Graham Arnold has announced his final 23-man group for a tilt at retaining the Asian Cup, and there were some massive calls made.

A long-term striker shafted, an A-League young gun restored after two years in the wilderness while star man Aaron Mooy is named despite initially being ruled out by club side Huddersfield.

Arnold revealed he had personally called every member of the squad – and those who narrowly missed out on a call-up – the day before going public with his chosen team.

Some would have been happier with the message they received from the manager than others.

HERE ARE THE WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM THE SOCCEROOS’ ASIAN CUP SQUAD…

WINNERS:

Chris Ikonomidis
The Perth Glory young gun’s selection heralds a new path to national selection as a genuine option.

Ikonomidis is one of a number of former internationals who have returned to the A-League of late in the hopes of furthering their chances of a recall.

And in earning one, he proves that form in our national league can prove just as compelling as performances for overseas clubs, meaning a homecoming can be a smart move for our Aussies failing to rack up minutes overseas.

“I took a risk coming to the A-League,” Ikonomidis admitted after being selected for the squad. Graham Arnold told Fox Sports News it was a ‘brave deicison.’

It appears that risk has paid off in the shape of a recall, and it could pave the way for more players to follow his lead.

However, it’s clearly not a blanket rule considering the snubbing of Craig Goodwin – but more on that later.

Ikonomidis has been on fire for Tony Popovic’s Perth Glory since joining at the beginning of the season. He’s scored five times and provided two assists in just eight matches so far this campaign and in the process led his team to the top of the table on the back of an undefeated start.

The 23-year-old spent time in Italy, notably with Lazio, as well as on loan in Denmark and with the Western Sydney Wanderers, before making his return to Australia permanent. He already has six caps to his name – the last of which came in July 2016.

Aaron Mooy
Australia’s best player is going to the Asian Cup – probably.

Aaron Mooy has been named to head to the UAE despite concerns remaining over the knee injury which initially saw his club side rule him out of the tournament. The Socceroos await a second opinion on his rehab time, but if the midfielder gets his way, he’ll pull on the green and gold next month.

“The most important thing around this is Aaron [Mooy],” Arnold said.

”He wants to go to the Asian Cup, he asked for the second opinion.”

“…He believes that he will be ready and so do we. It’s one step at a time and there’s a process we have to go through and we’ll do that.”

Mooy is clearly aching to get himself to the tournament, and should he do so, he’ll probe a key cog in the Aussie midfield as they aim to claim back-to-back titles.

The fact he’s been named is the first hurdle cleared, meaning Mooy is a clear winner from this announcement.

Andrew Nabbout/ Jamie Maclaren
Arnold has been clear on how important game time at club level is to a players’ hopes of Socceroos selection.

As such, strike selections Andrew Nabbout and Jamie Maclaren can consider themselves lucky. Both make the final squad, in favour of dropped veteran Tomi Juric, despite themselves not boasting a great deal of time on the park of late.

After a remarkable early return from a shoulder injury suffered at the World Cup, Nabbout managed just one start for Urawa Red Diamonds before the end of the J-League season. Meanwhile Maclaren has seen a grand total of three minutes of action since November 24.

ROOS STRIKERS SINCE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER:

NABBOUT: 153 mins across 6 matches – 2 assists

MACLAREN: 235 mins across 5 matches – 0 goals, 0 assists

JURIC: 249 mins across 5 matches – 1 goal, 1 assist

LOSERS:

Tomi Juric
After two straight years of selection, striker Tomi Juric has been dumped by Arnold. The manager pointed to a lean run of game time at club level as the reason for the axing, but as pointed out above, the big man can rightfully feel aggrieved.

“I am a manager that communicates a lot with his players,” Arnold said.

“I have explained the situation to Tomi [Juric].... Tomi understands clearly. He understands he needs to be playing club football. At the end of the day, of course he’s disappointed.”

Juric hasn’t scored for his country since May 2017 when he netted in a World Cup qualifier against Thailand, and ultimately his dropping is unlikely to yield a public outcry. His recent performances have been criticised as he often cut an isolated figure upfront.

Regardless, he after a long stint in the team, and considering the fact he provided the assist for the Socceroos to win the Asian Cup 4 years ago, he is right to feel disappointed.

The biggest loser from this announcement.

Craig Goodwin
On the flipside to Ikonomidis, the Adelaide United winger’s stunning return to the A-League hasn’t resulted in a Socceroos chance materialising.

Having been recalled for the friendly against Lebanon last month on the back of a superb run of form, many thought Goodwin could force his way into a flank position at international level. However he failed to see any minutes in that match, and has now been snubbed completely from this squad.

Admittedly, his form has dipped since that selection, but three goals and three assists in just eight A-League matches this season makes a compelling case for a recall.

Terry Antonis
There is arguably no player in Australia right now in better form than Melbourne Victory’s Terry Antonis.

The midfielder is in career-best touch on the back of his exploits as part of an incredibly fluent attacking unit also comprising Keisuke Honda, James Troisi, Kosta Barbarouses and Ola Toivonen.

“Terry [Antonis] has done exceptionally well at Melbourne Victory,” Arnold said after not picking the in-form Antonis in the squad.

“I spoke to Kevin Muscat for 15 minutes yesterday about Terry, Troisi and [Thomas] Deng. It’s no secret Victory are doing well.”

Antonis shaped as a key player in the race to replace an injured Mooy, but with the Premier League playmaker now seemingly available to take his place, sheer numbers played against the 25-year-old.

He boasts a return of three goals and three assists in eight matches from central midfield this season for the rampant Victory, as his performances caught the eye. Antonis can consider himself mightily unlucky to miss out.