Australia's chances of progressing to the Round of 16 are limited, I suspect. While our grouping of Germany, Serbia and Ghana roughly approximates the strength of Brazil, Croatia and Japan in 2006, I find other areas of concern.
The team, under conservative Dutchman Pim Verbeek, is not playing as well as it did under Guus Hiddink. Admittedly, the latter's reign was very short and did not entail the somewhat tortuous Asian route, but Guus was simply very, very good. And experienced at World Cup campaigns.
The team is older and slower, lacks the kind of front man that Mark Viduka was in Germany, and seems far more defensive tactically. We are not taking the game to our opponents on a regular basis and far too often surrendering the initiative for long periods of play. There is perhaps a little too much of hoiking the ball up front in the hope that something will fall for Tim Cahill. It's unlikely, though not impossible, that these kinds of tactics will not work against the likes of a Germany or a Serbia.
On the bright side, Harry is playing his best football in years, the team now has experience of top flight football and the entailing pressures, Schwarzer is a fabulous goalkeeper, and Pim, at the very least, is good at getting results.
Of course, I was doubtful that we would make the Round of 16 in 2006, so I am very happy to be proven wrong again.
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