Wishlist for tomorrow

Socceroos vs China, md6 preview

A PLACE in the next phase guaranteed, it's time to let the hair down tomorrow. Ok, there's no Nicky Carle, but there's plenty to sink the teeth into, so here's my little wishlist;

1. Seeing Stuey Musialik make his debut; long time readers of this blog know how much of a fan I am of this kid and how I've been tracking his progress very closely since the inception of the A-league, and watching him develop into one of the brightest prospects I've seen come through our local ranks. I've often described him here as the team 'tempo-setter', the kind of deep-lying 'quarter-back' that can be a fixture in the Roos holding midfield for the next decade or more. In season one he was short on opportunity, in version 2 he was incredible (along with Nick Carle the main reason for the Jets resurgence and great play), but I sense he went off the rails a touch last season as injury and the occasional distraction affected his form. Now he has made the move to Sydney, and speaking to John Kosmina during the week, I sense he's back on track, as evidenced by his call-up here. Would be great to see him get some time here, and anyway, as I hinted here, on ability he should be well ahead of Jedinak in the pecking order.

2. Seeing some other kids do well; two other players I have written heaps about on this blog in recent time are Holland and Djite. Looking forward to seeing how they handle their opportunities. Looks like there could also be one for Topor-Stanley, who has emerged from nowhere over the past two years. Given the dearth of left-sided defenders and Carney's recent uncertainty defending, I've been looking forward to seeing how Topor-Stanley goes as a sitting defender, someone you can plonk in a back four simply to defend, which might be useful in some tough away games over the years to come. Conversely, there have been times where he has done a brilliant job as an attacking option for the Olyroos, as we saw on this night. On the other side we might also see Zadkovich.

3. Michael Beauchamp having an assured night; this first phase of qualifiers has shown how much we rely on Neill as a defensive organiser. North has been doing well, but Beauchamp continues to look uncertain, as Paul Okon has suggested. Would be great to see him have a blinder here and give Pim and the rest of us a little more comfort heading into the next phase. Head up Megsy, you can do it. More time for Spiranovic, that's exciting.

4. Seeing Michael Petkovic have a blinder; with Schwarzer's occasional judgement errors in dealing with lofted balls, we really need someone to step up and put a bit of pressure on him. Would be great to see Petka barking instructions, commanding his box, and producing four or five top-quality saves, but that might depend a bit on the previous point, and the next one.

5. Seeing the Chinese come out and have a go; China have missed out on the next phase due to their ultra conservative approach and the fact they haven't been prepared to throw men forward. Would be good to see them come out and play a bit, and not see any of the reckless rubbish they have reputation for producing when things go against them.

6. A rousing Roos performance; following on from their good win in Qatar and ahead of the June 27 draw, we're looking for a positive Roos showing. Looks like the pitch won't help, but hopefully there's a great party mood and the boys and Pim deliver.

Here's an exciting 11, in 3-5-2, which could easily become a back four if you push Topor-Stanley back;

----------------Petkovic----------------
----------------------------------------
---------------Spiranovic--------------
--------North---------Beauchamp----
----------------------------------Topor-Stanley
-----------Musialik---Valeri------------
Zadkovich--------Holland--------------
----------------------------Kewell-----
-----------------Djite-------------------