By Doug Conway
November 20th 2009 @ 1:37am
Related coverage
Socceroos await the luck of the draw
Revenge against Italy, perhaps? Or the chance to strike an historic blow against mother England? How about a World Cup finals first – a trans-Tasman grudge match against New Zealand?
So many tantalising prospects lie in store for the Socceroos at next month’s draw for the 2010 finals that it’s difficult to know where to start dreaming.
The Italians have probably occupied most Australian player’s dreams, and nightmares, for the past three years, particularly Lucas Neill’s.
No-one could burn with more desire than Neill to turn the tables on Italy after Australia’s fairytale at Germany in 2006 was terminated by Fabio Grosso’s infamous “dive” at Kaiserslautern.
Grosso used the Australian captain as his platform, if it’s possible to dive from a springboard without making any meaningful contact with it.
But he did enough to convince the only man in the world who mattered, a Spaniard wearing black and white and carrying a whistle, and the resultant last-minute penalty buried Australia’s gallant campaign.
As all 32 finalists became clear this week, bitter memories of Kaiserslautern resurfaced as the Socceroos pondered what hand fate will deal them at the FIFA draw in Cape Town on December 4.
If providence pits Australia and Italy in the same group of four again, look out.
Few fixtures could guarantee so much heat under so many collars.
But plenty of other pairings would come close.
What if destiny draws together Australia and England?
Given Australia’s colonial past, the entrenched rivalry between the two nations in cricket and almost every other sport, and the fact that both share the same monarch despite alleged republican leanings down under, the price tag on the bragging rights from this one match would be astronomical.
The two countries are also battling each other to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
They have never met in a World Cup before, and England has suffered all sorts of calumnies since Sir Alf Ramsey’s team prevailed at Wembley in 1966.
The Poms are also smarting from a 3-1 friendly defeat inflicted by Australia on their home soil six years ago.
As former captain David Beckham said: “When you’re wearing an England shirt, there is no friendly game, especially when it’s against Australia.”
The same could be said of Australia’s intense rivalry with New Zealand.
This is the first time the two nations will play at the same World Cup finals, now that Australia is no longer part of the Oceania qualifying route.
The All Whites are very much Australia’s poor cousins these days, in the footballing sense, but there’s no accounting for what national pride and hyper-competitiveness might achieve.
Their coach Ricki Herbert was a player the last time they appeared on the big stage in 1982.
But at least they only had to wait a mere 28 years to reclaim a berth, not quite as long as Australia’s 32 years in the wilderness following their fist appearance in 1974.
The hosts back then were Germany, in those days divided into east and west, but the unified Germany is one nation Australia might want to avoid.
As a sad but perceptive Englishman once said, football is a simple game between two teams of 11 who play for 120 minutes before Germany wins on penalties.
The Socceroos, heavily influenced by Dutch appointments from coach Pim Verbeek down, could draw the mighty Dutch themselves, with whom they ground out a goalless draw in a friendly in Sydney recently.
How might Lucas Neill and goalie Mark Schwarzwer handle Portugal’s world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo?
At some stage in the tournament, unlikely but possible, Australia could face one of its new Asian rivals, perhaps South Korea.
Or even North Korea, the hermetic Stalinist state with whom the Socceroos do have a football history.
At Australia’s first World Cup attempt they lost two matches in neutral Cambodia, 6-1 and 3-1, as North Korea stitched up the last of 16 places for the 1966 finals.
`The Japanese would make for an interesting re-match; surely they are still traumatised by those six minutes of mayhem that turned defeat into a stunning 3-1 victory in Kaiserslautern three years ago?
Africa remains the darkest continent for the Socceroos, but South America could throw up some intriguing possibilities.
Uruguay, for example. Who will ever forget the euphoria of John Aloisi’s qualifying penalty clincher the last time around?
Brazil and Argentina are enough to intimidate any opponents, but believe it or not the Socceroos have beaten both.
The Socceroos had the bad luck to draw Brazil last time, and were beaten 2-0 in Munich though far from disgraced.
But they did upset Brazil 1-0 to win the play-off for third place at the 2001 Confederations Cup in South Korea.
And they hammered Argentina, then the reigning world champions, 4-1 in Sydney to win a friendly for Australia’s Bicentennial Gold Cup in 1988.
Who else might Australia face?
Putting a dent in the ambitions of hosts South Africa wouldn’t win them a local popularity contest next June.
But they would surely accept with alacrity the chance to dish it out to the Americans before a global audience of billions.
What a glorious moment in broadcasting; it would make up for decades of so much bad TV.
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cbowden9000 said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:30am | Report comment
.
Ultimate group:
Australia
New Zealand
England
Italy
Freud of Football said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:49am | Report comment
Why would that be the ultimate group? Both Aus and NZ are leagues behind England and Italy.
I’d much rather get an easy (there are no “easy groups” but at least a favourable group) draw and face some of the bigger countries in the knockout stages.
We saw how poor Aus were against Brazil in the group stages but when it’s a knockout then teams suddenly don’t seem worlds apart, that’s why the Italians faltered, not because Aus were so good but because Italy were expected to trounce them but couldn’t and almost lost it.
Robbos said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:26am | Report comment
Interestly, I saw it differently, I saw the game against Brazil live & have seen on replay afew times. There is no doubt that the Brazilians were better players than Australia, but as a team I thought Australia played very well against Brazil & with a bit of luck could’ve come up with a draw against them, we certainly should’ve scored. Also every decision went Brazil’s way during the game. I thought as a team Brazil was poor.
Now as for Italy, if Toni had his aim right, Italy would’ve been 3-0 up at halftime & the send off would not have mattered. In the 2nd half Italy played like a team with a man sent off, but never did Australia look like scoring & their best opportunities (which Guus was banking on) was fresh legs in extra time against a tiring 10 men team or penalties.
Italy was a better team agains Australia than Brazil was against Australia & Italy was a better team than Brazil in the whole tournament.
cbowden9000 said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment
Ultimate in the sense of the best match-ups to watch. It would be the “ultimate” world cup experience playing these teams and progressing to the knockout stage. I am simply fantasising here.
Of course in reality I would rather us play less exciting games against the weaker teams to make it easier for us to progress.
Jim Bom said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:30pm | Report comment
I agree with Robbos. I was at the Brazil game and AUS were definitely not “poor”. 0-0 at half-time, and with the German dentist being awestruck with Brazilians, they could do no wrong. The only poor thing that day was the referreeing. And btw, all these armchair pundits who go on and on about PVB’s 4-5-1 strategy, should also reflect on Brazil in the last world cup. Ronaldo was used as a lone sriker throughout. In fact, the operative word in WC football is defence….just ask Italy!
Football_Wunderkind said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:41am | Report comment
Being in South Africa… I have got a funny feeling it is going to be
South Africa
England
Australia
New Zealand
and with FIFA relaxing of the laws on hand balls (see France v Ireland) … don’t be surprised to see a few of these boys pick up the ball, run with it and then dive over the goal line.
Fisher Price said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:02am | Report comment
I see Australia going out regardless of who’s in the group, but you would not choose to be grouped with Capello’s England.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:07am | Report comment
more anti-australia rhetoric from fisher (pommy) price…
whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:37am | Report comment
well uruguay qualified. Ithis wld be an interesting tie for us. It’s a country we have a good recent and real rivalry with.
i wldnt mind us playing the USA either as i remeber the coach making disparaging comments about us in the not so distant past too… that is so long as we won (and they were impressive at the confeds).
ultimatley though the cliche is true that there are no easy games (well maybe NZ but for us it will have the flavour of a derby), just that some games would be easier than others. certainly most countries wld favour their chances against us again, especially as our results havent been earth shattering and rightly or wrongly there’s no coach aura (say unlike “Capello’s” England). whoever we draw will be an interesting battle to qualify.
AndyRoo said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:41am | Report comment
I would love too see us beat the USA, they were very condescending of us in their 2006 previews.
They have a decent team though so would be a tough game.
Jim Bom said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
I agree about Uruguay. I still vividly remember the greeting the Socceroos received at the airport after arriving in Montevedeio for the return leg in 2001. Spat at, verbal abuse, aggressive behaviour. No wonder they played like pambies and were outwitted by the long ball!
Brian said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:34am | Report comment
Ideal is to be in South Africa’s group as it will be weak. Otherwise there will be a seeded team with us so hopefully we avoid the strong non-seeded teams – if we get Netherlands, Portugal or Ivory Coast + a seed other than S.Africa we’re in deep trouble.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:47am | Report comment
this is a time wasting article… we’ll play whoever we’re drawn against… who cares if its usa or nigeria or whatever…? i know, people with petty gripes against particular countries… this sort of resentiment needs to be risen up against and a more noble creation envisaged for the future of humanity…
Art Sapphire said | November 20th 2009 @ 11:02am | Report comment
Fifa has yet to decide how the seedings and pots will be worked out.
It is leaving that until two days before the draw, when the World Cup organising committee meets in Cape Town.
No point speculating until we find out what FIFA do?
Anyway – for those who are intersested – these are the people that make up the World Cup organising committee.
Which pot Australia ends up in will be determined by these people.
Chairman – Issa HAYATOU Cameroon
Deputy Chairman – Julio H. GRONDONA Argentina
Michel PLATINI France
Jack A. WARNER Trinidad and Tobago
Ángel María VILLAR LLONA Spain
Reynald TEMARII Tahiti
Michel D’HOOGHE Belgium
Ricardo Terra TEIXEIRA Brazil
Mohamed BIN HAMMAM Qatar
Nicolás LEOZ Paraguay
Junji OGURA Japan
Slim CHIBOUB Tunisia
Senes ERZIK Turkey (UEFA)
Chuck BLAZER USA (CONCACAF)
Jacques ANOUMA Côte d’Ivoire (CAF)
ZHANG Jilong China PR (AFC)
Luis CHIRIBOGA Ecuador (CONMEBOL)
Fred DE JONG New Zealand (OFC)
Franco CARRARO Italy
Gilberto MADAIL Portugal
Molefi OLIPHANT South Africa
Nodar AKHALKATSI Georgia
Hafez AL-MEDLEJ Saudi Arabia
Rignaal FRANCISCA Netherlands Antilles
Mohamed RAOURAOUA Algeria
Theo ZWANZIGER Germany
Frank LOWY Australia
Franz BECKENBAUER Germany (Germany 2006)
Irvin KHOZA South Africa (South Africa 2010 (Chairman))
Danny JORDAAN South Africa (South Africa 2010 (CEO))
Teffers said | November 20th 2009 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
I believe that being in an “easy” group may hinder our performance. We have a horrible propensity (IMO) to underachieve when we are labeled favorites. So in a group of:
South Africa
England
Australia
New Zealand
We could/should be the favorites’ to get second spot, but look what happened at the Asian Cup or against nations we should (on paper) easily beat (Kuwait, Oman at home), however, put us in a group in which we are not expected to come out of (WC2006); then we should advance. We have a history of punching above our weight and rising to the challenge. Just look at our recent record against some of the better teams, whilst we don’t always win, we have more often than not caused them problems and have even gained those unlikely draws (Holland) which, lets face it, could mean the difference between the second stage or an early flight home.
dasilva said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:37pm | Report comment
If FIFA keeps the same system of seedings as they did last world cup. Also it has been anounced that they will use the october 2009 rankings not the november one as the playoffs gives the team that finish 2nd an advantage by playing two extra games.
England will be seeded, so we won’t get England and South Africa or England and Italy in the same group
However my seeded team I want in terms of being beatable would be South Africa but my second preference will be France. They are a pretty mediocre team right now that needed to cheat to beat an Irish side that we flogged.
I would like to have Uruguay in our group just so we can make a direct comparison of us this year and Australia in 2005.
The European side- I would be pretty satisfy with the likes of Greece/Switzerland or Slovenia.