World Cup debate: Are Australia on a hiding to nothing? Or can Timmy Cahill produce more magic?
CAN Australia escape their Group of Death and cause some World Cup shocks? Or will they cop more punishment? HUW BONELLO and MARTIN GIBBES go head to head on the Socceroos’ chances.
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AUSTRALIA’S World Cup hopes will be hotly debated in the weeks leading into their opening fixture against France next month.
Can they match their best-ever World Cup performance, and break through to the knockout games as they did at Germany in 2006?
Or will Bert van Marwijk’s unfancied side be buried by a difficult group.
We put football writers Martin Gibbes and Huw Bonello head to head in the debate.
HEAR ME OUT, HERE’S WHY THE SOCCEROOS WILL ADVANCE …
By Huw Bonello
The Socceroos will defy expectations and make it out of the group stages and into the Round of 16 in Russia.
Before you doomsayers laugh me out of the room, hear me out.
Group C rivals France (seventh), Denmark (12th) and Peru (11th) might be streets ahead of Australia (40th) in the world rankings, but that’s a moot point … see Switzerland (6th) Tunisia (14th) as Exhibits A and B.
The World Cup loves a surprise packet. It’s happened plenty of times before with Costa Rica (2014), Paraguay (2010) and the Ukraine (2006) reaching the quarters and South Korea making it to the semis in 2002. Someone’s going to do it in Russia, why can’t it be Australia, especially with a coach at the helm with proven World Cup pedigree.
Bert van Marwijk’s last foray at a World Cup lasted all the way to the 2010 final, where his talented but far from superstar Holland fell to a Spain team largely regarded as the best in the modern era. His teams play pragmatic, compact football and that will suit this Socceroos team whose nine goals conceded in three games cost them the chance of making it out of the group four years ago. He’s had mixed results (a 4-1 loss to Norway and 0-0 draw with Colombia) so far, but a pre-tournament camp in Turkey will do the world of good this time round.
My final point: Timothy Filiga Cahill. Not many more words needed than this.
Super Timmy has scored five goals in eight World Cup games and if he finds the back of the net in Russia, he’ll join Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose as the only men to score at four World Cups. Spare me the line about his Millwall form, he’s shown time and time again he’s the man for the big occasion.
Combine that with the likes of Aaron Mooy, Massimo Luongo, Mile Jedinak and Mat Ryan coming off strong domestic seasons and it’s easy to see why the Socceroos will definitely make it out of Group C, maybe.
ON A HIDING TO NOTHING: SOCCEROOS PROBLEMS ARE THREE-FOLD …
By Martin Gibbes
It shouldn’t have taken France naming a squad that makes your eyes water to know the Socceroos are on a hiding to nothing in Russia.
It was three games, three defeats in Brazil four years ago. With France, Denmark and Peru lined up, it doesn’t look as though it’s going to get any better this time around.
Ange Postecoglou’s acrimonious departure late last year and then the draw in the World Cup’s Group of Death made sure of that.
France coach Didier Deschamps reeling off 23 high-calibre names that represent just about every major league in the world merely rubs it in.
Our problems are three-fold.
Let’s start with where are the goals coming from?
Tim Cahill netted two of the three Socceroos goals in Brazil — but if we are relying on a 38-year-old — who is essentially now a part-time player — to come to our rescue yet again it doesn’t say much for the rest of the squad.
How many of our games promise to be balanced at 0-0 or 1-1 when Timmy comes on in the 75th minute anyway?
Even if Timmy can pull off a Roger Milla who — at age 38 and not playing regularly — famously propelled Cameroon to the quarter-finals in 1990 — the Socceroos need a support cast.
And it hasn’t shown up yet. Juric, Kruse, Rukavytsya, Leckie, Nabbout and Petratos don’t have 25 international goals between them from well over 100 caps.
Picking the ball out of the net at the other end hasn’t been a problem though.
The Socceroos — who let in nine goals in Brazil — have held opponents scoreless just three times in the last 17 games — and their latest one against Colombia was more out of pure luck than design.
Mat Ryan is going to have to do his best Keylor Navas impersonation to prevent a landslide of goals.
And finally, we have the quality of opposition.
Normally in a World Cup you can expect at least one game against a country of similar ability or worse, but yet again it’s not a luxury afforded to the Socceroos.
France, Denmark and Peru are all ranked among the best 11 teams in the world.
Australia also faced two European sides (Spain and the Netherlands) and one South American side (Chile) in Brazil in 2014.
Spain were ranked ninth, the Dutch fifth and Chile 14th.
Sound familiar!
If points were impossible to come by back then, how is life in Russia going to be any different?
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