Deutschland 2006: Trouble Down Under
April 27th, 2006 by Emmett WilliamsAustralia’s slim chances of advancing in their second ever World Cup took a serious blow this past week when Everton midfielder Tim Cahill collided with Birmingham’s Damien Johnson. What was immediately believed to be a non-threatening knee injury was later diagnosed as a torn ligament and the Aussie is almost certain to miss out on the trip to Germany.
While this is of course a blow to Cahill, Australia will have to find some more of the magic that helped them qualify to get them out of Group F, which also includes Brazil, Japan, and Croatia. The Socceroos have a few weapons up front and in midfield, but are terribly thin defensively especially with the health of goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer a serious question.
Their star in the middle now that Cahill is gone is Parma’s Marco Bresciano who has scored six goals in his last eight Serie A matches and one in each of Australia’s last two friendlies. Also in the Parma midfield is Aussie Vinnie Grella who has missed just two matches all season. Middlesbrough’s Mark Viduka and Liverpool’s Harry Kewell are both in fine form and despite recent knocks, should be healthy in time for the trip to Germany. But after that the quality dips greatly and coach Gus Hiddink will be praying for no more injuries.
Australia’s problems are at the back where things look dim once you get past Blackburn’s Lucas Neill who has had a fine season in the Premiership, but is not necessarily considered world class. While the team is quick and athletic and could possibly score some goals, too many things have to go perfectly for them to get out of a strong group. Brazil is almost certain to go on to the round of 16, Japan have looked good in recent matches, and Croatia have a history of playing very well on the big stage, going unbeaten in qualification and recently defeating Argentina in a friendly.
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April 27th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head by pointing out the lack of strength in depth that Australia have.
Proven Premiership players like lucas Neill and Harry Kewell are solid enough but beyond that they lack enough of a cutting edge to really make their mark on a tournament they have strived so hard to qualify for in the past couple of decades.
Maybe I’ll be proven wrong and the Aussies will surprise everyone much like the Romanians and Bulgarians did in 1994 but for me, it would be a big surprise especially so now that Tim Cahill looks to be set to miss out altogether.