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Those who think the triumphant Socceroos have nothing to play for in their final two World Cup qualifiers are in for a rude shock.
The Australians flew home on Monday setting themselves new mountains to climb after their goalless draw in Qatar secured a second successive World Cup finals berth in South Africa next year.
Coach Pim Verbeek has the luxury of being able to conduct a few selection experiments.
But he vowed to send out his strongest sides against both Bahrain at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Wednesday and against Japan at the MCG in Melbourne a week later in matches which double as celebration parties.
Senior players like captain Lucas Neill and midfielder Tim Cahill are already raising the bar of expectations, aiming to go one better than Germany in 2006 by reaching the quarter-finals next year.
And goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer wants to keep two more clean sheets to extend Australia’s record stretch without conceding a goal to the entire final round of eight Asian qualifiers.
Verbeek responded with a firm “of course” when asked if he would be fielding his strongest sides for the final two home matches, although injury, disqualification and other problems will rob him of a few players.
Neill is one of them. He made sure he got himself a “tactical” yellow card in the final minutes against Qatar.
This means the captain, who was already sitting on one yellow, is ruled out of the Bahrain match.
But it also means he will start the Japan match with a clean sheet, free from the worry of picking up a second yellow in Melbourne which would keep him out of the first World Cup game in South Africa next year.
Left-back Scott Chipperfield has been allowed to go home to nurse a foot injury, and midfielder Carl Valeri has returned to Italy to help his team Grosseto in its play-off bid to win promotion to Serie A.
Mark Bresciano has also been excused to avoid what Verbeek called “logistical problems” returning home, and Bresciano has said he is happy to let one of the fringe players have a run in his midfield spot.
Not only will fringe players be keen to press their claims, but the team is also playing for pride of place in Asia and wants to send a big thank you to home fans.
“We want to be number one in this group,” declared Verbeek, whose side edges the impressive Japanese only on goal difference.
“We want to show the fans we deserve to go to the World Cup. They know it already, but we want to show them.”
Neill said qualifying for another World Cup – the first time Australia has managed it in consecutive campaigns – was just as satisfying as his first.
“In a funny kind of way, it’s even more rewarding,” he said, “because it is harder to do the second time.”
He described Australia’s qualifying campaign as “very clinical” and “almost perfect”.
Schwarzer said he and his defenders would be trying “everything we can” to get through the entire qualifying stage without conceding a goal.
“It’s going to be tough but we think we can do it,” he said.
Cahill said reaching successive World Cups was a “dream come true”.
“The first time we were going into the unknown but now everyone expects us to do better than last time.
“Who knows what can happen in World Cup?”
Verbeek said: “We all have the same target – to do better than the 2006 World Cup.
“I don’t say we are going to do it, but that’s our target.
“I think the boys will be ready.”
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