Opinion

No favours for Socceroos in World Cup draw

By Michael Lynch

AUSTRALIA can be happy it avoided the fate of fellow Asian qualifier North Korea, which faces Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast in the World Cup group stage, but in reality the Socceroos have been done few favours by the draw.

Bookmakers obviously have Australia at long odds to beat three-time champion and three-time runner-up Germany in its opening game, but Serbia and Ghana are also odds on with European bookies to take three points against the Socceroos in group C. Australia is fourth pick to win the group and available at $151 to win the tournament.

The Serbs are technically strong, tactically adept and improving under coach Rady Antic.

They will fancy their chances of doing better against Australia than Croatia four years ago when that 2-2 draw in Stuttgart ensured Australia progressed.

Serbia topped a European qualifying group that included France and Romania, finishing its program with a 5-0 thrashing of the Romanians, a team that qualified for the Euro 2008 finals.

What Serbia has going for it are a good coach in Antic, good recent form which brings with it a winning mentality, self-belief and a genuine optimism about the quality of the players the country, once part of that extraordinary talent production line that was the former Yugoslavia, is developing.

Four years ago the Serbs found themselves in the "Group of Death" and bowed out with three losses to Holland, Ivory Coast and Argentina, the last a 6-0 humiliation. This time round it is a certainty that the men from the Balkans will be made of sterner stuff.

In recent years a number of Serbs have found places in some of Europe's biggest clubs. The best known of all is probably Nemanja Vidic, the rock at the heart of Manchester United's defence in recent years. An excellent marker, tall, strong and good in the air, Vidic has claims to be one of the best centre-backs in the world. Sebian captain Dejan Stankovic, who plays his club football under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, is a versatile midfielder who can play behind the strikers or in wide areas.

At 203 centimetres Nikola Zigic, the Valencia centre-forward, is likely to be the tallest player at the tournament. His height gives him a clear advantage in attack, while he can be used to thwart the aerial challenge offered by Tim Cahill and Josh Kennedy in defence.

Australia met Serbia at the Beijing Olympics and drew 1-1. How much that game can be a form reference for the World Cup meeting is conjectural, however, as few of that Australian Olympic team have made the step up to senior level subsequently.

Ghana is a much better known proposition, the Socceroos having defeated the Africans in Sydney 1-0 in the winter of 2008 and drawing 1-1 in London before that.

The Black Stars made the round of 16, like Australia, in the 2006 World Cup and crashed out to Brazil. They had come through a difficult qualifying group which contained the US, Italy and the Czech Republic.

Few African players have made a bigger impression in Europe in recent years than Chelsea powerhouse Michael Essien. The 27-year-old made his international debut against Egypt seven years ago and has been a critical part of the Ghana midfield since. It was his performances at the last World Cup that convinced Chelsea to splash out almost $50 million to buy the box-to-box midfielder from his French club Olympic Lyonnais.

Stephen Appiah is the Ghana captain and he is another player who has vast experience in Europe, spending most of his professional career in Italy and Turkey, where he has played for Istanbul giant Fenerbahce.

Sulley Muntari completes what is Ghana's formidable midfield. Nowadays the 25-year-old is at Inter Milan, but also spent a season under Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth, where he became an FA Cup winner with Pompey.