Australian national football team coach Ange Postecoglou said that the A-League
does not "need a break in the competition for international matches,
despite losing a host of players through representative commitments," according to Ray Gatt of THE AUSTRALIAN. Postecoglou on Wednesday named six A-League players in a 23-man squad for a friendly against Japan in Osaka on Nov. 18, while
Olyroos coach Aurelio Vidmar has "called up 12 local players for a
three-game tournament in China" from Nov. 14. While "sympathetic to the plight of the clubs, Postecoglou feels there
is no need for a break and his primary concern is that the national
teams are not diluted." He said, "My idea would be that if you had a
Socceroos squad of 23 and got 18 out of the A-League then it becomes a
real serious discussion. If the A-League keeps improving at the
rate it is, then this can be discussed in the next couple of years. At
the moment, however, we can carry playing through." He added, "Look, it is a difficult one. ... But I don't think the solution is to dilute the national teams" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 11/6).
