Why Ani's newest Socceroos team is one of the saddest

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I know there’s a name that doesn’t stand a chance on Graham Arnold’s squad for Australia’s next two World Cup qualifiers, even if I’m more disappointed than usual by its absence.
Ani’s latest news took him by surprise as he named his squad of young domestic players Marco Thirio, Joel King and Kai Rolls, who face Oman in Melbourne and Muscat this week .
Tilio is the kind of X-factor talent you’d expect to see in the Socceroos squad for years to come, and few would be jealous that the likes of King and Rowles have gained some experience in the recent international window.
To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to anything in football last week as my wife Ashton and I decided to go on holiday for the first time in over two years.
This was not a decision we made lightly.With omicron rampant and some real concerns about flying in the current climate, we’re very close to canceling our trips – like all the other vacation plans we’ve had over the past few years.
But given that we’ve already been beaten three times and thought the tour operators could use some of our hard-earned money, we weighed the risks and took extra precautions and decided to head to Tasmania this week.
It’s a great place full of some of the best football pitches you’ll find anywhere in Australia, and I can’t help but wonder if the A-League haven’t missed out on a team that doesn’t add Tassie considering the insularity of the locals the trick.
But the main reason we were at Apple Island was because I was celebrating my birthday.I hate to admit which, but if we were playing tennis, the score after that one was a draw.
While this doesn’t usually bother me, and I’m not that vain, I don’t realize how time flies for all of us, but I toast this moment, a sober realization creeps into my mind.
It’s not an idea I’ve been thinking about from time to time.For one thing, the job I was good at—sweeper—no longer existed.
On the other hand, I haven’t played since I ran around as an out-of-ring player at Shimizu Minami High School in the Shizuoka Teachers After-School League over a decade ago.
But despite not being able to win a towering header or play a defense-destroying pass over the past 15 years or so, I used to think that if the Socceroos were ever under-represented on the night – like because of the COVID outbreak or because the team The bus took them to the wrong Yokohama Stadium or something – I can count on me to do a job for the team.
I’m not saying I’ll break through the midfield to play a one-two with Ajdin Hrustic and then drive the unstoppable piledriver into the top corner to win the game.
But if Ani has reached the last bench and the remaining minutes of stoppage time are played between me or Kay Rolls, I like to think I can hold on to my own – maybe challenge once or twice and hit one Nice square passed the ball to Trent Sainsbury and ran the clock with minimal fuss.
At least, that’s what I thought before.I know Tim Cahill was 38 when he played his last game for the football team, but he enjoys the advantages of modern sports medicine — not to mention he’s also a professional football player.
But for me, that hope has been dashed.I’ve come to accept that after watching the national team for decades, I’ve just blown out the chance I ever had to play for them.
Football is a sport for young people.From now on, I’ll be yelling at the clouds on the front lawn.
The Socceroos will restart their 2022 World Cup qualifiers this Thursday at AAMI Park, when they host Vietnam in Game 7 of the third qualifying round.
Football coach Graham Arnold will miss Wednesday’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Vietnam in Melbourne after testing positive for COVID-19.
Graham Arnold has called on Socceroos fans to fill AAMI Park for a crucial World Cup qualifier against Vietnam on January 27 as Australia set their sights on winning a direct seat for Qatar 2022.
If they fail to automatically qualify from the Asian group, Australia’s Socceroos will have the toughest road to next year’s World Cup, while the South American powerhouses will await them in a possible single play-off.