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Australia National Team coach Holger Osieck attends Round 17 Pro League games

Holger Osieck, Head Coach of the Australia National Team, was in the UAE this weekend to assess the performances of Socceroos representatives who ply their trade in the Etisalat Pro League. Preparation by the German-born coach for the team’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Oman in Sydney on 26th March is well underway, as they line up in Group B alongside Japan, Jordan and Iraq in addition to their upcoming Omani opponents. Attending Al Ain v Dibba Al Fujairah to observe Alex Brosque on Thursday, followed by Dubai v Al Wahda to see Dino Djulbic on Friday, Osieck explained how tricky it can be to monitor his dispersed pool of players.

“It’s actually very hard to keep tabs on Australian players all over the world,” the 64-year-old explained. “It requires a lot of travelling for me because I have to try and judge their current performance level, and I can’t just select players based on past merits; they really have to be at their best when it counts, so it is imperative for me that I travel a lot to take a close look at their performance levels.” Osieck, whose CV has included managerial roles in Germany, Turkey, Canada and Japan, tends to stop over to check on his players in the UAE as he travels to and fro between Europe and Australia, although it is not possible to attend as many live games here as he would wish. “The problem is that I don’t have too many opportunities to come and watch UAE Pro League games due to my busy schedule, so I get a lot of information via the internet to keep updated, but nothing matches having a live impression.”

However, Osieck doesn’t believe this puts UAE-based Socceroos at any disadvantage when it comes to being selected for the national side, and in fact the former Fenerbahce coach sees some big positives to having members of his squad based in the UAE. “We face a lot of teams from the Middle East in our Asian Cup and World Cup qualifying rounds and groups for instance, so when you have players who are playing week-in week-out for a Middle Eastern club, they get used to the level and style of play from that region, which can definitely be an advantage in international games,” he explained. Osieck is also a fan of bringing his Socceroos squad to the UAE for training camps when getting ready for games in the region, citing the preparation conditions and facilities here as very good.

From his perspective as a national team manager, Osieck believes the fine form of the UAE Gulf Cup heroes correlates directly to the improving quality of the Pro League. “I am familiar with the UAE national team and they are always very competitive and have good quality players. For me, of course the quality of a national team is always a good reflection of the local league,” he said. “It’s tough to make a fair assessment of the League when I only get to see a handful of games, but it’s no secret that the level of technique is very high and there are some excellent talented players from abroad playing here of course, and many talented locals with strong technical ability as well.”