Osieck warning to big-name Socceroos
Socceroos coach Holger Osieck has kept faith with the bulk of his under-pressure squad for this month's vital World Cup qualifier against Iraq in Doha.
But the German has put his senior players on notice, saying they need to provide better guidance for the rest of the group as Australia looks to get its qualification campaign back on track.
Despite hinting he could shake up his squad after last month's shock 2-1 loss to Jordan in Amman, Osieck today made only three changes to the squad for the October 16 match.
Young gun Tommy Oar, Carl Valeri and Mark Milligan return in place of David Carney, Sasa Ognenovski and Jason Davidson, who are all injured or searching for a club.
Australia's hopes of reaching a third straight World Cup finals in Brazil hang in the balance and they need a win against Iraq to avoid their campaign plunging into crisis.
"We know we are in a very special situation right now," Osieck told reporters on Wednesday.
"This has become a crucial game but I'm very confident with the players available we can do it and get the points that we need."
Osieck stressed he was not losing patience with the team's veterans, but said he would urge them to be better leaders.
"I have to be very critical. I expect in particular from what you call senior players the guidance for the entire group and I will get that pretty clearly across when we have the opening of the camp in Doha," he said.
"It's not enough to enter the pitch and do some stuff and after the final whistle you are relieved of your duties. It's ongoing, starting from the moment we arrive in our hotel to when we depart."
Osieck, who also named West Australians Brad Jones and Nikita Rukavytsya in the squad, has scrapped a planned warm-up match against United Arab Emirates, feeling it would be detrimental to play another match in difficult Middle Eastern conditions.
With five matches to play in the final phase of qualification, Australia sit third on two points in Group B behind Japan (10 points) and Jordan (four) but are only ahead of Iraq and Oman on goal difference.
Only the top two finishers book direct qualification, with Japan already looking assured of clinching the top spot.
The third place finisher can still qualify but has to win playoffs against another Asian team and the fifth-placed South American team.
Socceroos squad: Mark Bresciano, Alex Brosque, Tim Cahill, James Holland, Brett Holman, Mile Jedinak, Brad Jones, Robbie Kruse, Mitch Langerak, Ryan McGowan, Matt McKay, Mark Milligan, Lucas Neill, Jade North, Tommy Oar, Nikita Rukavytsya, Adam Sarota, Mark Schwarzer, Matthew Spiranovic, Archie Thompson, Carl Valeri, Luke Wilkshire.
