Persistence pays off for Italiano as World Cup comes into focus
Once a forgotten wunderkind in the German fourth-tier, Jacob Italiano’s World Cup hopes have received a boost after Fran Karačić's withdrawal left him as the lone right-back in Soccceroo camp.
Once a near forgotten wunderkind, toiling away in the German fourth-tier, Jacob Italiano’s opportunity to press his claim on a place in the Socceroos squad for the FIFA World Cup has grown after fellow right-back Fran Karačić was forced to withdraw from coming games against Cameroon and Curaçao due to a foot issue.
Karačić, 29, landed in Australia after picking up a foot complaint in NK Osijek’s 0-0 draw with Slaven Belupo, and while the defender had indicated a desire to play through the pain, the decision was made by staff for him to return to Slavonia to begin his recovery, with his spot in the squad filled by DC United defender Kye Rowles.
But with Rowles serving as a left-sided centre-back or stop-gap left-back option, Karačić’s withdrawal – the third window in a row in which he has been named in a squad only to be forced out due to injury – leaves Italiano as the lone natural right-back in the side – the likes of Jason Geria and Miloš Degenek able to fill in but playing out-of-position to do so.
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“[Karačić] finished the match over there, though on testing this morning, he’s not quite right to play for us. So we’re sending him home, and Kye Rowles will replace him,” said Popovic.
“It’s always disappointing for the player: the World Cup is so close. It was an opportunity for him to show himself. Obviously, he wanted to be a part of it and wanted to push through the pain. But he was restricted, and we’ve got to look after the player.”
Previously having impressed in starts against Canada and the United States after replacing an injured Karačić in the squad, it means the Italiano, himself only recently returned from a calf injury with Grazer AK, is almost certain to start one of the coming FIFA series fixtures in Sydney or Melbourne.
And with Lewis Miller, widely considered a nailed-on starter at right-wing-back after starting every game in qualifying for Popovic, already ruled out of the World Cup due to an Achilles tear, it means that Italiano, should he impress in the coming days, will likely go a long way to securing one of the 26 players on the plane to North America.
It’s the type of lightning-in-a-bottle rise that Popovic has been attempting to encourage amongst the Socceroos’ player pool as the World Cup approaches, emphasising not just being ready to step up when an unexpected opportunity presents itself but, as Italiano did in Montreal and Denver, seizing it with both hands – both in games and during camp – when it comes.
“[Italiano] also got an opportunity [in October], maybe one that he didn’t expect,” said Popovic. “That’s the beauty of giving players an opportunity with the Socceroos and putting them under pressure -- which is not easy for the player. He came through and did a good job for us in the two games against Canada and the United States. Then he got injured again after having just finally recovered, and he’s had a couple of solid games -- scored a hat-trick -- so he’s full of confidence.
“I’d love to find another Jacob Italiano, whether it’s in that position or another position, someone that can come through and surprise everyone and then continue on with some really good form at their club leading into the World Cup.”
Of course, to describe Italiano’s rise as sudden is perhaps not entirely accurate. Perhaps it’s more accurate to, aping Ernest Hemingway, say that it started slowly at first, then all at once.
After breaking into the A-League Men as a teenager with Perth Glory, the defender made the move to Bundesliga outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2019 but never made an appearance with Die Fohlen’s senior side, instead spending years playing with their youth side in the Regionalliga West.
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Though constantly highly-rated by the national team setup and, thus, a constant presence in junior national teams during this period, his ongoing lack of senior football increasingly loomed over him and, like many an Australian before him, speculation mounted that he’d need to return to Australia to kickstart his career.
The former Inglewood United junior, however, had other ideas and, after spurring interest from A-League Men sides after departing Mönchengladbach, he landed in the Austrian Bundesliga with Die Roten, where, injuries aside, he’s been able to establish himself as a senior professional.
“It’s one of those things where I always told myself I would try to stay in Europe and take every opportunity I could for as long as I could,” said Italiano. “It is really difficult. It is quite easy for them to kind of push it to the side, even at [Grazer], in the first season, if like, I’d be playing three or four games really well, and then maybe we’d change the coach, and then I’d be back in the stands watching. [You need] that mental toughness to keep sticking it out. I had an opportunity to go back to the A-League at the end of my [time] in Germany, and I decided against it, and I think it was the right decision.
“I wasn’t really thinking too much about... being forgotten. I knew that I was playing at a good level. I knew that I was on the right track. It was just about being patient. I had a lot of good people around me as well, who were just telling me to just keep doing my thing. I had a few chats with Arnie, so I knew I was in the picture.
“And then, obviously, the boss came in, and I’d worked with him previously at Glory, so I knew my name would be in and around it, and I just had to perform consistently. And my call-up was actually a last-minute call-up. So someone pulled out, and I walked into the change room after our game on the weekend, and there was a message saying you’re free for a call.”