Kossie: Five points will see us through
* From: News Limited newspapers
AUSTRALIA should look to get the best out of their other Group D games against Ghana and Serbia to secure qualification to the second round - that's the opinion of John Kosmina.
How much round of 16 qualification depends upon a result against Germany on Monday morning will be determined by the outcome of the other group match between Ghana and Serbia.
Obviously everybody wants three points from their first game but that is in an ideal world. And in an ideal world you wouldn't choose to play Germany.
South Africa opened the tournament with an entertaining draw against Mexico, which disappointed the fans after initially taking the lead. When France and Uruguay also drew in the other group match the locals celebrated as if Bafana Bafana (South Africa) had won their game.
The hosts looked a bit stagestruck in the first 45 and were fortunate not to be trailing by a couple of goals at half time. They were much better after the break and looked as though they could go on with it in the tournament. The other result kept them alive as well of the dreams of the nation who are expecting them to qualifying first in the group.
We got through in 2006 with just four points. Pim Verbeek wants five this time just to be sure. Fair call. A win to either Ghana or Serbia would suggest we need at least a point in Durban. And realistically that is achievable.
The biggest headache for the coach is selecting a starting XI to get the desired outcome. Harry Kewell has declared publicly himself fit and that means he expects to play – and so would the majority of the nation.
Whether Verbeek is prepared to risk him, though, is another matter altogether. Is he better off coming off the bench when the game has opened up and using the time between matches to recover and progressively improve his condition? This would get him right for the business end of the round when we might need him the most.
On the other hand starting him would allow Kewell to play himself into the game, but given his lack of match condition he would more than likely be replaced later on. Also, he would gain some valuable match condition this way because you don't get it coming off the bench. If it were my call I'd pick him in place of Josh Kennedy.
I'm a fan of the tall striker but the system doesn't suit his game and, to be honest, his form is a bit off. Kewell plays a lot deeper than Kennedy and this makes the midfield a bit more "in touch" and would let Tim Cahill get beyond Kewell into the box - the major strength of his game. And Harry is not really an impact player.
Brett Emerton is the other dilemma for the coach - another player lacking valuable game time. By all accounts he's fit and I expect him to be picked. Like Kewell, he's not going to get match-fit coming off the bench although I feel he's a better impact choice.
Emerton and Luke Wilkshire make an effective combination down the right and have been involved in the greater proportion of our qualifying round goals. Wilkshire loves to get forward and interchanges with Emerton, which can be a nightmare for the opposition.
We haven't really gotten in behind opponents down the right since Emerton got injured and giving him a start would give us some good attacking options and balance, given the good form of Scott Chipperfield on the left. He's also got a great engine and speed, which could come in handy defensively.
Fortune favours the brave they say. We're here and there's no turning back. If you want to take our recent form into account then there's nothing to lose starting Kewell and Emerton if they've been cleared fit to play.
Verbeek has been traditionally conservative but I sensed a more positive approach in the two warm-up games here.
I'm tipping both players to start and a point for the Aussies.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/world-cup-2010/kossie-five-points-will-see-us-through/story-fn4ke53k-1225878899487