Popovic: We want to test ourselves against a different style of play

CommBank Socceroos Head Coach Tony Popovic said that the team was looking to test themselves against the South American style of opposition in the upcoming international window.

He was speaking to media in Houston, Texas as the squad arrived this week ahead of international friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia.

He also touched on the selection of the uncapped James Overy and Al Hassan Toure, the learnings that the team is taking from another window in FIFA World Cup host nation USA, and how the pool of potential Socceroos continues to grow.
 

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The selection of teenager James Overy

We watch all the players. Even when they think that we're not watching, we're aware of how they're playing and what form they're in. If they're in the squad, they now have a chance for the World Cup. Yes, there are some players that obviously can be more long-term prospects - prospects for after the World Cup, maybe the Asian Cup, certainly the next cycle. But it doesn't rule them out of this World Cup coming up.

James is one of those. I watched him at the FIFA U20 World Cup. [Assistant Coach] Paul Okon is very well aware of all the young players, having worked closely with those age groups with the national team. So, I knew what he could do. Watching him closely in Chile, I was impressed - in particular, coming in, playing the second match and starting as the youngest player there, starting at left-back. He showed a lot of composure, a lot of maturity for his age.

We have good contacts at Manchester United, so we know what he's doing at training. We know how much he trains with the first team. He's getting games in the U18s, the U21s. And I just thought he's worth having a look at.

The selection of Al Hassan Toure

He has a lot of power, a lot of speed. It's something that we're looking for in that area of the field, whether it's one of our two 10s - if we play with two 10s - a little bit different to what we've got. So it's really the attributes he has that makes us watch him, monitor him, and we want to see now in our environment, how that looks.

Injury to Jordan Bos

Injuries are always unfortunate. The timing is never good with those. We seem to be accustomed to having to deal with these situations - but on the other hand, it gives us an opportunity to try different players, which we've already benefited from with other players that have come into camp, giving them an opportunity, and some have really taken it. So they come into the forefront of our minds as potential players for the World Cup.

And the players coming back - it's great to see Riley [McGree] is back from injury and started [for Middlesbrough], and Jackson [Irvine] got 25 minutes [for St Pauli], which is the most he's had this whole season so far.
 

Expectations of Venezuela and Colombia

South American opposition is something that we really wanted to test ourselves against, in terms of the style of play. They keep the ball very well. They're very structured. Venezuela are going through a change now as well. They've got an interim coach. Between the last two windows, September and October, they changed 15-odd players. So there have been a lot of changes. We’re not sure what to expect in terms of personnel, but in terms of quality on the ball and their discipline and structure, they’re a very structured team.

Colombia are a very high-ranked team in the world, and have some fantastic footballers that are playing at the very highest level. They have that mix. They have a lot of physical power, the Colombians. But they obviously possess that great technical skill that you'd expect from a South American opponent.

Bedding players in, while creating stability in the squad

That's always a balancing act. But without trying players, we won't know. In the qualifying campaign, there was more stability in terms of the squad, and I felt we needed a lot of experienced players that have the know-how of those situations, those moments in a qualifier of what to do, because they've been there before. Hence why we played Riley McGree and Connor Metcalfe, who had no minutes under their belt in that vital June window, but their quality - and having been there before - they played their part in helping us get there.

Now we're in a different moment, where we've qualified automatically. I'm looking to make the squad stronger and better, and the only way we can do that is by trialling players in our environment, giving them a chance. I'm confident the stability and the relationships that you get on the field together helps the more they play together. But we need to try different combinations. We need to see how that looks against different types of opposition. And in the end, I believe that will make us stronger come the World Cup.

Preparing for the World Cup in a host nation

I think we've realised and learned what we can do in altitude, where, if we play Mexico, that comes to the fore. So we're prepared for that now, and we know how long we will need to train at altitude to be in our best shape possible if we do go into that group. It's a different situation now - the temperature is different here where we are, it will be a lot cooler as well when we get to New York… so there's not much to learn in terms of that area, but it is good to be here again. Understanding the food that we get at the hotels and what we have to deal with, and know what we can and can't get for the players for the World Cup. Little things, in terms of WiFi connections, when we're analysing games and how quickly we can get that data and how quickly we can get footage of matches and get that cut up by all the analysts. We're trying to speed all that up. So there are a lot of learnings off the field as well as on the field.

Preparing players moving forward

When you come here, the expectation is high, and if you show us something in training, you may be selected in the games if you’re here. A little bit like Jacob Italiano. We were very open, not knowing what we would see, and he was fantastic in the first two or three days. It was as if he'd been here for months. He played both matches [as a result]. There are other boys that really struggle with the intensity, or the level that's higher. That’s not to say that they can't get that later on. It's just that first camp is a little difficult for them, and then they learn from it. You hope they take away the feedback that we're constantly monitoring them, giving them work. The conditioning team is obviously in touch with them regularly. And then you want to see those boys grow. The ones that miss out on the World Cup, we're trying to create a group of players, a large group of players, that then can take Australia forward and hopefully be bigger and better than what we will be now.

MATCH DETAILS

Venezuela v CommBank Socceroos

Date: Friday, 14 November (local)

Venue: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas

Kick-off: 8:30pm local/1:30pm AEDT (Saturday, November 15)

Tickets:  Click here for Tickets

Broadcast: 10, 10.com.au, Paramount+

Colombia v CommBank Socceroos
Date: Tuesday, November 18 (local)
Venue: Citi Field, Queens, New York

Kick-off: 8pm local/12pm AEDT (Wednesday, November 19)

Tickets: Click here for Tickets
Broadcast: Paramount+