With the Socceroos almost certainly into the next stage of qualifying, the players return to their clubs for an uninterrupted stretch until February’s international window.
This is an important time for the players who will be desperate to ensure their respective managers are not tempted to sign place-threatening reinforcements in their positions ahead of the January window.
Meanwhile, fringe players need to take advantage of any window to showcase their skills for a potential move away in the new year.
Tim Cahill – Shanghai Shenua [Cup Final]
The master of ‘business decisions’ in Australian football, he played in the first leg of his side’s domestic cup final over the weekend. With a spot in the Asian Champions League on the line (and a potential group stage visit back to Australia), there is plenty of motivation for Cahill to try and carry his side to domestic glory. While he did not score in the 0-0 draw, it was a good result for Shanghai as they host the second leg next weekend and simply need a win to claim their first domestic honours in 17 years. This season’s home record is an encouraging omen for Shanghai as well. They have won 11, drawn three and lost three in all competitions this season.
Tom Rogic – Celtic [Played]
After playing a bit-part in the Socceroos recent qualifiers due to an apparent minor injury, Rogic returned to Celtic and was back in the lineup. While he did not play a full game, he managed 71 minutes which has to be encouraging when one considers he essentially flew to Australia and back for just 20 minutes of action. Celtic are still at the top of the Scottish Championship and thanks to other results they maintain their six point gap at the top of the table.
Massimo Luongo – QPR [Opportunity]
Since QPR changed managers to Neil Warnock, Luongo has been stuck on the bench only seeing action in training. However this weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough could allow Luongo to see some game time in the next couple of weeks. Leroy Fer was sent off in the last minute to concede a match-winning penalty in the Rs’ most recent fixture. The impending suspension may not necessarily open the door for Luongo to play 90 minutes but the subsequent domino effect may see him get on the field to try and exert his creative influence on the struggling side. Unfortunately for Luongo, his move to the Championship has not gone as smoothly as he would have liked, struggling with the philosophical change brought in by the new coaching staff.
Bailey Wright – Preston North End [Red Card]
After two games where he had to do very little defending, it was a rude return to club football for Bailey Wright. His Preston North End team went down to Blackburn Rovers in the Championship and he was dismissed for two late yellow cards. Wright picked up his first yellow card after cynically stopping a Blackburn counter-attack with Preston frantically tried to cut the deficit. His second came about in similar circumstances as he lost possession before pulling the Blackburn player back which was enough to see him dismissed.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
