RSS
ATOM
advertisement
Aussie Analysis: Australia Should Hope For Leo Messi And The Group Of Death At World Cup 2010
Socceroo fans should relish the chance to take on the best of the best in South Africa, writes Goal.com's Chris Paraskevas.
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
Dec 3, 2009 4:35:57 AM
Group of Death.
It is a term that will be thrown about relentlessly over the next few days as FIFA’s seeding system comes under close scrutiny, with nations like France and Portugal set to show their disgust at having been the dignitaries forced to suffer the wait alongside teams that don’t share their pedigree.
Indeed, two of European football’s powerhouses, who met each other at the Semi Finals of the last World Cup and who boast the two best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery (outside of Lionel Messi) will be drawn out of the same gold-fish bowl as Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
You will hear no such cries of indignation from an Australian outfit who will again enter onto the world stage largely unnoticed, their exploits at the World Cup comparatively modest compared even to their Asian neighbours.
The threat of being drawn alongside Argentina, France and the Ivory Coast is a very real one indeed for the Socceroos and one that would supposedly guarantee the early exit of one of the weakest squads at the tournament.
Australian fans should hope for such a scenario.
Hope for a group of death?
Spain, Argentina | Potential Socceroo opponents
Surely there would be those among you already branding this writer as a cynic, Euro-snob and someone who indulges in the schadenfreude of their own national team.
For others, the term lunatic will likely come to mind.
However I implore you to consider, if you can take your mind past the image of Leo Messi leaving Lucas Neill on his backside as he dances his way into the six-yard box, some of the advantages of being drawn in such a group.
For one, the sheer profile of the occasion would be one that football in this country has perhaps not seen since the pioneering Socceroos of 1974 were placed alongside Beckenbauer’s West Germany.
The eyes of the world would be upon Australia and as a result, the game would be impossible to ignore for media outlets within the country, no matter their previous disposition about football.
This would have an unquestionably positive affect on the game at a domestic level, if not specifically to do with the A-League then at least to do with any sort of Socceroo happening in the build-up to the tournament.
There would be a discernible difference in the level of anticipation and coverage of the tournament if Australia were to be drawn alongside England, France and Uruguay as opposed to South Africa, Slovakia and Algeria.
Without wanting to disrespect any of those sides - particularly the latter pair after they qualified in the most difficult and character-testing of circumstances - the majority of media outlets and casual followers of the game in Australia probably don’t have a good enough understanding of the game to understand that the significance of the World Cup is drawn from the variety of opposition on offer and not necessarily the profile.
In terms of the immediate build-up to each individual match, there would be palpable sense of awe and anticipation, the sort of which was existent before the clashes against Brazil and Italy in 2006.
Build-up | The anticipation was palpable in '06
For all fans and viewers, it would be an overload of the senses to take on three of the best teams in the world in the space of a few days.
Of course, one shouldn’t trivialize the Socceroo campaign in South Africa as one of mere spectacle; fans should be hoping and expecting the team to qualify out of the group stages, regardless of their comparative lack of quality.
But would a group of death so severely dent the nation’s chances of getting to the knockout stages?
Cast your mind back to Germany 2006 and you will remember that Hiddink’s men looked more likely to equalize during the second half against Brazil than they did at any stage of the match against Japan, nor against Croatia, where a bizarre penalty and an offside goal were needed to salvage a draw.
Similarly, the likes of England and Italy can be slightly slow starters at tournaments and at times it is arguably better to face them earlier on, when they are yet to build momentum; will Spain be burdened by the expectation place upon them by their European Championship crown as they find their feet? How will the inexperienced Maradona fare in his biggest test? Are Italy just a shadow of the side that triumphed three years ago?
Perhaps the supposed heavyweights listed in Pot 1 are not quite so intimidating?
England | Vulnerable in the group stages
It is the most contentious argument in support of a Group of Death, particularly given the conspicuous gulf in quality between the aforementioned squads and Pim Verbeek’s group - if any of them were to hit top gear against the Socceroos, there would be only one outcome.
Yet the alternatives to be found in other pots are not to be scoffed at either, with Serbia, Greece, Denmark, Chile, Paraguay, Nigeria and Ghana presenting formidable tests in themselves.
Crucially, against those sides Verbeek will be unable to use the advantage held by surprise and the notion of an underdog; a country with its back to the wall, up against one burdened by expectation and complacency is a potent mix.
Tactically also, the Socceroos under the Dutchman are arguably more suited to taking on sides who are expected to bear the attacking responsibilities in a match.
Australia have profited from a conservative, counter-attacking system throughout their qualifying campaign, largely as a result of their inability to take the initiative over 90 minutes by virtue of a lack of attacking potency across the park – it is a theory that might explain their continuing struggle against supposedly weaker Asian teams.
The most romantic argument is of course that, having qualified theoretically as one of the best in the world, Australia wants to in fact take on the best in the world.
There is no greater measure of the progress made by Australia over the past few years than that provided by the same countries it should aspire to contest with in the future.
After all, what is the point of wanting to qualify for the World Cup if you want to avoid Brazil and Italy when you actually get there?
It would be tantamount to spending hours dressing up to be accepted into a hot new nightclub without actually dancing once you’re inside (Note: this writer doesn’t speak from experience in that regard).
Bring on the best.
Chris Paraskevas, Goal.com
Get all the Australian football coverage you need on the Goal.com Australia homepage!
It is a term that will be thrown about relentlessly over the next few days as FIFA’s seeding system comes under close scrutiny, with nations like France and Portugal set to show their disgust at having been the dignitaries forced to suffer the wait alongside teams that don’t share their pedigree.
Indeed, two of European football’s powerhouses, who met each other at the Semi Finals of the last World Cup and who boast the two best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery (outside of Lionel Messi) will be drawn out of the same gold-fish bowl as Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
You will hear no such cries of indignation from an Australian outfit who will again enter onto the world stage largely unnoticed, their exploits at the World Cup comparatively modest compared even to their Asian neighbours.
The threat of being drawn alongside Argentina, France and the Ivory Coast is a very real one indeed for the Socceroos and one that would supposedly guarantee the early exit of one of the weakest squads at the tournament.
Australian fans should hope for such a scenario.
Hope for a group of death?
Spain, Argentina | Potential Socceroo opponents
Surely there would be those among you already branding this writer as a cynic, Euro-snob and someone who indulges in the schadenfreude of their own national team.
For others, the term lunatic will likely come to mind.
However I implore you to consider, if you can take your mind past the image of Leo Messi leaving Lucas Neill on his backside as he dances his way into the six-yard box, some of the advantages of being drawn in such a group.
For one, the sheer profile of the occasion would be one that football in this country has perhaps not seen since the pioneering Socceroos of 1974 were placed alongside Beckenbauer’s West Germany.
The eyes of the world would be upon Australia and as a result, the game would be impossible to ignore for media outlets within the country, no matter their previous disposition about football.
This would have an unquestionably positive affect on the game at a domestic level, if not specifically to do with the A-League then at least to do with any sort of Socceroo happening in the build-up to the tournament.
There would be a discernible difference in the level of anticipation and coverage of the tournament if Australia were to be drawn alongside England, France and Uruguay as opposed to South Africa, Slovakia and Algeria.
Without wanting to disrespect any of those sides - particularly the latter pair after they qualified in the most difficult and character-testing of circumstances - the majority of media outlets and casual followers of the game in Australia probably don’t have a good enough understanding of the game to understand that the significance of the World Cup is drawn from the variety of opposition on offer and not necessarily the profile.
In terms of the immediate build-up to each individual match, there would be palpable sense of awe and anticipation, the sort of which was existent before the clashes against Brazil and Italy in 2006.
Build-up | The anticipation was palpable in '06
For all fans and viewers, it would be an overload of the senses to take on three of the best teams in the world in the space of a few days.
Of course, one shouldn’t trivialize the Socceroo campaign in South Africa as one of mere spectacle; fans should be hoping and expecting the team to qualify out of the group stages, regardless of their comparative lack of quality.
But would a group of death so severely dent the nation’s chances of getting to the knockout stages?
Cast your mind back to Germany 2006 and you will remember that Hiddink’s men looked more likely to equalize during the second half against Brazil than they did at any stage of the match against Japan, nor against Croatia, where a bizarre penalty and an offside goal were needed to salvage a draw.
Similarly, the likes of England and Italy can be slightly slow starters at tournaments and at times it is arguably better to face them earlier on, when they are yet to build momentum; will Spain be burdened by the expectation place upon them by their European Championship crown as they find their feet? How will the inexperienced Maradona fare in his biggest test? Are Italy just a shadow of the side that triumphed three years ago?
Perhaps the supposed heavyweights listed in Pot 1 are not quite so intimidating?
England | Vulnerable in the group stages
It is the most contentious argument in support of a Group of Death, particularly given the conspicuous gulf in quality between the aforementioned squads and Pim Verbeek’s group - if any of them were to hit top gear against the Socceroos, there would be only one outcome.
Yet the alternatives to be found in other pots are not to be scoffed at either, with Serbia, Greece, Denmark, Chile, Paraguay, Nigeria and Ghana presenting formidable tests in themselves.
Crucially, against those sides Verbeek will be unable to use the advantage held by surprise and the notion of an underdog; a country with its back to the wall, up against one burdened by expectation and complacency is a potent mix.
Tactically also, the Socceroos under the Dutchman are arguably more suited to taking on sides who are expected to bear the attacking responsibilities in a match.
Australia have profited from a conservative, counter-attacking system throughout their qualifying campaign, largely as a result of their inability to take the initiative over 90 minutes by virtue of a lack of attacking potency across the park – it is a theory that might explain their continuing struggle against supposedly weaker Asian teams.
The most romantic argument is of course that, having qualified theoretically as one of the best in the world, Australia wants to in fact take on the best in the world.
There is no greater measure of the progress made by Australia over the past few years than that provided by the same countries it should aspire to contest with in the future.
After all, what is the point of wanting to qualify for the World Cup if you want to avoid Brazil and Italy when you actually get there?
It would be tantamount to spending hours dressing up to be accepted into a hot new nightclub without actually dancing once you’re inside (Note: this writer doesn’t speak from experience in that regard).
Bring on the best.
Chris Paraskevas, Goal.com
Get all the Australian football coverage you need on the Goal.com Australia homepage!
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
|
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
35 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
Capello remains one of the greats of the game
After tasting success wherever he had gone previously, the coach will look upon his time at Wembley as an incomplete job rather than a complete failure
-
Can Suarez repeat Cantona's grand comeback?
The divisive Uruguayan can look to history when he starts against United on Saturday for the first time since receiving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra
-
Key battles: Manchester United v Liverpool
The former Reds defender believes that the Uruguayan must put controversy to the back of his mind when his team face the champions
-
The importance of Champions League qualification
The Ruhr side's remarkable run in Europe's elite tournament saw their revenue unexpectedly soar last season, but some teams are structured to depend on such results to survive
-
Cartoon: Capello's managerial merry-go-round
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day ...
Advertisement
Advertisement
