Cup in Germany.
The Australians limped out early in the competition, conceding 10 goals in three games and finishing last on the table.
The new coach has been assigned the task of getting Australia to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, having only a four-month time frame to work with.
Hiddink has responded to the task by bringing in new blood, with the inclusions of debutant Joel Griffiths and the return of Michael Thwaite and Newcastle Jets player Jade North.
These three players will be responsible for building a fortress in defense along with stars Steve Laybutt, Stan Lazaridis, Jon Mckain, Ljubo Milicevic, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill, Tony Popovic and Tony Vidmar.
North was happy to return to the fold, saying he would be a leader in the defense if required.
“I am always confident in my own abilities and what I can do so if that’s what it takes then I am more than happy to step up,” he said.
Along with Jade North, two other A-League players have been brought into the squad in the shape of Archie Thompson and Saso Petrovski.
Both players have earned a call-up with fantastic performances in the Pre-Season Cup, which has impressed Hiddink.
Saso Petrovski is particularly pleased that the Socceroos boss was in the stands watching Sydney FC, a game in which Petrovski scored twice in a 3-1 win against the New Zealand Knights.
“I had no idea he was in the stands and I only found out after the game,” Petrovski said.
“I’m excited and my teammates are just congratulating me and people keep ringing me so it is a very exciting time.”
The training camp is designed to prepare the team for an encounter with the Solomon Islands, a match which will decide who will play the 5th placed South American team for the last spot in the World Cup.
The squad will be trimmed down to about 20-22 players for the qualifier; with former Socceroo Robbie Slater warning any player who did not make the squad will struggle to find a place.
“The writing is on the wall,” Slater said.
“So anyone who has not made the 28 is severely struggling.”
Some information for this report was provided by AAP.
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