Milligan Confirmed For World Cup

Melbourne Victory captain Mark Milligan is part of the Australian team that will be taking part in the World Cup 2014. This will be the 28-year-old’s third World Cup finals. This is an incredible achievement considering that he has had to play in different positions across the pitch. It is once again expected to be the case in Brazil, as there have been suggestions that Milligan could be used in both defence and midfield. Australian manager Ange Postecoglou will have a tough job on his hands together team out of the group stages. They are in the group containing Spain, Netherlands, and Chile.

All three teams are seen as having a great opportunity to reach the knockout stages, while Australia have been struggling in the warmup friendlies as well. The appointment of Ange Postecoglou just before the tournament does not appear to have improved the form going into the competition. Despite this, there is a lot of positivity from the likes of Milligan. He has revealed that he has worked extremely hard in order to make himself feel comfortable in the midfield. Milligan was expected to be part of the back four when the squad was announced, but injuries could force the manager to utilise the Melbourne Victory player in a midfield position.

”Whatever’s asked of me I’ll do, but if you do want my opinion, it’s not really something I’m interested in. It’s probably been the hardest thing for me to overcome when I was younger, being able to play those various positions, and it cost me at club level and international level. ‘I’ve worked extremely hard to become a midfielder and if I’m up for selection, I’m up for selection as a midfielder. It’s very tough. The boys that started and came on against South Africa did quite well, especially considering the conditions we had,” said the 28-year-old.