As Botić builds, Aloisi sees Socceroo and World Cup promise

As he sets new marks for goals and European clubs circle, Western United boss John Aloisi is confident Noah Botić can be a future World Cup Socceroo, to the extent he feels pressure to get him there

As he sets new career marks for goals and European clubs circle, Western United boss John Aloisi is confident that Noah Botić has it within him to one day become a Socceroo, with a chance to force his way into contention by the time the 2026 FIFA World Cup rolls around. It’s one of the reasons the former striker is so invested in the 23-year-old and why feels a level of pressure to help him reach that level.

Picked out by an inch-perfect cross from Riku Danzaki before placing a header beyond Dylan Peraić-Cullen, Botić opened the scoring for United in the 33rd minute of their meeting with Central Coast on Wednesday evening, a contest that ultimately ended at 2-2. Not done there, it was also the striker who won the free kick that Ben Garrucio bent home to secure a point, United’s lead having been erased by two quickfire goals from Mikael Doka and Ryan Edmondson just before the half.

The attacker’s first-half goal brought his tally for the season to seven and his total goal involvements, which also accounts for his four assets, to eleven. The former number represents a new career high for the one-time Hurstville Zagreb junior, while the latter figure is the third-highest in the league, behind only Macarthur’s Jed Drew – who just secured a move to TSV Hartberg, per AAP – and Sydney’s Joe Lolley.

Secured in just 15 games, the eleven goal involvements are already the equal fourth most for a single season in United’s history, trailing only Besart Berisha (19) and Alessandro Diamanti (14) in 2019-20 and Aleksandar Prijovic (13) in the club’s title-winning 2021-22 campaign.

Bursting onto the scene when he netted four goals for the Joeys at the 2019 U17 World Cup, Botić has long been seen as having the potential to develop into an attacking option for the Socceroos but, to this point in his career, has struggled to find the form and fitness to take that next leap. This wasn’t helped by a stint in Hoffenheim’s academy that began just as COVID descended on Europe. Even this season there were roadblocks, with the navicular fracture he suffered last season effectively preventing him from logging any kind of proper pre-season. But now, as the goals and assists continue to rack up, and the Socceroos’ striking role remains a position waiting for someone to seize it, conjecture continues to mount.

“Whether it's the next Socceroos squad, I'm not sure,” said Aloisi. “We're still trying to get Noah physically to a level. I think that Noah will be a Socceroo, I do. He just hopefully makes the right choices and career path.

“Hopefully, we can help him improve more because I know that he's a goal scorer. I've said it all along. But we need to help him with that. The pressure's not on Noah. The pressure is on us to help Noah. We're doing a job to help him along with that and he's improving all the time.

“I think he's starting to show that [physical consistency]. I only took him off -- I thought he was moving well -- as a precautionary [measure] with his groin. That was us making a choice there. You can see that he played 90 minutes in Perth, played 90 minutes against Victory, and then he would have easily run out 90 minutes again today. So his physical side is improving.

“And it's not only just that he can run out of game, it's how he looks when he's running out of game. And I saw him chasing, I saw him being able to turn; he was the one that got the free kick for us, for the goal, and that's because he's able to move his feet, and that comes with the physical side of things. So we keep on helping him with that and he needs to understand, if he wants to get to the next level, he needs to keep on improving that.”

Inevitably, though, the performances that Botić has begun to log this season don’t just spark Socceroo speculation but also the interest of overseas clubs. European clubs have made contact with United during the January window, and the natural goalscorer is also off-contract at the end of the season, giving him further options should he not opt to re-sign in Tarneit.

Aloisi has previously said that he would like to see Botić see out not just this season at United but also at least some of the next, believing that the trajectory of his improvement would not only give him greater options when it came to making the move to his next club but also thrust him into World Cup consideration.

But having made the leap from Adelaide City to Europe as a teen himself, as well as coached several other breakout attackers that struck out abroad from the A-League Men, the Socceroos legend knows that the pull of the Continent is a strong one and that there is a perception – even if Aloisi, too, is off-contract at the end of the season – that he stands to benefit should Botić remain in Melbourne.

“It's hard for a player to always listen to the coach, in terms of what I think is the best career path for them,” said Aloisi. “Because I'm still their coach -- so they might be thinking that I'm being a little bit selfish and wanting to keep them here. But I believe that when I say something -- and I'm always honest with people -- is that it's for a reason. It's not for self-benefit, it's to help them.

“I'm hoping that when I talk to Noah, he understands that I'm doing the best for Noah. I really believe that Noah, if he keeps playing at this level and improving, will have an opportunity to be a Socceroo and maybe go on to the next World Cup.”

For all the hype, though, the excitement surrounding Botić supplemented by him alongside Archie Goodwin, Thomas Waddingham, and Luka Jovanovic as a young striker emerging in the A-League Men this season, Aloisi is confident the noise won’t weigh him down.

“If I saw it was affecting him, then I would have a word with him,” the coach said. “I don't see it affecting him. I don't see Noah really thinking about or worrying about it. Obviously, he reads or sees that there might be speculation about other things, or Socceroos but he just keeps his head down, works hard in training and is always looking to improve his game.

“If I felt that it was affecting him, and I felt that the performance wasn't going to be there, then I would have a word, but I don't need to. I think that he's comfortable with it all.”