There is no let up in our World Cup previews, with Group D today falling under the spotlight. It’s a group which features Australia, Germany, Ghana and Serbia, none of whom will assume that qualification is a formality. Germany will head into the group as favourites, but will expect a tough ride against three very different sides, with Group D one of the few from which you can make a realistic case for any of the four teams qualifying.
AUSTRALIA AIM TO ERASE THE PAIN OF 2006 EXIT
Few Australians are likely to forget the events of the 2006 World Cup in a hurry. Under the guidance of Guus Hiddink, they successfully negotiated their group at the expense of Japan and Croatia, beaten into second only by Brazil. In the round of 16 they were then cruelly knocked by eventual champions Italy after they were awarded a heavily disputed penalty deep into injury time.
Now managed by another Dutchman, Pim Verbeek, the Socceroos have had to negotiate a slightly tougher path to the finals through the Asian qualifying groups following their switch from the Oceania Football Confederation. This may well have worked in their favour, with the side now well tested after a campaign which they had initially struggled in, yet later impressed, qualifying with ease in what was thought to be a tough group.
Verbeek has been criticised in some quarters for playing a boring brand of football, a point perhaps accentuated by the obvious contrast to the style employed by Hiddink. However, few can argue with the results, and he has assembled a tight squad whose respect he has rightly earned. He leaves his position at the end of the tournament, but how far can he take his current charges?
Much depends on the form and fitness of the squad’s household names. Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill and Tim Cahill form the spine of the side, with support from Blackburn’s Brett Emerton and Vince Grella. In spite of being injured for much of the season, Harry Kewell has been included in the squad and Verbeek is clearly banking on him being fit in time in order to bring an extra dimension and threat to the side.
They can not rely on their star players alone however, and much will depend on how well the supporting cast perform on the big stage. There should be some indication of that in their warm up games against New Zealand, Denmark and the USA. The latter two of those games will provide a stern test of Australia’s credentials and give us some idea how Verbeek’s side might perform in a tough group.
HEADACHES APLENTY FOR LOW AS GERMAN PREPARATIONS COME UNSTUCK
If Germany are to go one better than 2006 and reach the final this time round, they will have to do so on the back of some less than ideal preparations, with a goalkeeping dilemma, some questionable squad choices, and alleged infighting all playing their part. This has been compounded by the injury sustained by captain Michael Ballack in the FA Cup final,which has ruled him out of the tournament.
In actual fact, coach Joachim Low might be forgiven for being grateful that this latest blow has at least solved one of his problems, given the ongoing dispute between the two about Ballack’s preferred midfield partner. Ballack had made it clear that he wanted his central midfield partner to be Torsten Frings and not the current incumbent Bastian Schweinsteiger. This is an issue which has now been taken out of Low’s hands, but he has plenty of others to cope with.
Not least is the fact that he is does not know who he will start with in goal after a rib injury ruled out first-choice Rene Adler. Bayern Munich’s Hans Jorg Butt, who won the last of his three international caps in June 2003, will contest the Number 1 jersey with Schalke 04′s Manuel Neuer and Werder Bremen’s Tim Wiese. Neuer got the nod in the recent 3-0 friendly victory over Malta, but Low refuses to commit at this stage.
There also appears to be issues at the other end of the pitch, with Low keeping faith with Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose, in spite both enduring poor seasons in the Bundesliga. On the other hand, the in-form Kevin Kuranyi has been left out as result of the ongoing dispute between him and Low. Germany will be hoping that the likes of Stuttgart’s Caucau can fill the goal scoring void.
So can we finally write off the Germans? Probably not. They topped their qualification group without losing a game, went to Moscow and beat a decent Russian side 1-0 in the deciding penultimate game, and in Bastian Schweinsteiger have a world class midfielder who can make a game tick. Low appears to lost the faith of much of the public and his dressing room, but this side’s potential should not be underestimated.
BLACK STARS BANKING ON THE RETURN OF ESSIEN
2006 was Ghana’s first appearance at the World Cup finals and it was one to remember. They qualified for the round of 16 following noteworthy victories over the Czech Republic and the USA, before succumbing 3-0 to Brazil in the knock out stages. They have since finished runners up in the African Cup of Nations and seen their Under-20 side win the World Youth Championship. Can the Black Stars improve on their debut showing this time out?
Much will depend on the fitness of Chelsea’s Michael Essien. ‘The Bison’ has not played since the beginning of December last year after picking up a knee injury, but has been included in Milovan Rajevac’s 30-man squad in anticipation of his return. Should he be fit to start in their opening game, he will form one of the most formidable central midfield partnerships in the tournament alongside Inter Milan’s Sulley Muntari.
Rajevac will be seeking to blend the experience of Essien, Muntari, Asamoah Gyan and John Mensah, with the younger members of the squad in order to exceed the expectations of the Ghanaian faithful. They can also call upon a number of squad members with experience of major European football, including Stephen Appiah (Bologna), Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese) and John Pantsil (Fulham).
Much like Australia, Ghana suffered a shaky start to their qualifying campaign with losses to both Gabon and Libya. However, they cruised through the second qualifying round, only once conceding a goal and even that was after they secured qualification. Rajevac’s tactics of scoring a goal and then defending it for the remainder of the game is unlikely to win any plaudits, but it has won his team a place at the finals.
The fact that their neighbours the Ivory Coast go into the tournament as the most hotly tipped African nation is something that may well work in Ghana’s favour. It will require a concerted effort to negotiate their way out of a particularly tough group, and the less under the spotlight that is, the better from their perspective. Ultimately the Black Stars are likely to require some luck to progress, as well as a fully fit Michael Essien.
VIDIC AND CO. WELL PLACED FOR STRONG WORLD CUP DEBUT
Beating France to the top spot in qualifying might not be the feat it once was, but it was still quite some achievement for a Serbian side who will be making their first appearance at the tournament as an independent nation. Whilst Les Bleus faltered and argued, Serbia took the bull by the horns and powered their way to the top of the qualifying group. Their 5-0 victory over Romania which sealed qualification was an ominous statement of intent.
However, as demonstrated as part of the Serbia & Montenegro side in the 2006 World Cup, looking convincing in qualifying is one thing, converting that potential to the tournament itself is quite another. Back then they had qualified conceding just one goal, before conceding ten in their three group games, all of which they lost. Can they find of consistency they crave to progress beyond the group stages this time?
If they are to do so then they will need their rearguard to be at its finest. Nemanja Vidic has had an average season at Manchester United, whilst first-choice goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic has hardly had a season to remember at Wigan. However, Branislav Ivanovic’s form at Chelsea saw him named in the PFA team of the year, and if Vidic can get back to somewhere near his best, they should have a decent platform from which to work.
Coach Raddy Antic is certainly not short of attacking options in his squad. Inter Milan stalwart Dejan Stankovic is the national side’s captain and offers vast experience going forward. He will be ably supported by the likes of Liverpool-bound Milan Jovanovic, a rejuvenated Marko Pantelic who has had a prolific season at Ajax alongside Luis Suarez, as well as the 6ft 10in Nikola Zigic who plies his trade at Valencia.
Serbia’s first game is against Ghana on 13 June, a fixture you feel will influence the way their World Cup goes. Should they win, they will give themselves a superb platform for qualification and their big tournament nerves should disappear. Lose however, and it is very difficult to see how they can make their way back into the reckoning. It’s going to be a nail-biting opener for the Serbian nation.
By Richard Bourne
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