Ryan reveals Popovic’s reasons for World Cup axing
Seattle: Maty Ryan admits he is still hurting after being sent off in the Socceroos’ first two World Cup matches – but both he and Jackson Irvine have dutifully accepted coach Tony Popovic’s decision, insisting personal disappointment should never come before the well-being of the team.
Ryan and Irvine, widely seen as first XI locks ahead of the tournament, were relegated to the bench as Popovic might have hoped, pushing their own emotions aside to give their young team-mates their first World Cup experience.
Ryan was on track to overtake Mark Schwarzer as the Socceroos’ all-time leader in the World Cup qualifying round; But the emergence of 22-year-old Patrick Beach as a genuine goalkeeper at international level is a sign that the days of him being automatically named to the starting eleven despite being captain are over.
Ryan said Popovic pulled him aside ahead of the Türkiye game to announce he would not play, just as the coach gave Joe Gauci a shock start in his first World Cup qualifier after taking over.
Popovic very rarely explains his decision-making process to overlooked players, but the 34-year-old made an exception out of respect for his captaincy status.
“He just told me that I didn’t do anything wrong, but something inside me wanted to play Beachy,” Ryan said.
“The same thing happened when he said he wanted to play Joey, that’s all. He told me about it out of respect and it was his thing. That’s the way it is. Unfortunately for me personally, he went with him in the first two games. But that’s the way it goes.
“I just focus on what I can control. If asked, I’m ready.”
Ryan’s comments debunked the wild theory that Popovic made the decision at least in part because of comments he made on a podcast with former NRL player Josh Mansour.
“Everybody wants to play. I think if someone’s not hurting, that’s not playing on the team, then they shouldn’t be here. I’m no different,” Ryan said.
“It’s important that everyone is collectively involved. We put the team first and it’s good to be frustrated, but it’s about how you channel that frustration and not hurt the team, of course. That’s another important component. We’ve always been pretty good with the Socceroos squad and structure. Personalities that don’t match that are not here.”
Ryan, who came to the World Cup after a strong season in La Liga with Spanish club Levante, said he was impressed by what he saw from Beach, who plays in Melbourne City’s A League.
“He did a great job against Türkiye the other night and again [against the United States]. He did what he could. “Difficult scenarios, goals conceded,” he said.
“He’s very calm, very composed. He seems very confident and has that confidence. He’s had a really good start to his professional career. You see he’s got a strong mentality and a desire to learn and develop. He handles himself really well under those circumstances.”
Irvine, meanwhile, had to be content with playing on the bench in Australia’s first two matches, with Paul Okon Jr. named ahead of him as Aiden O’Neill’s midfield partner.
“This is the reality of football,” he said.
“We are here as a team. The only thing you want to be a part of as a player is to be part of a successful group. To do that you have to be a united group. Decisions are made. Then what do you do? You have to react.
“There is a lot of football to play. Every player is dying to get on the field. For me personally, the important thing is to stay ready, do the right things and above all contribute to the group, which is the most important thing.”
The path forward for the Socceroos after Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Türkiye is simple: they need to get at least one point on Friday (14:00 AEST) to secure second place in Group D and qualify for the round of 32.
In this scenario, Australia will face the second placed team from Group G (possibly Iran or Egypt) in Dallas on July 3.
But a defeat might not necessarily end their World Cup campaign, as the Socceroos cannot finish lower than third and eight of the best third-place finishers from 12 groups could still progress to the knockout stage, and they could instead head to New York, Boston or even Kansas City.
Irvine expected that the players would be able to cross over to the United States without any problems after the defeat.
“They’re a really level-headed bunch. Even though the peak was obviously extremely high last week, it didn’t feel like it was getting away from us and getting that high,” he said.
“The staff are great at that too, keeping the kids calm… you have to enjoy the emotions of it and also suffer through those emotions, but the important thing is to keep it level and balanced, not letting it overtake either one and become too much of a thing. They won’t need too much help in that department.”
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