OLYPMIC OVER AGE PLAYERS

[Gav...]

Schwarzer, Cahill (if not injured) & Carney

 

[Pete]

IF we were to send over age players, I feel we'd need some old heads in the middle of the park or at the coal face.

So I'd go with an experienced striker like say McDonald or Kennedy, an attacking midfielder like Kewell, Cahill or Bresciano, and a defensive midfielder like Grella, Jedinak, Culina.

We probably have speed to burn on the wings, and defensively we are pretty solid too.

 

[Kareem]

I heard Ronaldinho wanted to play for Brazil at olympics...and maybe Kaka
I know Riquelme is definately playin for Argentina!

 

[Pete]

I'd suggest that Brazil and Argentina's agenda is slightly different to ours. Most of their senior national team players play in premier leagues throughout the world, if not at home.

We need to develop the younger players to a level that may hopefully surpass the current senior team's achievements. Brazil and Argentina, on the other hand, get their young talent scouted into the best academies world wide every year, so their national teams' development is more off shore. They can afford to waste a spot on the Olympic squad to a senior player as they know their youngsters will get plenty of opportunities to come through their national comps. and get scouted to overseas clubs.

That means exposing our young players to top line football at every opportunity, such as the Olympic Games. I'm not fussed in taking senior players away, but if we need some guidance and a bit of old headed wisdom, then so be it.