Michael Valkanis has probably been the standout central defender in the league this season. No wonder Graham Arnold is thinking of selecting him for the Socceroos squad to face Bahrain. There are a few other guys who are no doubt in the running, e.g. Michael Beauchamp, Iain Fyfe, Jacob Timpano, Adrian Leijer, possibly even the formerly unheralded Alan Picken. But it's hard to think of someone more deserving than Valkanis, a workhorse who has epitomised Adelaide's incredibly successful season with his ferocious commitment and timely goals. What an excellent reward it would be if he is chosen to partner, say, Craig Moore in the heart of the national team's defence versus a strong Bahrain outfit with plenty to prove after being pipped-at-the-post in their World Cup qualification campaign.
3 comments:
My vote would be Timpano - classy touches, cool under pressure, tall - his biggest problem is he doesn't look serious enough with that boofy hair!
oh yeah and Timpano only turned 20 last week...
vale Valkanis, but seriously the Socceroos need to look at young talent
I agree. If Valkanis gets a call it certainly wouldn't be a long term proposition. But, then again, I doubt many players are looking beyond the WC at the moment. I remember not so long ago Kewell quite transparently suggested he wouldn't feel like playing for the national team if Hiddink weren't in charge. How does that translate, post-WC?
There are going to be a lot of stories about bolters for the WC squad over the next few months. Valkanis at least has some pedigree to go with the speculation, unlike Nick Ward for instance and his ridiculous beef-up via the article on FIFA's website.
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