Muscat said he was stunned at Theoklitos’ non-selection, querying whether the squad was selected on the basis of form or on reputation.

“I don’t want to try and drag Clint Bolton into this but maybe the media need to question if the squad was selected on form,” he said.

“If the squad is being selected on form, I find it very strange he wasn’t included and in my opinion, he was very unlucky.”

Sydney goalkeeper Bolton has had some inconsistent performances over the last six months.

Bolton’s gaffe against Urawa Red Diamonds on match day two of the Asian Champions League ultimately cost the harbourside club a place in the quarter finals of the tournament.

He was also held partly to blame for the clanger that cost Sydney their win against Adelaide United at the weekend.

However Theoklitos’s displays played a crucial role in ensuring Victory secured the A-League double, and he was impressive again at the weekend in the match against Perth Glory.

Ernie Merrick refused to weigh into the debate, saying it is not the role of the A-League coaches to question national team selections.

“Graham Arnold is the national coach and he doesn’t need people like me to tell him who to pick, and I think he has done a good job and selected a good squad,” he said.

“The last thing you want is A-League coaches making decisions for him.”

Meanwhile, Muscat believes the club is still on track to defend its A-League title despite extending its winless streak against A-League opposition to seven.

Muscat, who was named as an Assistant Coach mid-week, said there is no need for the club to panic just yet, despite the drab draw against Glory.

“There were a lot of positives," he said. "We were disappointed obviously we didn’t score but on any other given day, I think Archie (Thompson) and Danny (Allsopp) would have snatched a goal.

“But we went on, were resilient, and kept a clean sheet. We took away a point which is a little disappointing but overall I think we played well.”