A measured approach to team selection is vital as the Socceroos look towards the World Cup – anything else could spell disaster in Brazil

The king is dead, long live the king!

Australian football's messiah has arrived in the form of Ange Postecoglou, and all is well in the world. At least that is the conventional wisdom following his ascension to the Socceroos top job.

Those lambasting Holger Osieck have quickly gathered around Postecoglou in a show of faith, and the forthcoming friendly against Costa Rica offers a trying but not insurmountable introduction to the position.

Yet if the vitriol spouted at Osieck is anything to go by, no less than a complete team overhaul from Postecoglou will suffice, or the critics will be hastily clambering back on their soapboxes. And therein lies the coach's real dilemma – he must somehow manage the national team's regeneration while nevertheless ensuring a respectable showing in Brazil.

To simplify the undoubtedly complex debate, two camps as to the desired team selection for the Socceroos can be identified. On one hand, those who pushed hardest for Osieck's sacking want the young players to be finally given a chance, and, argue some, to hell with the immediate results. Alternatively, the more conservative view preaches caution and suggests sending 11 youngsters to Brazil will not end well, and hence the new boss would be best served by retaining the veterans for one last hurrah.

In reality, Postecoglou needs to tread the middle ground between these two views and find a balanced team selection that can be all things to all people. While he may have been given a contract until the 2018 World Cup, if the Socceroos suffer embarrassing defeats in Brazil his grip on the position will quickly become tenuous.

Of the starting 11 for the side's humiliating loss to the Seleção, six were over the age of 30. Removing the likes of Mark Bresciano, Lucas Neill, Mark Schwarzer and Josh Kennedy would not only severely weaken the team, but also take away a wealth of experience from the Socceroos line-up.

On the other side of the coin, Postecoglou simply has no choice but to provide his young charges with the game time and requisite experience needed to give them any hope of impressing at the highest level. For too long immediate results have been sought at the expense of long term ambitions, and the continuation of such an approach would spell disaster for the Socceroos post-Brazil. If the national team is to avoid embarrassment at the 2015 Asian Cup on home soil, the younger players need to be given their chance without delay.

Postecoglou appeared "calm, measured, deliberate but decisive" in his first press conference as national team manager. If the Postecoglou can bring those attributes to his team selection, the Socceroos will be in safe hands.

Although I am not privy to Postecoglou's contractual situation, successfully navigating the group stage in Brazil would probably guarantee him a large bonus, while an even bigger sum would be on offer if they qualify for Russia 2018. While these are not unreasonable key performance indicators, Football Federation Australia should be looking to the future and have bonuses to match.

As with Osieck, Postecoglou's primary focus will be to qualify for the next World Cup – and it is difficult to have qualms with that. Yet incentivising long-term planning from the management group would surely place the Socceroos in the best possible position.

Returning briefly to Osieck, the German placed heavy emphasis on reaching Brazil because that was undoubtedly his main contractual goal, and did so at the expense of bringing through younger players. What if instead he was guaranteed a large windfall should the Socceroos qualify for Russia or Qatar, even if he was no longer manager? Perhaps then Osieck would have placed less focus on Brazil and committed more to the development of Australia's youth in preparation for a future without the golden generation.

For Postecoglou to right the wrongs of Osieck's tenure, the former Young Socceroos coach needs to deliberate carefully about his team selection for Brazil, and a firm focus on balance will be essential. The right selection of young and old will ensure Australia are not embarrassed in 2014, while allowing the future national team stars to be given a helping hand to step up and perform at the highest level.

A respectable performance in Brazil, a strong showing at the Asian Cup and qualification for the 2018 World Cup could await Postecoglou if he is prepared to make the tough calls and choose balance over either side of a polarised debate.

Only then will his decision to accept the Socceroos job not seem like an unfortunate commitment to a poisoned chalice.