Australia defeated the Netherlands 2-1 on the weekend, thanks to a penalty by Harry Kewell on the stroke of half time and a header by Joshua Kennedy with 15 minutes to go. Holland had opened the scoring after just 5 minutes with a quick ball down the right that caught Australia's defence square. A dangerous cut-back into the penalty box and Huntelaar was on hand to smash it home.
While Australia quickly got into the game and had chances before the fortuitous penalty arrived, the penalty was the turning point. The penalty came after a terrible backpass that saw Kennedy cut down by the feet of the advancing goalie. A clear penalty, and a clear red card, as the goalie, when diving for the ball, clearly swung his legs to the side of Kennedy's path. Then, with the Dutch arguing with the referee, the real surprise happened when commentator Simon Hill claimed that it shouldn't be a red card because it's a friendly game. Why would the laws of the game change according to the status of the match? If it as such a "friendly" game, the Dutch goalie should not have made such a ridiculous challenge.
In terms of preparation, it did not ruin the game at all. There's nothing wrong with having an extra man for a half, nor for Holland to be a man down. These are circumstances in real games, and it was pleasing to see both teams respond accordingly.
Holland created chances and were denied right at the end with Schwarzer saving a point-blank shot from Kuyt. Australia also needed to change gears and go for the goal. Something they didn't really do in that World Cup match against Italy.
Preceding that game, Australia's defence looked wobbly in a 2-2 draw against South Africa in London on August 20. South Africa opened the scoring courtesy of a nifty backheel by Benny McCarthy that left Australia's Chris Coyne and Scott Chipperfield flat-footed, for Siyabonga Nkosi to run through and finish. It was disconcerting for the new look defense to be split so easily, however, Australia recovered with two great goals with Mile Sterjovski lobbing the goal keeper after bursting through the on the end of a lob from Grella, while Joshua Kennedy scored with a header for the second. The good work was undone in the second half when South Africa equalised early in the second half when Bryce Moon beat Carney on the left - a side that was exploited constantly through the match - for Teko Modise to slam home from the cutback.
It's becoming a bit of a nasty trend recently with the concession of goals. The left seems an issue. Holland were able to cut the team open from there as well. With Carney the previous starter, and now with Chipperfield returning, neither are specialised defenders at the highest level. One day, as this site has been saying since Hiddink took over, the team will pay for it. When you also count that Chris Coyne, who plays his football in England's lower leagues, was one of the two specialised defenders, the lack of defensive quality is a concern.
Tonight Australia kicks-off the second phase of its World Cup qualifying campaign with a match against Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Uzbekistan have already lost their first game with a 3-0 capitulation to Qatar in the heat of Doha on the weekend. Strange that commentators are already writing off the Uzbeks as a chance of qualifying if they lose here. There's still six games to go after this, and they won't be the only team to lose away from home nor have Australia or even Japan beat them.
Most teams will lose 2 or 3 games, probably even Australia and Japan. Whether those losses are at the start, the middle or the end, it doesn't matter. It's about the final points tally. Losing those matches at the start also does not suddenly mean your ability is automatically lost and you can't compete for the remainder of the phase. Someone must always lose the first game or concede the first goal. It really is a strange mentality that develops towards the team on the receiving end of this situation.
Australia have been drawn with Kuwait, Indonesia and Oman for the qualifying phase of the 2011 Asian Cup. The top two teams progress. These matches are in addition to the eight matches to be played in the fourth phase of the World Cup qualifying from 6 September through to 17 June. Check "Action" page for more on World Cup matches.
Jan 14, 2009: Australia vs Kuwait
Jan 28, 2009: Indonesia vs Australia
Nov 14, 2009: Australia vs Oman
Nov 18, 2009: Oman vs Australia
Jan 06, 2010: Kuwait vs Australia
Mar 03, 2010: Australia vs Indonesia
I will be on holidays through most of June and into July and unable to cover the remaining games in the current World Cup qualification phase. Unfortunate about the timing, but these things happen. I will try and have the remaining three games recorded and make a post-qualification phase summary when I return. For those that do email me at times about games, please hold back until I have returned and updated.
It's been quite a tumultuous couple of weeks for the A-League players leading into the game against Qatar in Australia's first ever World Cup qualifier as part of the Asian confederation, with the major controversy of Verbeek saying a training session with a lower German first league club would be preferable than playing in the A-League. This was picked up by many media outlets as a terrible slight on the local game. The debate was mixed, with the Herald-Sun almost brushing it off and asking the A-League players to rise to the challenge. On the other hand, Fox Sports, via Robbie Slater and Mike Cockerill, rubbished the notion in saying that no training session can substitute real matches, while SBS (as you would expect) agreed with Verbeek. Not just agreed, but within a few days Les Murray had yet another notorious and venomous attack on the game on the TWG website. It's an amazing change in view from the broadcaster with him and cohort Craig Foster weeks ago adamant the A-League players had to be in camp and being prepared for the game because it would be impossible for the overseas players to return, yet now the A-League players cannot be trusted at all. Worse, Murray claimed the A-League was no breeding ground for international quality players, despite the recent elevation to both overseas club and national team duty of players like Michael Beauchamp, David Carney, Nick Carle and Mark Milligan.
However, all camps seemed to have missed the point, with Verbeek not saying anything of the such. Quizzed on the question of players like Joshua Kennedy and Michael Beauchamp restricted to 3 weeks training because of the German winter break, Verbeek said: "If you train for three weeks with Nuremberg or with Karlsruhe, I have to be very honest, I still think that's better than playing A-League games". The "playing in A-League games", he's referring to local players, not Kennedy himself. So he's saying a player like Kennedy, even in the current situation, is better than an A-League replacement. Even then, the basic concept of training better than playing, even in the scenario of Kennedy having the choice to play in the A-League or train with Karlsruhe, is still flawed. We've seen many examples that players not playing, even if training at the highest level to be of extreme risk, with no greater example than the Iran series of 1997. It is better to have players playing than players training, even if those players are training with clubs at a higher level.
Verbeek did continue to mention that the real problem is inconsistency with the players being under pressure. There has been some dreadful defending and goals conceded over the period Verbeek has been watching the games. His full quotes:
"If you train for three weeks with Nuremberg or with Karlsruhe, I have to be very
honest, I still think that's better than playing A-League games.
"I saw the important (A-League) games last weekend and you can see players under
pressure that they didn't bring the same performance that I have seen before, so they are
still not very consistent at the moment.
"(The A-League) players have to show me they can do a job against Qatar, that they
are capable of winning the games.
"I am not here to please players, I'm not here to please anybody, I'm here to win the
game.
"That's the responsibility I have to the Australian fans and Australian football.
"I like them all, as I've said already, but it is nothing to do with liking your
players, I want to see them do the job.
"That's why I was here for five weeks. No one can tell me, that I didn't give them
the chance and the possibility.
"I will do that again, and if they are good enough they can show me next week and I
can select them.
"But I be honest to them, if they're not good enough at the moment I will tell them
also."
The critical factor, as Verbeek has said, is that this is a World Cup game and he has a responsibility to get the best performance and result possible. The notion of using A-League players was insane in itself. The FFA went from a policy of always playing the strongest team possible for any match, to solely using A-League players for World Cup games. As for club versus county nonsense, right now we have the African Nations Cup on, with clubs expected to be without their players for up to three weeks. Even if an Australian player had to miss a club game to play a World Cup, so be it. It's far too important, and the reality is that the clubs have no say in it.