Adelaide: If there is one thing that Australia forward Jamie Maclaren wants from Thursday's FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualifier against Saudi Arabia at Adelaide Oval, aside from the three points, it’s his first goal for the green and gold.
The Socceroos head into the crucial encounter knowing a win would bring them level on points with the second-placed Saudis with two games remaining, while defeat would leave them six points adrift and unlikely to take the direct route to Russia.
With only two previous caps to his name, 23-year-old Maclaren is sure that when that first goal is scored for Ange Postecoglou’s team, there will be plenty more to come as the forward aims to play a key role in Australia’s final push for automatic qualification.
“I just want to get my first goal for the Socceroos,” said Maclaren, who recently signed for German second-tier side SV Darmstadt 98 after a successful two years with Brisbane Roar.
“Because I’m the sort of player that when I get that first, the confidence will just bleed through me.”
Maclaren, who had no trouble scoring for Brisbane, with 40 goals in the last two seasons, knows that he has to work for his position in the team and isn’t taking anything for granted.
“You don’t just get a Socceroos cap for doing nothing, you’ve got to earn that,” said Maclaren, whose only previous appearance in the qualifying campaign came in the 2-2 draw against Thailand last November.
“Last season when Ange gave me my debut (against England), that was something I worked really hard to get, with 20 goals for Brisbane, and I really earned that.
“What Ange is doing keeps me motivated and when you come into camp you want to show you can add something to this Socceroos squad that’s already got quality.
“I’ve only played two games for the Socceroos and when you walk out wearing that jersey you feel ‘wow, this is next level’. I’d played for the U20s and U23s, but it’s that next level above and that’s something you really want to be a part of.”
Along with Tomi Juric, Maclaren is often spoken about as the long-term replacement for Australian legend Tim Cahill when he retires, but he doesn’t view it that way.
“I don’t see it as replacing Timmy, because players like Tomi Juri and Apo Giannou, we’re all different players to Timmy and we can all add something different,” he explained.
Next season Maclaren will join a growing army of Australian players playing in Germany, after joining SV Darmstadt 98 in a move that he is certain will help him improve as a player.
“For me it was about opportunity and playing,” said the former Blackburn Rovers junior.
“The conversations I had with [coach] Torsten Frings, he said he’s going to improve me as a player, in terms of adding different things to my game, and I know I’ve still got a lot of improving to do.
“It’s a challenge I want to take and I think it’s a good step from the A-League to the 2.Bundesliga, having spoken with (Mathew) Leckie and (Robbie) Kruse they did the same thing. It’s a great little pathway for me and I’m just looking forward to getting over to Germany.”
But while that lies ahead in the future, Maclaren is staying focused on the now, and while he admits to dreaming about going to the FIFA World Cup, his focus is solely on Thursday night against Saudi Arabia.
“As a player you dream, whether it’s in the backyard or something you’ve dreamed about as a kid, but the focus has to be Saudi Arabia because without a result against Saudi Arabia it could really put us in a difficult situation.
“(But) we’re confident, some boys have just won the Cup, Aaron Mooy has just been promoted, so the confidence is going throughout the group and it bounces off players.”
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com