Q & A | Osieck on his Socceroos selections

Socceroos Head Coach Holger Osieck caught up with footballaustralia.com.au to discuss the squad that he has selected to face Brazil and what he is looking to get from the match.

Socceroos Head Coach Holger Osieck caught up with footballaustralia.com.au to discuss the squad that he has selected to face Brazil and what he is looking to get from the match.

Hi Holger, you have just named your 22-Player Socceroos squad for the upcoming international friendly match against Brazil. Was it a difficult process?

It was somewhat of a difficult process as the playing group is at different phases of the season with some having just begun their domestic league (European-based players), some in the middle (East Asian-based players) and others in their pre-season (Hyundai A-League and West Asian-based players). It is definitely not the ideal scenario, but I am sure that we will still be able to perform come match day.

The inclusion of Mitchell Duke from the Central Coast Mariners may be a surprise for some people. What were the reasons for his selection?

Mitchell was one of the players that we identified from the recent EAFF East Asian Cup in Korea. He made a very positive impression on me and the coaching staff. Based on that, I decided to keep him on for this camp and the trip will be a valuable learning experience for him.

It-s also good to see Rhys Williams back in the Socceroos squad.

Yes, unfortunately Rhys was unable to join us in June for our matches against Japan, Jordan and Iraq. We have been monitoring him closely since then and he is back playing regular first team football as the captain of his club (Middlesbrough FC). He-s now ready to join the group again.

You attended the recent international friendly between Switzerland and Brazil in Basel earlier this month. Did you get any insights into the Brazilian team from that match?

I did watch the game in Basel and have also reviewed all of Brazil-s matches from the recent Confederations Cup. It-s no secret that they are a quality team and we are very much aware of how they set-up and what they can do. We will therefore plan accordingly.

What are you looking to get out of the match for the Socceroos?

The main point is to compare where we stand against one of the top teams in the world. From there we can plan our training content and other matters in the lead up to next year-s World Cup

Do you have any off-field goals for this trip?

To be able to travel to the country that is hosting the World Cup a year ahead is also of great value. The players will be able to familiarise themselves with various factors that they will experience next year so it won-t be a surprise next June. It will also be interesting to see how we are received having to play the host nation in Brazil with a large home crowd.

How important is it to have a week to train together at this stage of the FIFA World Cup campaign preparation?

The more time we spend to together the better we will be. It-s important to once again get used to playing and working with each other whenever we have an opportunity. We all have the common goal of performing at the World Cup and that process starts now.

Thanks for your time Holger and all the best for you and the Socceroos in Brazil.

No Problem.

Check out the full Socceroos squad here