HARRY'S HOPES FOR BRAZIL GET A BOOST

Harry Kewell - Melbourne Heart 2013/14

He's Australia's most celebrated soccer player, and though many wouldn't have believed it in 2001 it looks as though Harry Kewell will play in three World Cups. With Robbie Kruse's heart breaking ACL tear virtually ruling the 25 year old out of Brazil, Kewell's stocks took a boost. Now back from his own injury woes, there is a groundswell of support for the talisman. But he needs to convince one more man; Ange Postecoglou.

After failing to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, it seemed Harry Kewell would suffer the fate of so many great Aussie soccer players. The World Cup looked the impossible dream after Uruguay gave the Socceroos another taste of, 'so close yet so far'. However, Australia went on to reach the 2006 World Cup and 2010 World Cup with Harry Kewell playing a role on both occasions. Harry's late goal against Croatia sent Australia through to the knockout stage in Germany but his experience in South Africa was nightmarish. Brought down in the box against Ghana and ignored, he was later red carded for handball. Good and bad, Harry has seen it all, and the wealth of knowledge at his disposal can only benefit the youth around him.

Harry's chances of travelling to Brazil looked slim just over a month ago, when he had yet to complete 90 minutes for Melbourne Heart. But gradually Kewell has built up match fitness, and it's no coincidence that Melbourne Heart's on-field fortunes have taken a turn for the better since the return of Harry. Coinciding with Kewell's lift in form and game time was the devastating news of Robbie Kruse's ACL injury. The 25 year old attacker will need to perform a miracle to be ready by May 13th, when the preliminary 30 man squad is announced. The standard recovery time for ACL injuries is a minimum of six months before the individual can return to high impact activity that soccer involves, and Socceroos manager Ange Postecoglou is a staunch advocate of players with game time under their belt. This fact virtually rules Kruse out.

So it all comes down to Postecoglou. Is there some lingering discontent between Kewell and Postecoglou after Harry's departure from Melbourne Victory in 2012? Will the manager dig in stubbornly against the tide of momentum being built by Kewell's form, and advocates such as Slater and Harper? The two were heard in pre and post match discussions on Friday night (31st January), building the case for Harry, and with Australia's slated friendly with Ecuador set for March 5th, we will soon know if there are any skeletons in the closet.

Fork in the Road to Brazil - 2014

Jordan manager Adnan Hamad has declared he and his team, ". . .came here for a win." The Jordanians have arrived in Melbourne facing the same situation as the Socceroos. After six qualifying matches Jordan and Australia are in control of their own destinies. 

The two teams met in Amman, in September 2012, with the Jordanians springing an upset 2-1 victory. Manager Hamad rates tonight's clash with the Socceroos as the ". . . biggest match in the history of Jordanian football."  While the Socceroos are now buoyant after a stirring 1-1 draw with Japan in Saitama, there are a number of danger signs for the home team. 

The Australian eleven which pulled off that positive result in Japan only differ by two names from the one that were defeated in Jordan. Back in 2012 at the King Abdullah International Stadium there was no Tommy Oar or Mark Milligan. What is familiar is the two centre backs Lucas Neill and Sasa Ognenovski, and this is where Jordan found a weakness. The pair cannot blame playing conditions from that day as it was a comfortable 26 degrees. There can be no doubt though that Jordan will look to isolate the two again. How will they do that? Counter attack. Lucas Neill will be having nightmares of forward Odai Al Saify (9) and his shimmy shimmy go-go. While Jordan's first goal in the previous outing was a dubious penalty earned by the aforementioned, we shouldn't be surprised if he earns another tonight. His agility will trouble the two larger framed Aussies, and poignantly he grabbed the only goal in Jordan's warm up match against New Zealand last week.

For the Australians the injection of Oar and Kruse on the wings against Japan was a master stroke from Holger Osieck. The two are looking to establish themselves as regulars in the World Cup squad, and it's that kind of enthusiasm and motivation which can infect the rest of the playing group once on the field. The danger of playing the same troops time and again is that wearing the national shirt becomes 'run of the mill'. This has been evidenced in Australia's trips to the middle east, against unrecognised opponents.

Nevertheless, the Aussies are in a mathematical predicament where they simply must win to guarantee qualification. Both manager and players are whistling the right tune to the media. But complacency is rarely detected before the ninety minutes are played. 

Meanwhile Group A with Korea Republic (11) Uzbekistan (11) and Iran (10) is also full of tension. Tonight Korea face Uzbekistan in Seoul while a week later they host Iran. The Iranians should take three points tonight against Lebanon and then travel to Korea placed in the top two.   

Aussies Talking a Good Fight in Preparation for Japan

Socceroos v Japan in Brisbane 2012

The Socceroos 2014 World Cup qualification hopes sit precariously. Australia currently lie third behind the barnstorming Japan, and surprise packets Jordan. This round of World Cup qualifiers (04/06/2013) pits Australia against the Blue Samurai, while Jordan has a bye and Oman host Iraq. All the talk from the Socceroos has been about the fighting spirit which exists in Australian teams. Josh Kennedy said, "All of us fight down to the last second of the game . . ."

In international soccer/football it's often said that 'class tells' or 'class rises to the top'. Sadly for Australia at this point in time the core of it's eleven are playing in leagues a number of tiers down from the elite European stages such as Spain, Germany, Italy and England's Premier League. This is in contrast to the Japanese squad, which has been compared to the peaking 2006 Aussie World Cup squad. 

The Japanese have invaded Germany's Bundesliga with as many as five members of the starting eleven currently plying their trade there. Also starring in Europe is Yuto Nagatomo at Inter Milan and the feted Shinji Kagawa playing at Manchester United. Meanwhile, Japan's biggest weapon Keisuke Honda remains in one of the second tier leagues of Europe, that of Russia. For Japan however, the past two internationals have seen hiccups. They slipped up in Jordan 2-1 minus the zip of a Honda driven midfield, and in the friendly last Thursday night (30/05/2013) against Bulgaria, the Blue Samurai just lacked the cutting edge, although they were trying out a different formation. Coach Alberto Zaccheroni said, "I don't think our opponents created so many chances, but we couldn't create as many as we wanted to either." Again Japan played without Honda.

As well as being outclassed on paper, Australia are also lacking match fitness in many positions. Captain Lucas Neill hasn't played a competitive match since 23rd March, midfield weapon Brett Holman has played 11 minutes as a substitute for Aston Villa since their 23rd April, clash with Manchester United. Also expected to fill a midfield position is 'yellow card prone' Mark Milligan. Milligan's last competitive outing dates back to 14th April. Then there is the problematic left back position. Michael Zullo of Utrecht played his last full 90 minutes on 21st April, other options are Michael Thwaite (last game 5th April) or Matt McKay a midfielder who has filled the role before but not convincingly.

Despite all of the factors pointing toward a Japanese victory, Socceroos captain Lucas Neill is quietly confident of getting a result. The defender has revealed that the Japanese are actually under a lot of pressure. "What we do need to highlight is that Japan has lost two in a row now. They have a goalkeeper that's shown some shaky moments. I know how much media attention there is around this Japanese team." Tim Cahill also had a confident tone, "For us it's all about us . . . we prepare right we stay relaxed. Play the game not the occasion." Now with New York Red Bulls and regularly on the score sheet, Cahill is the face the Japanese have seen enough of. In 2006 he rammed home two goals in the World Cup group match, while in 2009 he headed home 2 more during World Cup qualification. Perhaps Australia's best hopes lie in the less familiar members of the line-up though. Robbie Kruse has had a breakout season with Fortuna Dusseldorf and has now been snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen. The striker/winger was one of the most fouled players in the Bundesliga and much of Australia's hopes will lie in Kruse's ability to get to past his opponent.

If pressed to predict a result LewDub can see the Aussies picking up at least a draw. Australia's ability in big matches against the headline acts has been proven throughout history. Meanwhile, this Japanese squad are under more intense scrutiny then any soccer team from 'the land of the rising sun' before them. Expect the Socceroos to bully the Japanese early and their opponents to struggle to put together the fluid passing game that they've built their success on.