Slater: Wildcards and injured stars in Aussie WC squad

So who misses out? And who has surged late to book their spot on the plane to Doha? And has Arnold seen enough from his injured stars to trust them with a precious World Cup berth?

Socceroos great Robbie Slater has run his eye over Australia’s contenders and come up with his predicted squad.

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GOALKEEPERS

Mat Ryan

Despite his move to Denmark from Spain in the search of regular first-team football not having gone to plan, Ryan remains Australia’s first-choice keeper, and don’t forget that he’s also our skipper.

Mitchell Langerak

After another excellent season in between the posts for his Japanese club Nagoya Grampus, Langerak must go to the World Cup now that he has ended his retirement from international football. Will definitely have Ryan looking over his shoulder.

Andrew Redmayne

Following his penalty-shootout heroics in June’s World Cup playoff against Peru, Redmayne is part of Australian sporting folklore and deserves to be among the three keepers going to Qatar. He has also been in solid form for Sydney FC.

DEFENDERS

Harry Souttar

Graham Arnold has massive wraps on towering centre-back Souttar, and rightly so. There is obvious concern due to his lack of football after requiring a knee construction, but at least he has played some games recently for Stoke City’s under-21 team.

Trent Sainsbury

Kye Rowles’ unfortunate foot injury is likely to mean there’s a place for Sainsbury in the squad but if he does get game time in Qatar he will need to improve on his recent display against New Zealand.

Bailey Wright

The Sunderland defender sealed his spot in the World Cup squad after emerging as an unlikely hero of the Socceroos’ successful playoffs campaign in June in the heart of Australia’s defence alongside Rowles.

Milos Degenek

Degenek has always proved to be reliable and serviceable in a Socceroos jersey, and has played a decent amount of football this year for his American Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew.

Aziz Behich

An underrated hero of the Socceroos’ World Cup playoffs campaign, Behich is clearly Australia’s first-choice left-back. He has also been in solid form for his Scottish club Dundee United.

Joel King

The Denmark-based former Sydney FC young gun will provide the back-up to Behich at left-back, with his superior defending giving him the nod over the more attacking-minded Jason Davidson.

Fran Karacic

Right-back is a position that is truly up for grabs in Australia’s best XI, with the dependable Italy-based Karacic, who grows in confidence with every Socceroos appearance, among the top two contenders.

Nathaniel Atkinson

The former Melbourne City defender is Karacic’s rival for the right-back spot. If Graham Arnold opts for a more attacking option, Atkinson – whose move to Scottish club Hearts has paid dividends – is your man.

MIDFIELDERS

Jackson Irvine

Among the first few players on Australia’s team sheet, Irvine has established himself as the rock of the Socceroos’ midfield. He’s not afraid to do the dirty work but also has the class to get himself in vital positions in the opposition’s penalty area.

Aaron Mooy

Regular football at Celtic under Ange Postecoglou, albeit not always as a starter, has Mooy hopefully ready to weave some magic in Qatar. Showed his class and grit during the World Cup playoffs in June on the back of very little football.

Ajdin Hrustic

An unfortunate injury means Hrustic will go into the World Cup with not enough football under his belt, but the Italy-based playmaker is worth the gamble such is his class and ability to produce a game-breaking moment.

Tom Rogic

He has barely played enough football in the past six months, but Rogic should go to the World Cup, if at the very least as insurance for the currently injured Hrustic. With World Cup squads being increased to 26, it allows room for the former Celtic star.

Riley McGree

The former Adelaide United star needs to be playing more often for his club side Middlesbrough, but McGree makes the World Cup squad as he offers something a little bit different to the rest of Australia’s midfield.

Cameron Devlin

The former Wellington Phoenix midfielder’s move to Scottish club Hearts has proven to be a huge success, and should get him a spot in the squad ahead of Denis Genreau and Connor Metcalfe, who both aren’t playing enough first-team football.

ATTACKERS

Martin Boyle

It would be a huge setback for the Socceroos if Boyle – our best attacking weapon – can’t recover from his knee problem in time for the World Cup. Even if he’s not ready for our first game against France, he must be in the squad.

Mathew Leckie

With two World Cups already under his belt, Leckie’s experience, encouraging A-League form, and ability to play out wide and centrally in attack makes him an important part of Australia’s plans in Qatar.

Awer Mabil

His move to Spain hasn’t led to regular first-team football, but Mabil remains the Socceroos’ best option on the left wing. His confidence also remains high after scoring a memorable goal against New Zealand in September.

Craig Goodwin

Despite missing the September series against New Zealand because osteitis pubis, Adelaide star Goodwin has followed his recovery plan perfectly and will take some fine A-League form with him to Qatar

Mitchell Duke

Duke’s ongoing commitment to the Socceroos’ cause can’t be questioned. Can be used as a battering ram in attack and he also has the ability to get himself into some glorious goal-scoring positions.

Jamie Maclaren

Earns a spot in the squad due to his excellent A-League goal-scoring form over several seasons. The Melbourne City marksman is yet to show he can have a similar impact at international level, but he deserves a spot in the 26.

Adam Taggart

A mix of Duke and Maclaren, Taggart has had an unfortunate run of injuries in recent years, and that has cost him Socceroos appearances. Qatar could be the stage for the former Jets, Glory and Roar striker that he’s Australia’s best option at centre-forward.

Jason Cummings

You want in-form players at a World Cup, particularly when preparation is limited, and there’s no doubting the A-League form of Cummings. He has already shown he isn’t overawed in a Socceroos jersey, and that confidence and belief in himself will be crucial in Qatar.

Garang Kuol

Kuol is the Socceroos’ wildcard. He’s only 18, but that doesn’t matter. His class has earned him a contract with English Premier League side Newcastle, and his combination at club level with Cummings will be to Australia’s advantage.

THE 100/1 WORLD CUP DARK HORSE YOU NEED TO KNOW

Bookmaker Betr has installed heavyweights Spain/Germany/France/England/Brazil/Belgium/Argentina all at 10/a to win the World Cup. and while a strong argument can be made for any of those teams to win the tournament, there is a sleeper hanging out at 100/1 that deserves your attention.

Perhaps no country in international soccer punches above its weight better than Uruguay, a tiny country of 3.5 million people sandwiched between Brazil (214 million) and Argentina (45.3 million). Despite being only the 10th-biggest country in South America, Uruguay has won 15 Copa America titles (tied for most with Argentina) and two World Cups (1930, 1950), making it one of six nations to have hoisted to Jules Rimet Trophy more than once.

It’s been a while since Uruguay has tasted glory — its last Copa America title came in 2011 — and La Celeste’s history in World Cups over 70 years ago is irrelevant to how they’ll perform in 2022 – but it does show that Uruguay has the pedigree and system in place to have success in these formats. They’re doing something right, as evidenced by a trip to the semi-finals in 2010 and impressive group-stage records in 2014 and 2018 (Uruguay won five of six matches in that span, beating England, Italy and Portugal).

In 15 years under Oscar Tabarez, you knew what to expect from Uruguay. They would play a well-structured defensive style that was tough to break down and always made them a live underdog.

Tabarez’s preferred tactic, which would see Uruguay pack the middle of the pitch, dig in defensively and hope Diego Forlan, Edison Cavani or Luis Suarez would provide a moment of magic, gave more skilled teams fits.

And that style of play fit Uruguay. La Celeste didn’t have the talent to go back and forth with elite teams, so they did everything in their power to turn contests into coin flips.

But Tabarez is now gone and it seems like the strength of the Uruguay roster has shifted from the back of the pitch to the attacking third. Suarez and Cavani are still around and will play their parts in Qatar, but Uruguay will look to Fede Valverde (Real Madrid), Darwin Nunez (Liverpool) and Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham) to carry them to new heights, while still maintaining that commitment to being tough to play against.

On the field, Uruguay ticks a couple of boxes you look for in a sleeper bet. They’ve got experience playing together and there’s plenty of talent on this roster, but what’s most appealing about a bet on La Celeste is their draw.

Uruguay was drawn into Group H, which will pit them against a vulnerable favourite in Portugal and two teams that Uruguay should be able to beat, South Korea and Ghana.

And even though Portugal is the favourite to win the group — which is critical because the second-place team will likely face Brazil in the Round of 16 — that’s not a sure thing. The Portuguese are a high-ceiling, low-floor side and there’s definitely a world where Uruguay is able to finish atop Group H and set up a very winnable showdown with either Serbia, Switzerland or Cameroon.

At some point we’ll see a dark horse win the World Cup and the wide-open nature of this field sets up well for a bet on a gatecrasher.

And of the realistic long shots, Uruguay ticks every box.

This article appeared in the New York Post

HUGE WORLD CUP BLOW FOR FRANCE AS SUPERSTAR RULED OUT

Paul Pogba will miss France’s World Cup defence as he needs more time to recover from knee surgery, his agent announced on Monday.

“Following yesterday and today’s medical review in Torino and Pittsburgh, it is extremely painful to inform Paul Pogba will still need recovery time from his surgery,” said Rafaela Pimenta in a statement.

“For this reason, Paul will not be able to join Juventus’ squad before the World Cup break nor the French National Team in Qatar.”

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri had already said last week that it was “very unlikely” that the 29-year-old midfielder would play for his team before Serie A breaks up for the World Cup.

Italian media reported earlier on Monday that Pogba could be out for around 15 days with a thigh injury.

“Paul Pogba, in light of the recent radiological examinations performed… and the consultation carried out in Pittsburgh by Prof. Volker Musahl on the evaluation of his knee, needs to continue his rehabilitation program,” Juve said in a statement.

Pogba is one of 12 Juve players currently out of action.

He hasn’t played for Juve since re-signing for them from Manchester United in the summer, hurting the meniscus in his right knee in July.

He initially elected not to go under the knife in a bid to make the Qatar tournament which kicks off on November 20.

However after returning to training early last month Pogba changed his mind and opted for surgery, which kept him on the sidelines until two weeks ago when he recommenced partial training with Juve.

Pogba was a key member of the France team that won the World Cup in Russia four years ago. He scored in the 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final.

His absence from Didier Deschamps’ squad adds to that of midfield partner N’Golo Kante, who has been ruled out for four months following surgery on a hamstring injury.

The 31-year-old Kante had not featured for Chelsea since limping off against Tottenham in August.

Missing the World Cup is another blow in what has been a hard year for Pogba, who is also embroiled in an alleged extortion plot involving his own brother.

Mathias Pogba, 32, was charged last month along with four other people, all close to the World Cup winner who filed a complaint with Turin prosecutors in July which said he was being blackmailed for 13 million euros ($12.6 mn).

Paul Pogba told investigators that his blackmailers wanted to discredit him by claiming he asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on Paris Saint-Germain and France star Kylian Mbappe, which Pogba denies.

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