24 hours on...

Maybe the biggest issue to come out of the Ghana draw was: why didn’t the Socceroos play like that against the Germans? And how much of this was Pim’s fault?

Surely Australia’s good performance (and it was good) yesterday proved that Verbeek’s game plan for the first game in Durban must surely come under great scrutiny. 

Players were played in unfamiliar positions and the team seemed disjointed – almost frustrated with the game plan and the way in which they were organised.

Before the World Cup, coach Pim Verbeek outlined ‘enjoyment’ as one of the key elements of the Socceroo’s campaign. He said that he wanted the players to savour the experience.

Well if all the rumours that were circulating in the Australian press last week were to be believed, then it was hard for the players to have fun amidst all the injury scares, poor performances, unstable relationships with the coaching staff, and media-bashings.

And before yesterday, hadn’t Pim copped it in the press?

He’s always had a mixed relationship with Australian soccer fans and traditionally, coaches are always the prime target for wide-spread critique.

I think Italian journalist Gianpaolo Ormezzano put it best when he once said of a coach:

“If he wins, he is a combination of Einstein, Leonardo, Saint Francis, Plato and Dante. If he loses, he is a sewer-rat.”

In the eyes of many Socceroo fans, this quote is extremely accurate. Riding on a wave of disappointment and frustration from the Durban disaster, they possibly saw some resembling elements of sewer-rat-iness in Pim’s actions.

And they let these thoughts become vocal.

But was it/is it warranted? Well maybe. Then again, maybe not.

He was given the mission from the FFA to qualify the Socceroos for the World Cup – a task that, at the time, didn’t seem as easy as it subsequently proved to be (especially after the Asian Cup debacle of 2007).

Verbeek chose to adopt a highly technical, defensive style of play for the Socceroos, where he favoured a lone striker to accompany a five-man midfield.

This dour style may not have won over many fans, but it was successful in getting results. Australia became a defensive stronghold in Asian qualifying – only conceding one goal in their initial group stage, and then remaining unbeaten in all eight games.

But then again, the Socceroos unfortunately weren’t synonymous with entertainment.

Pim was also particularly critical of the national A-League competition, and on several occasions he was scathing of its professionalism, style, and talent.

Realistically, all his comments were accurate. But when you are head coach of a country that is trying to grow the game and cultivate a soccer tradition, it wasn’t the best opinion to make public.

Ultimately Verbeek might have been primarily to blame for the Germany game – but, like the Socceroos, he has a chance (albeit a slim one) to resurrect the team, fall back in favour with the fans, and become our Einstein, Leonardo....

Red:

Sadly, just over 24 hours ago, the colour of the card shown to Harry Kewell matched that of my face. 

For it was only 30 minutes earlier when, after reading that Italian referee Roberto Rosetti was overseeing the game, I had sat back with a comfortable, smug grin.

Familiar with the referee’s previous exceptional work in Serie A, Champions League, and the last Euro and World Cup tournaments, I was confident that finally Australia would have a game bereft of horridly poor refereeing decisions.

I turned to the Socceroos supporters to my left and gave them a reassuring wink. “This guy is good,” I said, “there ain’t going to be any stuff-ups in this game.”

I drifted my attention to a group of entertaining Ghanese supporters dancing and singing close by to our left. With an air of assurety, I almost took pity on them. I knew if the Socceroos played well enough, they would win – maybe finally we would get the rub of the green.

*Ahem*

Well wasn’t I wrong?

Ultimately the Harry Kewell decision wasn’t unreasonable... but it was extremely harsh. The speed of the shot coupled with the fact that Kewell’s eyes seemed shut during the incident and his arms didn’t particularly move, meant that it is easy to argue that it wasn’t intentional.

But at the end of the day, Kewell’s arm stopped a certain goal and the referee did only see it once in real time.

In Rosetti’s mind, it was a penalty. And because Kewell was last man, such a decision means that a red card must be given – breaking Australian hearts everywhere.

Serbian Showdown:

To be any chance of qualifying for the next round, Australia must win and then rely on the result of the Germany v Ghana game (Ghana must beat Germany; or Germany must unlikely defeat Ghana by A LOT of goals).

The Serbs are a good team, proven by the way that they managed to disable the mechanical Germans.

With Craig Moore unavailable for selection due to two yellow cards in consecutive games, Michael Beauchamp should step into the centre of defence to partner Lucas Neill. And with the presence of Serbia’s giant striker, Nikola Zigic, Beauchamp will play an immensely important role.

Serbia’s classy winger, Milos Krasic, should also we watched intently by the Aussies. Starting from the right and drifting into attacking positions, Krasic is capable of turning half-chances into goals. Australia struggled against Germany in a defensive aspect, particularly on the left side. David Carney started against Ghana, but it will be interesting to see if Scotty Chipperfield is favoured... or an even more defensive-minded alternative.

With Serbia’s exceptional aerial prowess in defence, it may also pay to hand out-of-favour striker Josh Kennedy a start. Subbed on late against Ghana, the lanky spearhead seemed to have a good effect on the team as he managed to create several chances from his ability to compete aerially and act as a long-ball outlet. Kennedy may be needed not only for this factor, but also with an eye on defending corners when the daunting Serbian defenders drift forward.

But our biggest trump card undoubtedly is the return of Timmy Cahill. Let him loose at the top of our midfield, complementing the striker from just behind. I’m sure Cahill has a lot of drive to play well against the Ghanese and erase the painful memories from that night in Durban.

If the Socceroos’ struggle has left you disenfranchised with the sport and desperately needing some motivation and cheering up, then watch the following clip of our Timmy Cahill destroying the Japanese from four years ago. Sure, they say you shouldn’t live in the past. But why not?

God knows it a lot more comfortable than the present...

Tim’s Ramble:

Another World Cup and again, we are let down by an Italian.

Being new to this sport, I’ve almost had enough of the fact we always seemed to get picked on. I might even start a boycott.

I hope someone back home taped me the Lance Franklin show from a couple night of nights ago...

*Michael Tarquinio does not share... nor ever will... any of Tim Sleeth’s thoughts

Recent results:
With Australia’s current struggle, I wish there was a way to for every other team to lose. But sadly there isn’t... and unfortunately, we may have to get used to reading results in the future where Australia doesn’t feature.

Paraguay defeated Slovenia 2-0:
The Paraguayans showed that they mean business at this World Cup with a dominant performance against Slovenia. Despite only scoring the two goals – through a 27^th minute Enrique Vela strike and a late Cristian Riveros effort - they dominated the play throughout, playing three strikers and an attacking style of play.

New Zealand drew with Italy 1-1:
Once again the World Champions seemed to dominate the game but proved impotent in their attacking third; with New Zealand’s defence equipping themselves particularly well on the world stage.
The Kiwis took the lead early when Shane Smeltz luckily found himself in an offside position when a free-kick deflected off Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro. But the Italians were able to equalize before half-time when Daniele De Rossi’s shirt was pulled and a penalty was given – allowing Juventus’ Vincenzo Iaquinta to slot home.

Brazil defeated Ivory Coast 3-1:
The Samba stars secured their spot in the next round with a 3-1 win over the Ivory Coast, courtesy of a brace from Luis Fabiano and an Elano strike. But the Brazilians were left with a sour taste in their mouth when playmaker Kaka was controversially sent-off for a second yellow card after pushing Kader Keita - a push that the fouled African attacker was sure to highlight to the ref.