Tom Rogic was unable to prevent Australia losing to Japan on Tuesday – and the Celtic playmaker has been branded ‘wasteful’ by his country’s media.
Rogic, 28, clocked up his 51st cap for Australia on Tuesday afternoon as Australia looked to stretch their qualifying campaign to 12 wins in a row.
But at the hands of a strong Japan side – they suffered a 2-1 loss. Kieran Tierney’s Arsenal teammate Takehiro Tomiyasu was excellent at the back.
Not only Tomiyasu, but Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino also played – as did Rogic’s teammate Kyogo Furuhashi, albeit from the bench.
Japan took the lead through Dusseldorf’s Ao Tanaka, before Australia equalised thanks to another Bundesliga ace – Frankfurt’s Ajdin Hrustic.
However, an own goal late on from Aziz Behich saw Japan earn a crucial 2-1 win in Group B of Asia’s 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.
A valiant performance, but Australia came up short. Australian media gave player ratings – Rogic was ‘wasteful’, earning just 6/10.
“He showed bright moments on the ball, but for each good pass – there was another wasteful one,” Aussie website Sporting News said.
Rogic struggles for Australia: Celtic form not much better
It feels like Rogic has hit a point in his career where he is past his best – and plateaued somewhat. He is not going to get better from this point in.
Perhaps, things have become a bit stale for Rogic. The left-footed playmaker needs to escape the comfort zone; try something new, something different.
Maybe Rogic needs to join a side where he can rediscover his best form, his confidence and that will in turn improve his form for Australia.
He has been linked with clubs in England – but even a transfer to an MLS side could do the trick. Rogic needs to leave Celtic to rediscover his magic.
