Trent Sainsbury gains fresh perspective from stint on the sideline

Socceroos defender Trent Sainsbury said the one-match suspension he served during Australia’s 3-2 win against Syria in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019™ gave him a different perspective on the game.

Sainsbury was forced to sit out the Socceroos’ final Group B fixture after accruing consecutive yellow cards against Jordan and Palestine.

And while the PSV Eindhoven defender lamented the suspension, being on the sideline offered him the chance to analyse Australia’s performances with a fresh pair of eyes.

“Obviously it wasn’t nice being outside watching in, but at the same time it gave me a different perspective,” said Sainsbury.

“I get to see some of the key passes that can be made in the games, get to see what the coaches see.

“Plus it gave me a bit of a refresher and I can take that into the next game.”

The 27-year-old has been in fine form under Graham Arnold, developing a mature understanding with his centre-back partner which has included Milos Degenek, Mark Milligan and Matt Jurman.

Indeed, according to Sainsbury, such a large, adaptable squad is vital in tournaments such as the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019™, where all hands on deck are needed for an intense campaign.

Those hands will be needed on Tuesday morning (1:00am AEDT) as the Socceroos take on Uzbekistan in their do-or-die, Round of 16 clash for a spot in the quarter-finals.

“It’s important to have the depth in the squad,” said Sainsbury.

“When you come to tournaments like this, anything can happen — suspensions, there could be an injury.

“But at the same time we’ve got boys who are going to step up and take that leadership into the match and it showed the other day in the game.

“They handled the pressure very well and the boys came out the other side with the win.”

https://players.brightcove.net/5519514577001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5990562741001

Leckie building towards full fitness

In promising signs for the Socceroos, it seems star winger Mathew Leckie is close to returning to full fitness.

The 27-year-old, who plies his trade for Hertha Berlin in Germany’s Bundesliga, was rested for Australia’s group games to nurse a hamstring injury he’d sustained while playing for his club.

Sainsbury believes that now, after weeks of rehab with the Socceroos’ medical staff, Leckie may be closing in on a return to action.

“It’s nice to see him come back — he’s looking sharp, he’s looking very strong and quick out there today so I expect him to be back very soon,” said Sainsbury.

“If he does get to take part in this next game, it’s all good for us, we’ve got an extra cog to the arsenal and take it on further into the tournament.”

The Socceroos face Uzbekistan at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Tuesday, January 22 at 1:00am (AEDT).

The game will be broadcast live on FOX SPORTS 505.

 

Source : Socceroos WEBSITE

3 years ago: @Socceroos defeats United Arab Emirates in AFC Asian Cup 2015 semifinal

Newcastle: Hosts Australia will face Korea Republic in the final of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 after maiden international goals from both Trent Sainsbury and Jason Davidson in the first half at a damp Newcastle Stadium secured a 2-0 win over the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

Sainsbury handed 2011 finalists Australia the ideal start to their bid to secure a second consecutive final appearance as the centre-back headed home inside the first three minutes of the semi-final with his first goal for the Socceroos.

And with Davidson following suit 11 minutes later as the full-back became Australia’s 10th different scorer during the tournament, Ange Postecoglou’s side will face two-time winners Korea on Saturday at Stadium Australia looking to claim a maiden continental title.

Both sides made two changes following their semi-final successes, with Australia recalling defender Matthew Spiranovic and midfielder Mark Milligan, while the UAE brought in full-back Walid Abbas and forward Mohamed Abdulrahman.

And it was Spiranovic’s central defensive partner Sainsbury who handed Australia the ideal start inside the first three minutes as the centre-back powered a downward header from Massimo Luongo’s right wing corner past Majed Naser.

Australia, though, were given a huge let off seven minutes later as Ahmed Khalil hit the foot of the post from Abdulaziz Sanqour’s low cross with goalkeeper Mat Ryan rooted to the spot.

But Australia took full advantage just four minutes later as the UAE defended desperately close to their own goal, but after only being able to scramble the ball out towards the edge of the penalty area, Davidson was on hand to fire a low first-time effort into the bottom corner past Naser.

The UAE finally came into the contest at the end of the second half, but with Australia goalkeeper Ryan yet to be fully tested, the hosts still looked the more likely to add to their advantage.

Omar Abdulrahman was finally having more of an impact on the contest at the start of the second half and the UAE remained in the hunt for way back into the contest as Khalil flashed an effort just wide six minutes after the restart with Ryan at full stretch.

Australia coach Postecoglou reacted to this by reshaping the Socceroos’ midfield just before the hour mark with the introduction of Matt McKay at the expense of Milligan.

And Australia were able to close out the contest without any major scares with Postecoglou having the luxury of being able to withdraw both Tim Cahill and Robbie Kruse as the UAE faded over the final minutes having fallen short of a return to the final for the first time since 1996.

Photo: WSG

Source : Asian Football Confederation Website

Trent Sainsbury: ‘Battle-hardened’ Caltex Socceroos ready to fight against Honduras

It has shades of Uruguay 2005 about it and defender Trent Sainsbury is confident the Caltex Socceroos are battle-hardened and street-smart enough to get the desired result against Honduras.

The Caltex Socceroos take on Honduras on November 11 (AEDT) in Central America and then back in Sydney on November 15, with the winner of the two legs to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

It’s a high stakes tie for Australia, similar to the scenario 12 years ago, where Guus Hiddink’s men beat Uruguay on penalties to reach Germany 2006.

This Caltex Socceroos squad are well aware of the size of the task but have already come through a rigorous qualification journey so far.

“It’s a massive couple of games with a World Cup spot at stake, so the enormity of this tie has all hands on deck,” Sainsbury said.

“FFA [Football Federation Australia] are working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure we have the best opportunity to progress.

“The playing group as a whole are confident in our abilities and will back ourselves to beat any nation on any occasion.

“We’ve been through a helluva lot of games and travel, ups and downs, so this makes us battle hardened and ready for the fight.”

Despite not figuring regularly for his Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning, Sainsbury has performed superbly for the national team in the recent qualifiers.

Trent Sainsbury has been a model of consistency in the recent qualifiers.

Sainsbury, the bedrock of the Caltex Socceroos defence, was impressed by newcomer Matt Jurman in the tie with Syria, with the pair forming a solid defensive back-three with Milos Degenek.

While having to deal with a direct approach from the Syrians, Sainsbury expects to face a different type of challenge against Honduras.

“Playing many diverse countries brings all types of challenges.  We have a great coaching support system behind us players who prepare us for all scenarios of play,” the 25-year-old said.

“Honduras will be physically strong and with some flare players in the final third.

“It’s going to be a very taxing two games but we are up for the challenge.”

 

Source  :  Football Federation Australia Website

We surprised our Socceroos with a visit from their dads, thanks to NAB

Bailey Wright is surprised by his old man on Father’s Day

With some help from our friends at NAB, we flew Trent Sainsbury, Robbie Kruse, Massimo Luongo and Bailey Wright’s dads to Melbourne for Father’s Day to surprise their Socceroo sons!

A very happy Father’s Day to all the dads in the football family!

Check out the videos below to see our Socceroos surprised by their dads!

—

TRENT SAINSBURY

ROBBIE KRUSE

MASSIMO LUONGO

BAILEY WRIGHT

Source  :  Football Federation Australia

Caltex Socceroos fans pick their 23-man squad for Japan and Thailand

The Caltex Socceroos squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Thailand will be trimmed to 23 on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Ange Postecoglou will pick his 23-man Caltex Socceroos squad for Australia’s upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Japan and Thailand.

With these fixtures to decide Australia’s fate for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, we asked fans who they thought should be chosen in the Socceroos’ final squad.

Which midfielders make the final 23? https://t.co/SToea5mveB

— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) August 18, 2017

And the votes are in! Here’s the 23-man Socceroos squad as chosen by the fans.

GOALKEEPERS

Mat Ryan, Mitch Langerak and Danny Vukovic.

*Ryan was clearly the most popular choice with almost 38% of the vote with Langerak and Vukovic the next two most preferred between the sticks.

DEFENDERS

Trent Sainsbury, Bailey Wright, Matthew Spiranovic, Milos Degenek and Matt Jurman.

*Sainsbury was clearly first choice in the heart of the Socceroos defence ahead of the dependable Bailey Wright and the returning Matthew Spiranovic. Milos Degenek earned a call-up as did former Sydney FC centre-back Matt Jurman.

 

Central midfielders – Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan, Jackson Irvine, Massimo Luongo and Mustafa Amini.

Wing-backs – Mathew Leckie, Brad Smith, Aziz Behich, Alex Gersbach.

*Huddersfield star Aaron Mooy was the popular choice amongst the fans just ahead of teammates Mat Leckie and Mark Milligan.

ATTACKERS

Tom Rogic, Tomi Juric, Tim Cahill, James Troisi and Robbie Kruse.

*Celtic ace Tom Rogic was the overwhelming choice of the Socceroos faithful ahead of the improving Tomi Juric and all-time leading scorer Tim Cahill.

CALTEX SOCCEROOS 23-MAN SQUAD (as chosen by fans)

Mat Ryan, Mitch Langerak, Danny Vukovic, Trent Sainsbury, Bailey Wright, Matthew Spiranovic, Milos Degenek, Matt Jurman, Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan, Jackson Irvine, Massimo Luongo, Mustafa Amini, Mathew Leckie, Brad Smith, Aziz Behich, Alex Gersbach, Tom Rogic, Tomi Juric, Tim Cahill, James Troisi and Robbie Kruse.

Source  :  Football Federation Australia

Caltex Socceroos: club form update

A month out from their crucial World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Thailand, we track the club progress of some of the overseas-based Caltex Socceroos.

Tomi Juric (Luzern, Switzerland)

The 2017/18 Swiss Super League season is already underway, and Juric started with a bang, scoring in his side’s very first game, a 1-0 win over Lugano.

Tommy Rogic (Celtic, Scotland)

The Scottish giants have won through to European Champions League play-off round with a 1-0 aggregate win over Norway’s Rosenborg. Rogic played a full part in the first leg and came off the bench in the second.

Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town, England)

Newly-promoted Huddersfield open their English Premier League campaign away at Crystal Palace next Sunday, and have warmed up with friendlies against Italian club Udinese and German outfit VfB Stuttgart.

Milos Degenek (Yokohama, Japan)

The Caltex Socceroos defender played a full 90 minutes in his side’s latest J-League encounter, a 2-2 draw with Shimizu.

Mat Ryan (Brighton and Hove Albion, England)

The Caltex Socceroos number one played a full part in his new side’s friendly against Spanish side Girona as they build towards a blockbuster Premier League opener against Manchester City next weekend.

Aziz Behich (Bursaspor, Turkey)

The energetic left-back has caught the eye of Turkish giants Galatasaray who are reportedly keen on signing him ahead of the new Super Lig season starting next weekend.

Mile Jedinak (Aston Villa, England)

The Caltex Socceroos skipper is still battling the groin injury that ruled him out of June’s Confederations Cup and won’t be fit to start the Championship season with Villa this weekend.

Trent Sainsbury (Jiangsu Suning, China)

With his loan spell at Inter Milan over, the Caltex Socceroos defender has returned to China, but hasn’t featured for his club with speculation of a number of offers for his services.

Mathew Leckie (Hertha Berlin, Germany)

The Caltex Socceroos attacker joined Hertha at the start of July and debuted for his new side last weekend.

Source  :  Football Federation Australia

Brazil benchmark for Caltex Socceroos: Trent Sainsbury

Trent Sainsbury says Australia can measure themselves against Brazil on Tuesday night.

Sunday, 11 June 2017 –

Aidan Ormond @AidotheFFAEd

Caltex Socceroo defender Trent Sainsbury is relishing the chance to benchmark the Aussie national team against world number on Brazil this Tuesday night.

The two nations meet in Melbourne in a friendly at the MCG.

The match is also Australia’s farewell on home soil before jetting off to Russia for the Confederations Cup, where they’ll meet reigning world champions Germany, African champs Cameroon and South American powerhouse Chile.

Nike event. 🇦🇺⚽️🇧🇷 #NIKE pic.twitter.com/9VTZwJjovB

— Trent Sainsbury (@Tsainsbury92) June 10, 2017

Sainsbury, who this season has been on-loan at Serie A power Inter Milan from Chinese club Jiangsu Suning, is relishing the chance to see how Australia can further develop against the world number ranked Brazilians.

And after racking up the all-important win over the Saudis on Thursday night in World Cup qualification, there’s a buzz in the Melbourne camp.

The Brazilians too are on a high despite losing to Argentina on Friday night at the G.

Coach Tite’s side has already booked its slot for next year’s World Cup in Russia with 10 wins from 14 South American qualification games.

It should be an entertaining 90 minutes but it also looms as a hugely  beneficial night for Australia.

BENCHMARK

“It’s a nice game to see where we’re at. Get to gauge ourselves against the world’s best and some of the world’s best players,” Sainsbury told media on Sunday morning ahead of training later in the day.

“It’s nice for the boys to come up against these types of players and see how we can compete.

“And we’re a team that doesn’t just want to hold on. We want to keep going and going and score more goals.

BRAZIL’S STARS

“Obviously with Coutinho being talked about for Barcelona, and Fernandinho at Man City, it’s nice to gauge yourself [personally] for where you’re at.

“Brazil is another kettle of fish [to Saudi]. Great players. Good coach. We’ll have to go out there and do it our way.

“We’ve got a duty to the Australian public who come out to watch to put on a show.”

Coutinho and Messi 🎩🔥 pic.twitter.com/Oas0rFHzgd

— Anything Liverpool (@Anything_LFC) June 9, 2017

WC QUALIFIER WON, BIG MONTH CONTINUES

“We’re going to be playing against some of the best in the world in Russia, so it’ll be good to have this hit out. “We’ll go out with a good game plan and mentality and put a show on for the fans.”

 

Source : Football Federation Australia

Who’ll start for the Caltex Socceroos against Saudi Arabia ?

Matthew Ryan; Milos Degenek,Bailey Wright,Trent Sainsbury,Mile Jedinak;Aaron Mooy,Tommy Rogic,Mathew Leckie;Brad Smith,Jackson Irvine,Tomi Juric .

 

Source : Football Federation Australia Website

Hyundai A-League’s influence on Caltex Socceroos squad – Trent Sainsbury

Trent Sainsbury – The Mariners can also claim “Sains”. His time in Gosford laid the platform for his Dutch and Chinese Super League career – now he’s just finished the season on loan at Italian giants Inter Milan.

 

Source : Football Federation Australia

Caltex Socceroo debuts in Serie A Trent Sainsbury

Trent Sainsbury made his debut in the Serie A overnight. Image: Inter

Sunday, 28 May 2017 –

Staff writer

It was a proud moment for Caltex Socceroos defender Trent Sainsbury, who has debuted for Inter Milan overnight.

The classy Australian defender was a substitute in Inter’s final game of the season, a big 5-2 win over Udinese at  the San Siro.

 

The Aussie defender picked up a yellow card after coming on with around 20 minutes left.

The 25-year-old becomes just the ninth Australian to feature in Serie A, joining the likes of John Aloisi, Mark Bresciano, Vince Grella and Zeljko Kalac to feature in Italy’s top division.

After a high-scoring final round in Serie A, Inter finished seventh on the ladder, a point behind rivals AC Milan in sixth.

 

Sainsbury was named in Ange Postecoglou’s 30-man Caltex Socceroos squad for June’s matches and is set to be a key player in a big month for the national team.

AUSSIES IN SERIE A

John Aloisi – Cremonese – 1995–96

Mark Bresciano – Parma, Palermo, Lazio – 2002–11

Joshua Brillante – Fiorentina, Empoli – 2014–15

Frank Farina – Bari – 1991–92

Vincenzo Grella – Empoli, Parma, Torino – 1998–99, 2002–08

Zeljko Kalac – Perugia, Milan – 2002–04, 2005–09

Paul Okon – Lazio, Fiorentina – 1996–97, 1998–2000

James Troisi – Atalanta – 2012–13

The Caltex Socceroos tackle Saudi Arabia in a crucial World Cup Qualifer in Adelaide on June 8.  Click Here for Tickets

 

 

Source : Football Federation Australia