World Cup Preview : Socceroos
The Socceroos are going to their second FIFA World Cup tournament in a row having qualified also for the 2006 edition in Germany.
The Socceroos find themselves in a tougher group than they had last when Germany hosted the event.
In the Socceroos group will be Germany, Ghana and Serbia and the Socceroos will need to beat one of these teams to have any chance of getting into the second round.
In 2006 the Socceroos reached the second round and were then knocked out by eventual winners Italy.
Whilst the star for the Socceroos in 2006 was Harry Kewell, this time the stars have to be Tim Cahill and goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
Its very hard to say that the team has got stronger since 2006 and this means its going to be a lot tougher to progress at this year's tournament.
There is no doubt that since joining the Asian Federation qualifying has become a lot easier and the problem will now be at the tournament itself.
Its upfront where the Socceroos seem to have the most problems. There is only one recognised striker in the squad in Josh Kennedy but he is not a top notch striker.
However, the Socceroos will expect goals to come mostly from midfield and in particular from Cahill. Others like Marco Bresciano could chip in with a goal or two.
Scott McDonald was dropped from the squad because he did not fit in the way the team plays and this shows that the team is only going to play in one particular way with a lone striker upfront.
The Socceroos will open their campaign against Germany and a win in that match will make things look so much brighter for Pim Verbeek's team.
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