While some pleas have been in vain – Sasa Ognenovski and the like will never feature in a squad involving Pim Verbeek – the point that’s had me thinking the most this week is: how many injured players can Verbeek afford to take with him?
It’s not just the injured players who are a concern but also those who have been struggling to find game time.
It’s one thing to take 2 or 3 liabilities but any more then that and, in a 23-man squad, it shows.
Here’s my list of players who fit into the above category (let me know in the comments below if you think I’ve missed any):
Craig Moore: Hasn’t played for over a month since his departure from Greek club Kavala.
Jason Culina: Has been resigned to training in the Netherlands since Gold Coast’s season ended months ago.
Carl Valeri: Has struggled to secure a starting berth at Sassuolo but if not in first XI generally comes off the bench.
Mile Sterjovski: Been training with Blackburn and Fulham since A-League season ended.
Tommy Oar: Another A-League player who hasn’t played for months.
Richard Garcia: Inconsistent season partly due to recovery from injury. Started last two games for Hull City but hasn’t scored for over a year.
Alex Brosque: Last game was at Etihad Stadium in the A-League Grand Final.
Harry Kewell: After months out injured, came off the bench on Saturday.
Mark Bresciano: Season is over after a lower back injury has troubled him all year. Might even be a risk to make the World Cup.
Vince Grella: Missed two months of football but has made an appearance in most Blackburn games since late February.
Josh Kennedy: Another Socceroo with a back injury but is back in the Nagoya squad and scored on the weekend.
Matthew Spiranovic: Move to Urawa has seemingly backfired with ‘Spira’ being restricted to two league cup games only.
Jade North: Made huge personal and financial sacrafice to move to Norway in search of game time but has only played four times since he joined Tromso.
Simon Colosimo: Stuck training for five weeks in the Netherlands since his move to the K-League fell through.
David Carney: Is another player who couldn’t nail down a starting position since returning from injury.
Dario Vidosic: Struggled with injury following his loan move to Duisburg but has started getting some game time in recent weeks and will start the last game of the season on Sunday.
So that’s a massive 16 possible inclusions that are either not playing, sidelined or just returning from injury.
It doesn’t look good.
Six of those names (Kewell, Bresciano, Kennedy, Culina, Grella and Moore) will be going no matter what. Meaning, if Verbeek takes any of those other players lacking in game time, he would be seriously jeopardising the Socceroos’ ability to field 11 fully fit players in their regular positions.
I expect Pim’s squad to be entirely as expected.
The players who have been involved in recent squads will make up this group with only the barest of exceptions. Verbeek likes his “favourites” and at most there might be one or two surprises.
This means the Socceroos will go to South Africa with a number of players either lacking game time or still recovering form injury.
And that worries me.
Tom Findlay from The World Game argued in his blog on Thursday that: “One issue that springs to mind is how Verbeek plans to tackle Germany, which he admits has the defensive strength to nullify Australia’s preferred 4-3-2-1 formation, which is built around getting delivery to the head of tall striker Josh Kennedy.
“The presumed pickle of who should warm the bench out of Carle or Holman pales in the face of the problem of how to stop, or at least slow down, one of the world’s best football units”
But, while Findlay is right, a half-fit Socceroos team won’t be able to match Germany for a full 90 minutes no matter what the tactics.
And it’s that which has me worried.
Michael
Guest
I think to blame Kennedy's lack of game time in the Bundesliga on not being good enough is simplistic. Considering how injured he was (missed pretty much two straight seasons for Nurnberg) and that even when in decent enough form for Karlsruhe was dropped and left out for no particular reason he never really had a chance. Still our squad isn't looking good. The only positive is that in the past few World Cups teams that have had players coming back from injury have actually done alright (fresher bodies and have been able to prepare like a preseason rather than nursing players through). The key is if these guys are carrying injuries into the Cup or if they're over them and just lacking match fitness. But in the end the big problem with all these arguments is that the squad doesn't look good but it's hard to believe Verbeek will make changes to counter our weaknesses! That's the issue. Not that we have problems but that our manager probably won't do anything about them. We have some players in form around the world who are fit. Ognenovski, Bosnar, Griffiths (all in Asia). Nathan Burns has played a full season in Europe (yes 2nd div but no different than Ruka and Vidosic who are both considered almost shoe-ins to make the squad and they've both barely played). Yet those four players who have played regularly almost certainly won't go to South Africa. Pim's too set in his ways!
whiskeymac
Guest
if the players are injured - or crocked as per Daviddes list - then there's issues with how many will survive any intensive training.
Mark
Guest
Much is being made about lack of game time, but as soon as a player gets one or two games then all is fine again. Most leagues have already or will soon finish. So with 5-6 weeks to go before the first world cup match all players form all teams will be 'lacking game time'. This means that we are in the same situation as all other nations, with intense training camps and 3 friendlies leading into the world cup. By then the number of games a player got under his belt in April/May will be irrelevant. What is more important is what Pim has planned for them in the next 4 weeks.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
which is why we're likely to start with Kewell as lone striker against Germany. Also the ability of a striker is tightly linked to their confidence, something Josh isn't exactly missing of late.
the all rounder
Roar Pro
i like kennedy but he'll be getting nothing but scraps against per mertesacker who's vastly experienced and about 2 inches taller than him. we should try for a 0-0 draw, and doing that probably lose. cahill will have to score!
whiskeymac
Guest
having just read TonyTannous' article above, there is a stark contrast between the squads (although i may be corrected when pim eventually annonces his on Tuesday) with the germans including a lot of young up and comers into the squad. although they have outstanding youngsters, and that may be the point, who can challenge for positions and provide depth, it does also suggest the coach is picking them to revitalise and freshen up the team. will Pim have one or two similar youngsters?
whiskeymac
Guest
i have to agree with Aljay's view that the lone striker will struggle against the germans.
Aljay
Guest
To comment on just a small part of your article, our offensive reliance on Kennedy - It is worth mentioning that the German centerbacks will be one and the same who dominated him during his time in the Bundesliga - you know, the league where he was only good enough to start occasionally and had to drop to the second div a couple of times. They will know Kennedy's game inside out, have played him numerous times and know that they can dominate him. Given his lack of success against the same players at club level, to expect him to score at international level is hoping for too much.
whiskeymac
Guest
lack of game time has been a recurring theme for many of our overseas players - the sad fact being compared to 4 years ago many are at smaller clubs and or struggling to make the squads let alone the bench. this is a trend that doesnt look to significantly change in the next few seasons - hopefuly in the next few seasons Oar, Ruky et al in Holland, Vidosic and Burns will get more game time after their recent moves/ dropping down a division for game time. we will need them with kewell, cahill and bresciano retiring or nearing it.
whiskeymac
Guest
yeah this was explored by the SBS article, and its highlighted how thin the first 11 playing stocks actually are. injured players at such an intensive tournament is a luxury no squad can really endure. its bad enough carrying one or two for resource rich nations, but for us its a luxury we cannot afford, the problem is who can adequalety stand up with the requisitie experience and skill at such short notice to ably replace nobbled players? we might have got away with it in qualifiers, if indeed new players had been able to have given more opportunity there, but against Germany, Sebia and Ghana it could well be our cupboards are a bit bare.