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Australia: welcome to the Group of Death, drawn alongside defending champions Spain, 2010 runners-up in the Netherlands as well as South American powerhouse Chile.
Any chances of the Socceroos receiving a soft draw to boost their qualification hopes have been quickly ended.
To qualify from this group, Australia will need to play at a level well above and beyond what they did when they last qualified to the knockout rounds at the 2006 World Cup. They’ll need to play like world champions, against the world champions.
Truth be told, the chances of the Socceroos qualifying from such a group are slim. And that’s putting it mildly — the correct term is probably more like zilch or zero.
Spain have become a dominant force in the last decade under Vicente del Bosque. They’ve triumphed on both the European and world stage, with their tiki-taka style based around possession and quick movement simply infuriating for their opponents to not only try and defend against, but contend against.
La Furia Roja love to press high up the field and force teams into rash passes, and have the potentially to hurt teams on the counterattack as well (although it’s a strength that they don’t tend to utilize all that much). They rank as the best team in the world, and while they were given a touch-up by Brazil at the recent 2013 Confederations Cup Final, they are no doubt one of the favourites this year.
There’s still some concerns about the need for a striker to step up, but with players like Jesus Navas, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas in midfield, there’s certainly no doubt that Spain have plenty of attacking options this year.
The same must also be said for the Netherlands.
Louis van Gaal has introduced a great passing philosophy into his squad since their disappointment at the Euros in 2012, and it’s seen a real increase in their attacking potency as a result. Throughout the European qualification process, the Dutch scored 34 goals and conceded just five in 10 games, with their goal-difference of 29 the greatest among all the teams in European qualification.
Their defense is still susceptible to a moment or two of madness—particularly if their opponents attack the full-backs from wide areas—but with the likes of Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie in attack, the Oranje won’t struggle to score goals.
And then there’s Chile.
Chile might seem like the “easier” opponents in this group given the high profile surrounding both Spain and Netherlands, but that’s certainly not the case. The South Americans have improved rapidly over the last 18 months into a very strong football team, and showed when they defeated England at Wembley earlier in 2013.
La Roja have a great mix of counterattacking football and possession, with their likely 3-4-3 formation allowing them plenty of width and attacking outlets. Jorge Sampaoli has instilled great confidence into his men as their results have improved, and Chile are now rarely beaten without putting up an incredibly fight.
In their South American qualifying, Chile finished third — beating Uruguay and drawing with Colombia throughout the qualification process.
It’s also worth noting the huge geographical advantage that Chile have here. South American playing conditions are very different to that in Europe (and Australia as well), and Chile will certainly be more accustomed to the humidity and the travel then what their opponents will. After all, there’s a reason why no European team has ever won the World Cup when it’s been held in South America.
So, all in all, it’s an incredibly tough draw for the Socceroos. As mentioned, their chances of qualification are slim, and while that’s something that leads us naturally to frustration, it’s worth pointing out what a great opportunity this is to measure ourselves against the best teams in world football.
Literally, the best.
Australian football is looking for the chance to grow and measure ourselves on the world stage, and FIFA have now provided us with the chance to do that at the World Cup. Hopefully many of our younger players will get much-needed experience at an international level — which is really all you can ask for next year in Brazil — and that, in turn, will benefit the long-term growth of football in this country.
Predicted finish in the group? 4th. But boy, it’ll be one heck of a ride!
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