Australia got into the World Cup Finals in Qatar through a playoff against Peru. The match went to a penalty shootout which could have gone either way. But we were off to the World Cup for the fifth time in a row, no matter what.

That's the good news. The downside is obvious to everyone. This is the weakest squad we have ever taken. In fact, every squad since 2006 has been weaker than the last. Many reasons are advanced for this apparent fall from grace, though chief among them is the setup for developing young talent since the inception of the A-League. That conversation is for another day.

The squad announced today by Graeme Arnold comprises a solid bunch of experienced footballers and a smaller group of younger players. Glaring omissions in my humble opinion include in-form keeper Mitch Langerak (Nagoya Grampus) and talented midfielder Tom Rogic (WBA). The latter, especially, can change the direction of a match with his deft skills and clever reading of the play.

We have France, Tunisia and Denmark in our group. It will be a very tough ask.