The Socceroos motor along at the top of their group, seven of the minimum ten points already in the bag and nine more up for grabs. After a patchy victory over Iraq we now travel to Dubai for the first of two night games played in searing 26-degree heat.
Iraq, needless to say, won’t be happy with their performance on Sunday and will press their ‘home’ advantage with renewed fervor after Qatar hosted the Dullest Game in History against China: their 0-0 draw has given the Asian Cup champions a shot at revival.
Sounds like a tense match, right? Desert heat wearing down dehydrated Socceroos as they stagger under a desperate last-gasp assault from a fearsome attacking team that knows how to slice us up…
Feh. Won’t happen.
Why? Because Verbeek knows how to take the wind out of another team. His signature with South Korea and with this Aussie side has been steady, high-workrate possession football, with aerial assault from deep crosses the main scoring weapon – starving the oppositon and dictating the tempo and direction of the game. And in this Australia squad he’s found the tools for a masterful job.
The main game here will be Keep The Ball From The Iraqi. Scoring goals is optional. Expect a 4-2-3-1; Fullbacks Emerton and Carney, Kewell and Wilkshire out wide and Holman to start behind lone striker Kennedy. A Grella-Culina defensive midfield axis will screen the central defensive pairing, which is the only real question mark for the squad.
The thrills will come thick and fast if it isn’t fixed.
4 responses so far ↓
Stephen Hill // Jun 7, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I doubt it will be a Dubai dullfest, though the 0-0 Aus v China match was nearly as dull as the Juventus/Milan CL final of 2003 (such justice that the team that plays with defensive midfielders + Kaka missed out on CL for 2008/9), Iraq play a much more flexible 4-5-1 that allows the wingers Nuwar and Karimi to push into the box, with Emad also coming in from deep. It won’t be like China who played ultra-conservative, and the Socceroos doing similar with Archie up front on his own (???) who after getting injured in the 12th minute left us with no legitimate striking threats.
Although it still wouldn’t surprise me if Pim overcompensates for our defense looking a little nervous against Iraq’s zip with Valeri coming in as a second DM, also Carney got caught up the field a little too much for my liking as a left-back.
I’m guessing Pim will pick (assuming North will fail a fitness test)
Emerton – Spiranovic – Beauchamp – Carney
Valeri – Grella
Culina
Wilkshire Kewell
Jesus
Now if I was manager I’d attempt a more aggressive game, in attacking Iraq’s back four, who I don’t think are that quick, (rather than crosses that will be eaten up by the returning Gholan) I’d try to get some through balls that took advantage of a lack of pace – with Culina coming forward feeding Kewell, McDonald and Bresca (and if only we had a decent right-sided dribbler him too). I might even think about Stervojsky on the right, but he disappears a little too often in some games (and maybe slot Wilkshire at LB).
Schwartzer
Emo — Spiranovic – Beauchump – Carney
Grella
Wilkshire Culina Bresciano
Kewell (free-role)
McDonald
Leinad // Jun 9, 2008 at 6:50 pm
…And we were all wrong, it was a 5-4-1, and they got a wondergoal.
Holman is a worry, I think it’s time Carle got a run.
Stephen Hill // Jun 10, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I can’t disagree with that statement, Carle was awesome in the last Socceroos game he played (was it the friendly against Nigeria). We need some spark in midfield and maybe he’s the man to give us a little more. It’s a shame Bristol didn’t get promoted, and we’d have seen him each week in the Premier League.
Mind you the team that sealed promotion in the play-offs Hull had another Aussie Richard Garcia, that could be looked at in a friendly. He’s been playing on the right-side of midfield (an area of some weakness) although he is a converted striker, I don’t know if he has the pace (if only Ahmed Elrich was in the form he was a few years ago) but he has to be in the mix, its not as though our strikers are tearing holes in opposition’s nets.
Club Troppo » Missing Link Daily // Jul 22, 2008 at 7:58 am
[...] doesn’t hold out much hope of an interesting World Cup qualifier return game between Australia and Iraq in Dubai.22. KP: Then again, most soccer games IMO are [...]