Where’s The New Generation? Part 2

Sorry for the long gap between articles, a short break over summer has turned into a busy time at work.

In the last instalment we looked at where the Keepers and Defenders from our last Olyroos squads are at. In this is article we explore the Midfielders and Strikers.


Midfielders
Billy Celeski (Melbourne Victory, Australia)
I like Billy, he is a hard worker and versatile player who provides a manager with a lot of flexibility. But a future superstar he is not.

He has stepped up this year at Victory and cemented himself a starting position in the team. His consistent performances have even won him a position on Pim’s A-league squad for the upcoming AFC Cup Qualifier. But at 23 years of age (turns 24 this year) I am not sure he will develop beyond a solid A-League player


Neil Kilkenny (Leeds United, England)
A true box to box midfielder Kilkenny has been touted as a future Socceroo for a while now. To be honest I haven’t seen a huge amount of him but the times I have seen him play he has looked very comfortable on ball and his distribution was first class.

He is at Leeds presently, though is struggling to get game time due to a change in management. There is talk that he is looking elsewhere currently and a move might be on the cards. If he is good enough he will force himself into a Premier league team. Just as Cahill, Emerton and others have before him. He is in the right spot, now he just has to produce.


Stuart Musialik (Sydney FC, Australia)
It is funny how sometimes a simple move of club can make such a difference to a player’s development and career. At Newcastle Jets, Stuart Musialik looked like a future star of Australian football. His ability to break up opposition attacks and deliver quality passes out of his teams own half was second to none in the A-league.

When Sydney convinced him to move there for the 2008-9 season he was among the main reasons that many saw them as title favourites. But John Kosmina has failed to get the best out of him and his season this year has been poor. He looks overweight and his touch poor. Rather than looking for a move to Europe this year now he will be fighting to hang onto a starting position at Sydney.


Kristian Sarkies (Adelaide United, Australia)
When the only description that commentators can find for a player is set piece specialist alarm bells start ringing. Sometimes it appears it’s the only thing Kristian Sarkies has going for him. There is no doubting his ability to deliver a set piece but it’s the rest of his game that comes under question.

Kristian burst onto scene when chosen by Hiddick to be a train-on member of the 2006 World Cup squad but since then his has struggled to cement himself a starting spot first at Melbourne Victory and now at Adelaide United. To be honest I just don’t think he has the game to grow beyond a A-league level player.



James Troisi (Genclerbirligi, Turkey)
There is no doubting that this kid has potential, his ability to hold the ball and dribble through defences is exciting to watch. However to develop further he needed to take the step away from Newcastle United and get himself first team game time.

The second youngest of the Olyroos’s squad (Spiranovic is younger by 24 days) it appeared immediately after the Olympics that his career was in some trouble when talk of contracts in Spain didn’t eventuate. Luckily he appears to have find his feet at Turkish Club Genclerbirligi and is getting good game time.

If he can impress there hopefully he can find his way back into a quality “technical” league.


Strikers
Mark Bridge (Sydney FC, Australia)
You have to wonder sometimes how a player can seem so good one year and so poor the next. Mark Bridge looked like a future star when he burst onto the scene in the Jets 2006/07 season. Scoring 8 goals as a 21 year old his future looked bright but it has been all downhill from there. With only 3 goals to his name in the current A-league season his career is going nowhere fast

Like Musialik he should now be looking overseas to further his development but his horror season will leave him fighting for a starting position at Sydney and at 24 he may be already missing his chance to take his game to the next level.


Nikita Rukavytsya (Perth Glory, Australia)
Sometimes a player can suddenly click with a manager and take his performances to a new level. Such is the case with Rukavytsya. Dave Mitchell has certainly gotten the best out of this speed machine since he took over the job at Perth. Under his management Nikita has scored 15 goals in 26 matches.

His ability to run at defenders puts the fear of god into nearly all A-league defenders and if he can continue to develop his overall game he will be a future star for Australia.

He has just returned from a trial in Holland at FC Twente and the word is that Perth do not expect him back for the 2009/10 season. It would be a great move for him and hopefully he can force his way into senior team role there over the next two years.

,