Aloisi Striker Aloisi in action.
Images: Getty Images

Everyone seems to have an opinion about the passport of the next coach. What’s your preference? Do we have a local coach good enough to develop the squad and qualify for 2014, or do we still need a foreigner at the helm?

We need a foreigner. We haven’t got a coach at the moment that’s good enough. We have good coaches coming through, but I don’t know when they’re going to be ready and we have to be realistic. There’s no Aussie coach good enough to not only lead Australia to the World Cup, but also do well while we’re there.

The 2011 Asian Cup is only a few months away. Is it a tournament we should set ourselves up to win, or use to develop our future crop?

If players aren’t going to be around for the next World Cup, they shouldn’t be going to the Asian Cup. I think they have

to look at not winning it so much – try to win it if you can – but mainly develop these young players to make sure they’re ready for the next World Cup. That’s more important. We need to blood some younger players.

Have you officially retired from international football?

I never officially retired from international football, but you sort of know when your time’s up and my time is up at the moment. I’ve only got this year left in me, so it would be silly of me to put my hand up.

Exciting times ahead for you and your new Melbourne Heart team-mates. What’s it like being on the ground floor of a new club?

Of course there are teething problems, but it’s very exciting because you can put things right. The club is working really hard to make sure they’ve built a good foundation for a club that will be successful for many years. We’re lucky to have a coach who’s been at one of the best clubs in Europe, so he can give advice and help people along. Hopefully we’ll be a club that will be successful for a long, long time.

With the team John van ‘t Schip has assembled, winning the championship appears a realistic goal – on paper anyway ...   

We have to look first at gelling the side together. The majority of players have never played together and “JVS” wants

us to play differently to what most of us are used to. That’s what we have to look at first and look at getting a good start. We’re not going to come out and say we’re going to win it in our first year, but we can be very competitive. At the end of the season, if you’re in the finals, anyone can win it.