Australia has struggled over the past decade at youth level after considerable success in the 90s, which included making the 1999 Under-17 World Cup finals.

The Young Socceroos and Olyroos also finished fourth at the 1991 Under-20 World Cup and 1992 Olympics respectively.

The Socceroos’ road to Russia has also hit a rocky stage after three successive draws, with the current squad also short on top footballers regularly playing in Europe’s elite leagues.

Stange, 68, worked with East Germany’s national set-up for a decade as well as more recent stints in charge of Oman, Iraq, Belarus and Singapore.

Stange, who worked in East Germany’s national set-up for a decade as well as more recent stints as coach of Oman, Iraq, Belarus and Singapore, knows Australian football after a charming stint in charge of Glory from 1998 to 2001.

“If you take the best talent to one place and you give them a fantastic coach who knows what he has to do, then you will produce more and more players,” Stange said.

The Australian Institute of Sport’s football program has evolved into the current FFA Centre of Excellence, aimed at identifying and developing the best under-20 talent.

Fourteen members of Australia’s 23-man squad for the AFC Under-16 Championships in India in September-October were based at the FFA Centre of Excellence in Canberra under Tony Vidmar.

The FFA Centre of Excellence side has long competed in the National Youth League but regularly finished last.

Stange argued more emphasis needs to be placed on that program to develop future Socceroos, although he said the current group would be good enough to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

However, he tempered that by conceding coach Ange Postecoglou was “limited” by the situation.

“They will be good enough to qualify for the World Cup,” Stange said.

“Ange is my friend and he’s such a good coach, but he is limited.

“He gets the players a week before a qualification match, three or four days before a friendly match. It’s very, very difficult to make players fit.

“You have big names. They are playing in Europe, the Premier League, in the Bundesliga – one of the best leagues in the world.

“But they are substitutes and they are coming back and they are not top fit. They cannot deliver and that’s a huge problem.”

Stange is in Australia to launch his new book titled 'The Coach Who Knew Too Much'.