Month: June 2018

Australia were not supposed to win their first match of the World Cup 2018, and they did fall to France. However, they performed admirably in that tournament opener, and look like they may be able to threaten the other two teams in Group C. With a huge match against Denmark coming up, can Australia get over the hump and deliver some much-needed points to their campaign?

Before focusing on Denmark, it is worth pointing out just how good Australia were against France. They were victims of two different Video Assistant Referee calls, both of which benefited the French.

Australia were not supposed to win their first match of the 2018 World Cup, and they did fall to France. However, they performed admirably in that tournament opener, and look like they may be able to threaten the other two teams in Group C. With a huge match against Denmark coming up, can Australia get over the hump and deliver some much-needed points to their campaign?

Before focusing on Denmark, it is worth pointing out just how good Australia were against France. They were victims of two different Video Assistant Referee calls, both of which benefited the French. The first was a penalty decision on a foul against Antoine Griezmann, which Griezmann converted to give France the lead. And after Australia levelled the game with a penalty of their own, goal-line technology prompted a goal decision after a Paul Pogba strike to give France the lead once and for all.

Despite the loss, one has to be impressed with the way that Australia played in the match. They were dogged defensively and put the ball into dangerous-enough positions to scratch out a goal against one of the best teams in the world. If they can play the same way against the other two teams in their group, they could conceivably come away with points in both of those games. But, for now, Australia must focus on a tough Denmark side.

Denmark came away with a gritty 1-0 win over Peru in their first game of this World Cup. They did the job admirably and managed to get out on the counter-attack to score the lone goal of that match. Australia would definitely be well served to make sure that they guard against the counter when they are in this match.

William Hill has the Danes as the favourite in this match, which puts Australia in an underdog role that they are more than familiar with on this stage. The difference this time is that the Aussies have a great shot at nicking three points against a Denmark team that didn’t look overly special when getting out on the attack, outside of their one goal-producing counter.

Australia will come into the second game of their World Cup campaign a more confident team than they were when they entered the France match. They will need to ride their bolstered morale here against a team that will also be riding high after the first match of their tournament. And with Denmark having the opportunity to secure passage into the second round in the clash with Australia, the Aussies can be sure to get a tough game here.

After this match, Australia will have to tangle with Peru, who were the better side despite losing to Denmark. This is to say that there are no easy games for Australia in this World Cup.

Australia head coach Bert van Marwijk has admitted that he has already noted down a core of players who would be travelling for this summer’s World Cup in Russia. The Dutchman has recently announced a 32-man provisional squad but this is expected to be slashed to 26 ahead of an intense training camp in Turkey. Thereafter, Van Marwijk will be tasked with picking his final 23-man squad for the global tournament.

Speaking to reporters, he said:”I should be lying if I didn’t say that maybe in head are 26 or 27 players. Every coach has the same feeling.

Australia head coach Bert van Marwijk has admitted that he has already noted down a core of players who would be travelling for this summer’s World Cup in Russia. The Dutchman has recently announced a 32-man provisional squad but this is expected to be slashed to 26 ahead of an intense training camp in Turkey. Thereafter, Van Marwijk will be tasked with picking his final 23-man squad for the global tournament.

Speaking to reporters, he said:”I should be lying if I didn’t say that maybe in head are 26 or 27 players. Every coach has the same feeling. There are always players you are doubting a little bit, but there’s also a lot of players who you’re sure.” Meanwhile, speaking on the surprise inclusion of Melbourne City teenager Daniel Arzani, he added:“He only just turned 19-years-old, so he has to learn but I like players who can make a difference. Maybe a World Championship is too early for him, but I will not hesitate (if) I think that he can mean something for us.”

Van Marwijk was appointed as the Socceroos head coach in January after his predecessor Ange Postecoglou helped the nation reach the World Cup via the playoffs. Since then, the veteran has not had not had the luxury to scout new players, though the 65-year-old did spring a surprise by selecting uncapped Croatia-based right-back Fran Karacic.

Australia prepare for their World Cup with a three-week training base in Turkey. In this period, they have a couple of friendlies scheduled against the Czech Republic and Hungary and Van Marwijkwill attempt to get his players to the best physical shape possible ahead of their group stage opener against France. Aside from Les Bleus, the Socceroos have to contend with Denmark and Peru in the group and their chances of progressing to the knockouts remain slim.

Australia had to put in plenty of groundwork and travel a lot to even qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, having come through the challenging route of the Asian section, which they have been members of since 2006.

The Socceroos had to travel to all of Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Thailand, Syria, as well as a detour to Malaysia, and finally Honduras to ultimately secure their spot in Russia this summer. Continue reading Can Australia progress from Group C?