The 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League Men campaign is just two rounds old – and as was expected in pre-season, the fallout from the second weekend of the season once again revolves around the Socceroos squad bound for next month’s World Cup.
On this week’s episode of The Official Isuzu UTE A-League Podcast, brought to you by Neds, our experts state the case not just for Garang Kuol or Daniel Arzani – but for both young A-Leagues stars to find their way onto the plane to Qatar.
KEEPUP’s David Weiner is joined by Daniel Garb and Simon Hill to dissect all the action from Round 2 – here are the biggest talking points from this week’s podcast.
Listen below, or via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you consume your podcasts.
‘If the both of them were in the squad, Kuol and Arzani, I think you’d have a lot of happy Socceroos fans’
On Sunday afternoon, Daniel Arzani took to Campbelltown Stadium and lit up the A-League Men. In the evening, Garang Kuol was in Kuwait City, scoring a rocket for the Young Socceroos in an U20 Asian Cup qualifier.
Together, the two A-Leagues youngsters are making all the right noises ahead of the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
Arzani, 23, and Kuol, 18, are two players shaping as World Cup “wildcards” to be unleashed off the bench down either the right or left wing. But could Socceroos boss Graham Arnold fit both on the plane to Qatar?
Simon Hill: “You can have both, but I think you’re looking at a squad where a lot of those attacking positions are already taken… (Jamie) Maclaren, (Mathew) Leckie and Mitch Duke I have no doubt will be there, Adam Taggart I know Arnie likes – he’s probably there. You’re probably looking at one or two spots that are available.
“I think if you’re looking at a wildcard at the moment – and that’s what they’d be, let’s be honest – an Arzani… he was terrific, and he’d been decent in the cup as well, but does he have enough time to put that sustained run together?
“He wasn’t that flash in Round 1, he was great at the weekend. He needed that consistency I think in that mini-season, that six games ahead of the World Cup to really put himself in with a good chance.
“I’m not saying he’s zero chance, not whatsoever. But I think if Graham Arnold is looking at a wildcard, I think he’d be leaning at the moment towards Garang Kuol.”
David Weiner: “I don’t think you take him and start him. So you’re looking for a guy who can make an impact off the bench. I think that changes the equation a lot.
“If you look at what Dwight Yorke is saying about him, he’s still got to continue to do the dirty work, he’s still got to evolve, he’s not the finished product but It’s great to see the progress. In that sense, taking someone who at this World Cup could be number 25 or 26, not 22 or 23, I think that makes his case very, very interesting as a game changer.”
Hill: “Why I call them wildcards is no reflection on their abilities, either of them. But I think maybe there’s only room for one of them in the squad. You mentioned the left-hand side for the Socceroos. Awer Mabil can play there, Mat Leckie can play there, Craig Goodwin can play there if he’s fit… so I think there are a few options, and probably a few players ahead of (Arzani) – but I’m not saying he’s no chance.”
Daniel Garb: “I just don’t think he’s that far off his best. I watched him in the cup and watched him against Adelaide. People are judging him on ‘he’s not played much football’ but form wise, I think he’s pretty close to it. He really is dominating games at the moment and taking players on. I’d like to see him be strongly considered, at least.”
Weiner: “Putting my fan hat on, if the both of them were in the squad, Kuol and Arzani, I think you’d have a lot of happy Socceroos fans.”
‘There are green shoots of recovery in Western Sydney’
Five long seasons have passed for Western Sydney Wanderers fans since their last finals appearance.
In 2022-23, the signs are looking promising under Marko Rudan, with an overhauled squad winning two games on the bounce to start the campaign – including an impressive 1-0 triumph over Melbourne Victory on the road in Round 2.
But, the optimism around the early season success does have a familiar feel for Hill, who remembers the Wanderers’ three wins on the bounce to start the 2019-20 season under then-head coach Markus Babbel.
Babbel’s Wanderers beat Central Coast, Victory and Sydney FC to begin the 2019-20 campaign, but won just one of the following 11 games, culminating in Babbel’s mid-season sacking.
Hill continued: “You have to urge a little bit of caution because it still is very early on in the campaign – but I thought there were some very good signs.
“They’ve got three home games to come before the break for the World Cup. All of them on paper are winnable theoretically (against) Brisbane, Newcastle and the Mariners. So who knows? Maybe this is the year they finally get to the finals. And wouldn’t it be strange if they do it under Marko Rudan who is probably in terms of character, background, his approach to the game, the closest thing they can get to Tony Popovic, who was the last guy to get them there.”
‘They were very poor on Friday. They created very, very little’
It was an occasion built for Charlie Austin, and Brisbane Roar, to put on a performance to savour.
Back at Suncorp Stadium under Friday night lights, the Roar welcomed reigning premiers Melbourne City to Queensland to kick-off Round 2. The club also welcomed the A-Leagues All Access crew behind the scenes to track star marquee Austin’s every move, ahead of his starring role in episode two of the docuseries airing this Thursday night (7.30pm AEDT on Paramount+, 10Play, keepup.com.au and KEEPUP Youtube).
But by the end of the night, Warren Moon’s side had fallen to 2-0 defeat against the 10-men of City, with Austin largely peripheral.
Hill: “On Friday night against Melbourne City – and you’ve got to put the caveat in here that they were probably playing one of the best, if not the best team, in the competition – so there is that to consider, but It thought they were poor on Friday. They created very, very little.
“The concern for me – and we saw this very late on in the game – was Charlie Austin starting to drop deep… at some point, those marquee players – and Charlie is one of those players – they get frustrated. They start dropping to try and get involved in the play.
“Robbie Fowler when he was at Perth – and I think also at North Queensland Fury – he ended up playing as almost a number 10.
Garb: “We spoke about it last week here as well. Charlie can’t do that, he has to play to his strengths.
Hill: “No he can’t – but he’s got to have service, and he did not get service on Friday night. I think there’s a bit of concern there for Brisbane that there’s a lack of quality and depth in the squad.
Weiner: “I was disappointed. I was really disappointed. Maybe here I was buying the A-Leagues All Access hype, because Charlie Austin is the star of this week’s episode, and Charlie’s been such a brilliant speaker and advert for the league with the way he’s carried himself.
“I was looking forward to seeing Charlie Austin and Jay O’Shea link up, returning to Suncorp. A big test against Melbourne City, absolutely, a huge caveat, but what about those fans who returned to Suncorp? What a damp squib that was. You don’t sign a marquee striker with a Rolls Royce player behind him in Jay O’Shea, who is one of the best in our league in terms of supply – he’s shown that time and time gain – with such a cautious approach.”
