The Official Isuzu UTE A-League Podcast unpacks an enthralling weekend of Round 8 action.
The Official Isuzu UTE A-League Podcast is back, and available every Monday to review the action from the weekend. Here’s a snapshot of some of the talking points from Round 8, discussed by KEEPUP’s David Weiner, David Davutovic and Jake Rosengarten.
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Still hope for City star as Asian Cup selection deadline approaches
Will a four-to-six week layoff due to a hamstring injury prevent Mathew Leckie from receiving an AFC Asian Cup call-up?
Leckie’s latest setback suffered against Zhejiang FC in the AFC Champions League last week has produced one of the big selection talking points ahead of Subway Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold’s Asian Cup squad announcement scheduled for Friday, December 22.
Leckie was one of the stars of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, scoring the winning goal against Denmark to send Australia through to the Round of 16.
A little over one year later he would still feature among the Socceroos’ most valuable players – when fit. Currently he’s not, sidelined by a right hamstring tear just four games after returning from a serious knee injury which hampered his off-season with Melbourne City.
But there is still hope for Leckie ahead of Asian Cup selection, with KEEPUP’s David Davutovic suggesting the City star remains an “outside chance” of earning a spot in Arnold’s squad on Friday.
“It’s not a serious injury, so it will be really interesting to see what the Socceroos do with Leckie,” Davutovic said.
“My understanding is there is an outside chance he may still be selected for the Asian Cup squad. The squad obviously being announced on Friday. So it will be really interesting to see what decision Graham Arnold makes… as far as I’m aware he’s still in with a shout of potentially making the squad.”
READ MORE: Predicting the Socceroos squad for the Asian Cup: if Fornaroli is in, who misses out?
The most recent example of such a gamble was the selection of Kyah Simon in the Matildas’ 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad; a contentious decision that ignited a rolling debate from the moment head coach Tony Gustavsson announced his squad, all the way to the end of Australia’s World Cup campaign that ended in a third-place playoff.
Simon ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in October, 2022. She hadn’t play a minute of football between the time of the injury and her World Cup selection, and didn’t make an appearance at the World Cup. After signing for Central Coast Mariners in the aftermath of the tournament, is still yet to get back on the park in the Liberty A-League.
Davutovic says Leckie’s situation is vastly different when taking the severity of each player’s injury into account.
“It comes down to Graham Arnold and whether he decides to take that risk, and how important Leckie is to the squad,” Davutovic said. “I think we can answer that question: he’s absolutely crucial.”
City’s four-to-six week estimate of Leckie’s injury layoff puts him in the frame to return to fitness during the tournament, set to be held in Qatar from January-February 2024.
City confirmed the hamstring injury on December 15; four weeks after that date is January 12. The Socceroos play their first Asian Cup game against India on January 13.
A six-week layoff would keep Leckie sidelined until roughly January 26. That’s three days after Australia’s final group-stage game against Uzbekistan. The Round of 16 begins on January 28, and the quarter-finals and beyond don’t start until February.
Rosengarten said Leckie’s versatility could be his saving grace as Arnold decides whether or not he can afford to take an injured player to the tournament.
“The one thing about Mat Leckie that has to be said is: Mat Leckie’s a unicorn. He’s a player who can play either wing, he can play up top, he can play as a 10, he can play as an eight if you need him to.
“You’re not just picking one player that can slot into one spot, you’re picking a guy who can play everywhere essentially in the front third, which is invaluable, particularly in tournament football and the adaptability of what the Socceroos need.
“I think picking an injured player is a very, very tricky line to go down… I don’t envy Graham Arnold, he has to make this decision, it is all about Leckie’s condition, particularly given the fact he has just briefly come back from injury, and being injured again. I’m not sure I’d be taking him, personally.
“It’s a really tough one to judge,” Davutovic added. “Firstly, we’ve got to work out where Leckie is at physically. Will he be available for game two, game three of the knockout phase? And then you work it from there.
“If he’s capable of playing minutes in the knockout phase, genuinely being available for the second or third game, I’d probably pick him.”
In defence of Mariners weapon silencing ‘completely premature’ critics
Ángel Torres had been quietly building a steady run of form in Gosford for weeks – but there’s nothing quiet about it anymore.
The Central Coast Mariners winger scored a classy hat-trick against Melbourne City on Sunday afternoon to electrify his maiden season in the Isuzu UTE A-League; a player who was maligned by fans and pundits early in the season, Torres is quickly proving all of his doubters wrong as he settles into life on the Coast.
Overseas signings are notorious for taking time to settle into life Down Under. Cultural shocks, the Australian climate and the distance between clubs across the league are just some of the many reasons behind the phenomenon – but season upon season, new arrivals are so often judged by their early form.
But now, Torres’ first season in the Isuzu UTE A-League is well and truly up and running. And this week, he was the toast of the Official Isuzu UTE A-League Podcast.
“I think some of the criticism of Angel Torres has been completely premature,” said Weiner.
“He’s got a decent goal tally now with the hat-trick. But in fits and starts you can see there’s a quality player, and we should know now after 20 years it’s not easy to acclimatise quickly to the Isuzu UTE A-League, and once (they) do, the foreigners do show their quality.”
“His performance on Sunday was absolutely outstanding,” Davutovic said.
“His goals were brilliant, his finishes, particularly two of them, were a lot harder than they looked. And his composure; the way he sold that candy for the third goal and just beautifully slotted it home was absolutely sensational.
“Having composure is one of the most difficult things to acquire as a footballer, particualrly having composure in that front third and the penalty box, and he’s absolutely got it in spades.
“I can’t wait to see what he delivers for the rest of the season.”
Criticism began to mount when Torres earned a red card in Round 3; a foolish whack to the head of Perth Glory’s Jacob Muir was the reason for his dismissal. At the time, the Mariners were on a three-game losing streak to start their championship defence. They’d lose the following game with Torres on the sidelines, before his return coincided with a dramatic uplift in form.
The Mariners have since gone four games unbeaten in the league, with Torres scoring all four of his goals for the season. Meanwhile the club’s AFC Cup campaign has continued, with Torres playing a crucial role in securing the Mariners’ progression out of the group stage and into the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals.
“The guy has played seven games,” Rosengarten said.
“He’s 23 years old. He’s playing a country where he doesn’t know the language, he’s moved halfway around the world, and actually if you look at what he’s produced so far, he’s played 12 games for the Mariners in all competitions and has five goals and five assists. What do you want from the guy?”
“He copped a red card as well,” replied Davutovic. “And to your point, South American players have been a bit hit and miss, and a lot of it comes down to acclimatisation. It’s been difficult for some of them with the language barrier, and the lifestyle being away from their families.
“Some of them have just not worked out in the A-Legaue and gone back overseas and been outstanding. Credit to him, and he’ll only get better. Who knows? Bruno Fornaroli is going to take some catching but if he keeps going like this Torres, he could be within striking distance by the end of the season.”
