Take a punt, Pim
Jesse Fink
Unrelenting positivity. That’s my mission for the next couple of weeks as the Socceroos warm up for the World Cup with matches against New Zealand, Denmark and the United States, even if they’re dressed like a Little League softball team.
Even Sasa Ognenovski, who has more reason than most to bear a grudge against Pim Verbeek, contacted me and said he wished “good luck to him and the boys”.
A lot has changed since 2006 but one thing that hasn’t is our low level of expectation of the Socceroos. No one gave them much hope of advancing into the Round of 16 and no one’s giving them much hope now, even if Pim is talking up our chances and declaring “everything is possible”.
Okay, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Certainly if the fitness of his key players holds up, that could well be the case. But that’s a big if and then there is the question I and many others have been preoccupied with since he got the job: will he be taking Nicky Carle?
I have said my piece on that subject but Tim Cahill, a big fan of the Crystal Palace midfielder, championed Nicky once again this week.
“One hundred per cent, I want him to make the cut,” he said. “Technically, he’s one of the best players I’ve played with. We’ve played against each other since I was ten years old. I’ve also played with him on occasions, so we’re very close. As a footballer, I feel he hasn’t got the credit he should have. I’ve felt he should have played higher, but for whatever reason he’s just missed out.
“If I was a coach I would pick him. Definitely. I know what he brings to the team. He can break a defence with that no-look pass; that bit of skill.
”There’s something special about him. I play at Everton with Mikel Arteta and he knows where I am without even looking. With Nicky, there’s that same spark. For me, players who are going to help me score, help create things for other players in the team, they’re pretty important in something as big as the World Cup.”
Beautifully put by Tim, and anyone who saw the way Carle combined with Cahill against Japan last June at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, despite being played out wide, will attest they are not empty words.
His delivery from the corner that saw Cahill score his second goal was superbly weighted, in-swinging and deadly as could be. The best corner I’ve seen from a Socceroos player for a long time.
When your most dangerous attacking weapon, your fittest player, is telling you Carle is “going to help me score, help create things for other players in the team” his selection should really be a no-brainer.
But Carle’s is a name that is widely expected to be dropped for the final 23. Verbeek has long bemoaned his defensive application and his propensity to overcomplicate simple moves.
Whatever I say and whatever Cahill says won’t much make difference in the final analysis. The only thing that will make a difference is how much effort Carle puts in training – something that is rumoured to have cost Alex Brosque his place in the squad. That and some decent game time against the Kiwis.
Verbeek might be a notorious Carle doubter but the coming month is going to be the biggest of the Dutchman’s career. There will be some interesting things going on inside his mind right now, none more so than his assessment of Carle’s value to the team he wants to take to the World Cup.
Verbeek ain’t much of a gambler, but, as Cahill says, Carle could be the team’s wild card. A high-stakes tournament requires high-stakes risks.
Take a punt, Pim.
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/jesse-fink/blog/1002577/Take-a-punt-Pim