2010 World Cup Preview Group D: Australia
By Ty Duffy
Country: Australia
Nickname: Socceroos
Rankings: 20 (FIFA) 27 (SPI)
Elite Players: NA
Key Players: Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill, Mark Bresciano, Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell
History: Second Round (2006) Qualified (1974)
Odds to Win: 125-1
“Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oye, Oye, Oye!” – Australian proverb
The Australians vaulted onto the international soccer scene in 2006. Guus Hiddink qualified the Socceroos for their first World Cup in 32 years. They advanced from a formidable group that included Brazil, Croatia and Japan. Only a controversial penalty took eventual champions Italy past them in the first knockout round. The successful World Cup performance has piqued interest in soccer. The A-League has drawn large crowds. However, soccer remains mostly a foreign game, coached by Dutchmen and played by the children of immigrants.
Qualification: Australia moved into the Asian Confederation after 2006. Qualifying was tougher with better competition, but also because of the logistics. Australia travelled long distances, for matches in the Middle East. Even those long trips were often preferable to the home matches, with so much of the squad based in Europe. Despite the added difficulty, Australia was dominant. They outscored opponents 12-1 in the final round of qualifying. The one goal allowed against Japan came after they clinched a place.
Tactics: As their qualifying record suggests, Australia is stern defensively. Under coach Pim Verbeek they are well-drilled and focused. They play negatively and thwart the opposition. This maximizes their physical advantage and minimizes their dearth of talent. They play a Dutch-style 4-2-3-1 almost exclusively with two holding midfielders. Verbeek can be inflexible to a fault, especially with adjustments during matches.
Tommy Boy: Sprightly Australian youngster Tommy Oar was selected to the preliminary squad and has a chance to make the final 23. He’s a left-footed winger who has been compared to Harry Kewell in terms of talent. Though he just turned 18 in December, he has been playing in the A-League since 2008 and just signed a deal with Dutch club FC Utrecht in March. He only has one cap for the senior national team, though Verbeek will not count his experience against him.
Squad: Australia has a solid veteran in goal, with Mark Schwarzer, who just led Fulham to the Europa League final. The back four should be decent. Luke Wilkshire and David Carney, if he’s healthy, are both solid fullbacks. Lucas Neill and Craig Moore are a seasoned pair of central defenders. Though Moore may not be match fit, as he was released by Greek club AO Kavala on March 31 and has not played since.
The two holding midfielders should be Culina and Blackburn’s Vince Grella. Because no striker has filled the Pie-Man Mark Viduka’s spacious shorts, the front three of the midfield will be crucial. Ideally, Australia would feature Mark Bresciano, Everton star Tim Cahill and perpetual injury concern Harry Kewell, who, though recovering from groin surgery, had time to shoot this. Joshua Kennedy is probably the best option up front for Australia. At 6’5” he at least gives them an aerial threat.
Conclusion: Tim Cahill is the one player in Australia’s prospective starting XI who is in his prime, is healthy and is playing well at club level. That’s not a recipe for World Cup success. Australia relied on work-rate and being combative in 2006, with so many older and injured players that will be almost impossible to replicate. They can compete in this group, but it’s questionable whether they can win the match they will need to advance and it’s doubtful they can adapt and fight back if they go behind early.
Interesting Fact: There are 20 million people in Australia and 150 million sheep.
Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
Group C: England, United States, Slovenia, Algeria
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile