Doing it in Deutschland

After seeing Australia qualify in Sydney, Brett Collett looks forward to next year’s World Cup and sees no reason why the Aussies can’t have an impact.

At the moment, to have reached the World Cup finals seems to be nirvana to every Australian football fan.

After breaking the 32-year drought, everyone is excited by the prospect of our finest jetting to Germany next June to take on the world, and rightly so.

This columnist made the pilgrimage from Melbourne to Telstra Stadium in Sydney last week, and only now have I suitably recovered to pen this piece – I know as well as anyone what this means to the game in Australia and joined the celebrations fully. You’d only need to hold my light wallet and speak to my bank manager to find that out.

But is the major job done, and what would happen if Australia bombed out or blitzed on the world’s biggest stage?

While qualification was the obvious hurdle and one that deservedly is being celebrated with gusto, it would be folly to accept that we’re making up the numbers in Germany.

Obviously Australia isn’t Brazil and Tony Vidmar isn’t Alessandro Nesta, but it would be disappointing for the Australian administrators, players and fans to accept a first round exit.

There has been so much money invested into the domestic game, providing the best facilities to the national team and landing the best manager available in “Aussie Guus” Hiddink that to lose two or three games should and would be unacceptable.

Unfortunately, while Frank Lowy’s money can buy all of the above, it can’t buy a world class left back, a more-than-solid centre back or skipper Craig Moore’s fitness.

But given the attacking ability of the Australian side, there should be no excuse for goals not to be scored, and you can’t progress with your score on zilch.

Mark Viduka, John Aloisi, Harry Kewell, Marco Bresciano, Tim Cahill and to a lesser extent Brett Emerton, Ahmed Elrich and Jason Culina all have the ability to bury the ball in the auld onion bag, so there are options literally left, right and centre in that regard.

The drawing of the groups and fixtures on December 9 will have a large say in what Australia can expect. Hiddink’s men will definitely face a seeded team and will also cop another powerful team in the 8-16 range of world rankings.

A dream draw would hand the Aussies a clash with England, a North American and African opponent. Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Holland are the teams to avoid, although it’d be interesting to see Hiddink put his wits to the test against his home country.

Whatever the scenario, the national team has seven months to prepare for the most important event in Australian football history. They should go to Europe fearing no one, and to play to Hiddink’s instructions – who knows, maybe the guys in green and gold can shock the world.

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