Australia recently drew 0-0 against Indonesia in Jakarta. That was their first qualifying match for the Asian Cup 2011. They are in the same group as Indonesia, Kuwait & Oman. Teams play each other home & away Only the top 2 teams in the group qualify for the tournament. The 0-0 draw represented a good point gained, according to some. The result may not be greatest, & the uninspiring performance of some of the Australian footballers have attracted criticism from some quarters. Whether those criticisms are justified or otherwise, the bottom line is that they came out of an away match without losing. In qualifiers, it is the results that matter, & Australia at least got a reasonable result.
The Australia head coach apparently intends to use mainly home-based players in all the Asian Cup qualifying matches, starting with that goalless encounter in Jakarta. They will use the overseas-based players for the World Cup qualifying matches. Perhaps some overseas-based players will be drafted in to the Asian qualifiers as & when the need arises. Fair enough, & the 1 good thing I support about that selection policy is that it does give the A-League players some valuable exposure to international football. That exposure can only benefit them & improve their level. And who is to say that some of the A-League players will not seize the opportunity to make a name for themselves? That can only be good for the Australian national team.
However, when Australia qualifies for the Asian Cup (& they will certainly be expected to), one wonders what then will be the selection policy of the national squad? Which players will get selected for the Asian Cup tournament? Will it be mainly overseas-based players, because they are more experienced than the local-based players? Or will the coach stick with the home-based players who played the Asian Cup qualifiers? If the coach goes with the former, how will the local-based players feel about being cast aside? They most probably won't like the prospect of being selected to play in the Asian Cup qualifying matches, only to then have to stand aside for the overseas-based players for the Asian Cup tournament itself. Is that fair? It doesn't seem so. Will that be good for overall squad morale? I don't think so. The future squad selection will be a dilemma for the Australia head coach. Something to really think about.
Whatever the coach decides, I personally think the squad for the Asian Cup tournament (assuming Australia qualifies) should definitely include home-based players (the best ones, that is). Perhaps the best approach would be to strike a balance, in selecting a mixture of home-based & overseas-based players. Select those overseas-based players who are playing regularly for their overseas clubs. And also select the best home-based players, especially the youngsters with promising futures. That way, the young home-based players will develop & learn as they train & play alongside the more experienced overseas-based players. That might be the way to go. Just my 2 cents.
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