Jackson Irvine has backed Nestory Irankunda as one of Australia’s most dangerous attacking options, but the midfielder also made clear that talent alone will not settle his place for the World Cup opener. With Tony Popovic and his staff weighing whether the 20-year-old should start against Turkey, the question is whether Irankunda can do the hard running and defensive work that top-level tournament football demands.
Irvine called himself a massive fan of Irankunda’s football, even as he admitted there is one part of the youngster’s personality he cannot quite embrace: the Michael Jackson obsession. That link is not hard to see. Earlier this year, Irankunda scored against Curacao and, after a photographer near the corner flag threw him a pre-planted sequinned glove, rolled out one of Jackson’s trademark dance moves in front of the cameras. It was the sort of moment that made him stand out, and the sort of moment that also explains why he is still being judged as much on habit and judgment as on instinct.
For Australia, the attraction is obvious. Irankunda is described as the team’s most dynamic attacking player, the sort of forward who can bend a game with one burst or one shot. But Irvine’s view of World Cup football was blunt: against the top nations, the first requirement is to defend, run and keep doing it for 90 minutes. He said that standard is non-negotiable in this team and that Irankunda is learning it all the time. That is the balance Popovic is trying to strike now — whether to throw him in from the start or keep him as a weapon who can be introduced once the match opens up.
The concern is not abstract. Earlier this year, Irankunda kicked the ball into Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka’s private parts while Xhaka was lying stomach-down on the ground, an incident that brought a yellow card and sparked an all-in scuffle between Australia and Switzerland. Yet the same match also showed a different side of him: Irankunda won possession seven times in Australia’s 1-1 draw, more than double his best previous effort for the Socceroos. That is the puzzle Popovic now has to solve. Australia’s plan against Turkey is to keep it tight at the back, give away nothing and hang in there until the game opens up in the second half. Irankunda gives them a chance to hurt opponents. He also has to prove he can live inside the system long enough to do it.
The decision, ahead of Sunday’s 2pm AEST opener in Vancouver, is not really about whether Irankunda can change a game. It is about how much of the game he can be trusted to play before Australia ask for more than talent alone.
