Tough task awaits Socceroos
June 4th, 2010
WHEN you are faced with an immense task, it's tempting to grasp for small comforts, as the Socceroos have demonstrated over the past week.
It would be churlish to predict that Australia will be spending more time in South Africa before the World Cup than during the tournament, following its early arrival in Johannesburg in order to acclimatise.
That said, the Socceroos' chances are slim. Everywhere you turn, there's a tough fixture. Germany, Serbia and Ghana cover all of the qualities you don't want to face in the World Cup - experience, pace and supreme technical ability.
The Socceroos know this, with even goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer talking about how Australia could sneak out of the group.
But there are some straws to cling to. Both Ghana and Germany will be without their best players, with Chelsea duo Michael Essien and Michael Ballack ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
Australia has its own injury concern, too, with Harry Kewell's body again letting him down. But given coach Pim Verbeek's visible irritation in being asked about Kewell, you'd hope that there's an excellent plan B in place should the former Liverpool and Leeds star be unavailable.
Another glimmer of hope could be that the Socceroos three matches could feel like home fixtures. Australian fans have purchased the third largest amount of tickets of all the participating nations and have already launched their good-natured invasion of South African soil.
By contrast, organisers of the World Cup have seen their estimates of international ticket sales miss the mark by 500,000. Frantic price cutting to fill the 3.2m seats in 64 matches is taking place as European visitors fret over the distance and security issues and African fans stay at home due to the cost.
Can Australia triumph facing a Ballack-less Germany in a green and gold-packed stadium? Stranger things have happened.
If you don't hope, there's no point showing up.
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/06/04/179081_geelong_sports.html