‘Gut feeling’: Ryan reveals Popovic’s reasons for World Cup axing
The Socceroos skipper, along with teammate Jackson Irvine, have spoken publicly for the first time since Tony Popovic’s decision to demote them to the bench.
Seattle: Maty Ryan admits he is still hurting after being dropped for 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 greater good of the team.
Widely viewed as first XI locks ahead of the tournament, Ryan and Irvine have taken their demotions to the bench as well as Popovic could have hoped, pushing their own feelings aside to help usher their younger teammates through their first World Cup experience.
Ryan was on track to overtake Mark Schwarzer as the Socceroos all-time appearances leader in the event of a deep World Cup knockout run - but the emergence of 22-year-old Patrick Beach as a bona fide international-level goalkeeper is a signal that the days of him being an automatic starter, despite being captain, are over.
Ryan revealed that Popovic pulled him aside before the Turkey game to explain that he would not be playing, just as the coach did when he handed Joe Gauci a shock start in his first World Cup qualifier after taking over.
Very rarely does Popovic explain his decision-making to overlooked players, but in the case of the 34-year-old, he has made an exception out of respect for his status as skipper.
“He just told me that I haven’t done anything wrong or anything, but he just has a gut feeling that he wants to play Beachy,” Ryan said.
“It was the same when he said he wanted to play Joey, and that’s that. Out of respect, he just told me about it, and that was his thing. That’s the way it goes. Unfortunately for me personally, he’s gone with him in the first two games. But that’s the way it goes.
“I’m just staying focused on what I can control. I’m ready if called upon.”
“Everyone wants to play. I think if anyone’s not hurting, that’s not playing in the squad, then they shouldn’t be here. I’m no different,” Ryan said.
“It’s important that everyone is in it collectively. We put the team first and it’s good to be disappointed, but it’s about how you go about channelling that disappointment and not detrimenting the team, of course. That is another key component. We’ve always been pretty good within the Socceroos squad and set-up. Any personalities that don’t match with that, they’re not in here.”
Ryan, who came into the World Cup on the back of a strong season in La Liga with Spanish club Levante, said he was impressed by what he’d seen from Beach, who plays in the A-League for Melbourne City.
“He’s done a great job the other night against Turkey and again [against the United States]. What h
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