As European leagues around the world come to a conclusion, those Socceroos playing overseas are trying to finish on a high note even if their club itself has not had the best run.
Mitchell Langerak – VFB Stuttgart
Having moved to Stuttgart at the beginning of the season, 2015-2016 came to a disappointing end as Mitch Langerak played in their final outing in the German top-flight, a 3-1 loss away to Wolfsburg. The visitors were relegated after that defeat, which was sealed by halftime when the Wolves were up 2-0. It capped a poor run home for Langerak’s side as they failed to win in their last nine matches, drawing two and losing seven. After 15 appearances on the bench the Australian custodian played in their final two games, though it could not stop their slide into the second division.
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Tom Rogic – Celtic
In a crazy, unbelievable plot twist, Celtic celebrated their fifth straight Scottish Premiership with a 7-0 thumping of Scott McDonald’s Motherwell side. Tom Rogic scored the second goal of the match and set up their sixth before being substituted with a quarter of an hour to go. He was replaced by Scottish born midfielder Jack Aitchison, who became the youngest player to play in the Scottish Premiership and on top of that he scored with his first touch. In a stat that will depress pretty much every single person reading this, Aitchison was born in the year 2000 and we suddenly all feel incredibly old and like we need to do something with our lives before we get any older.
Jordan Lyden – Aston Villa
While he is not a Socceroos player just yet, the youngster got a chance to start in Villa’s 4-0 defeat away to Arsenal, playing 74 minutes before being withdrawn with a head injury. Featuring on the right-side, he did his best against an inconsistent Gunners side and when looking at it purely from a numbers perspective, the game did not get out of hand until he left the pitch. So if one was to give a positive analysis of the afternoon, he was critical to keeping Arsenal at bay for most of the game. Next season, Jordan Lyden will have an opportunity to emerge as a first team regular as the Villans attempt a quick return to the top-flight.
Mat Ryan – Valencia
Valencia completed their league campaign with a 1-0 home defeat to Real Sociedad. Mat Ryan was on the bench as Jaume Domenech conceded a 94th minute winner. Going to Spain during the offseason was a real challenge for the goalkeeper, but he appears to be holding his own with the club. Ryan played in 21 games throughout the campaign and was on the bench for another 21 which suggests that they like what they see so far.
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