Verbeek confident despite injury concerns
Australian coach Pim Verbeek is confident a near full strength squad will be on hand for the June World Cup qualifiers, despite a few players going down injured in the past few weeks and a baby boom that could disrupt team selections.
Australian coach Pim Verbeek is confident a near full strength squad will be on hand for the June World Cup qualifiers, despite a few players going down injured in the past few weeks and a baby boom that could disrupt team selections.
With Harry Kewell confirming his availability for the Ghana game on May 23 to prove his fitness, Verbeek said from the Netherlands today that Mark Schwarzer (shoulder) and Josh Kennedy (ankle) should recover and be available for all games, although he is still concerned by the fitness of PSV-s Jason Culina plus local stars John Aloisi, Archie Thompson and Bruce Djite.
Verbeek did confirm that Mark Viduka (Achilles), Tim Cahill (foot), Patrick Kisnorbo (cruciate ligament) and Scott Chipperfield (foot) are all unavailable for the duration of the qualifiers.
Viduka is likely to have a minor operation on his Achilles at the end of the season, an injury that has affected his season and fitness since his arrival at Newcastle United. However Verbeek confirmed that he is committed to the World Cup cause and would be available when fit and healthy.
As for Schwarzer and Kennedy, he has spoken with both players and they are expected to make returns for their clubs Middlesbrough and Karlsruhe respectively before their season concludes, so is expecting them to part of the qualifiers and possibly the Ghana game.
“I spoke with Mark before last weekend to find out if he was fit enough to play,” Verbeek said. “He was almost fit enough to play and I spoke with him on Monday and he is ready to play.
“On the 19th May he will be at the training camp.”
“As for Josh Kennedy I spoke with him also last Monday and he (his coach) is preparing him to play in the final two games of the Bundesliga, which is May 11 and May 18.”
Kennedy however is one of four players, whose partners are expecting to give birth during the qualifiers, with captain Lucas Neill, Jacob Burns and Mile Sterjovski the others.
It will be a real juggling act for the Dutchmen and as such will take a bigger than normal squad into camp on May 19 in the lead up to the Ghana game at the Sydney Football Stadium on May 23.
"It's tricky,” said Verbeek. “Because we have four players at the moment with wives or girlfriends who are pregnant and the babies will all come in June so I have to be prepared for letting players go or arriving late."
“So that doesn-t make it any easier and secondly we don-t know how fit players like John Aloisi, Archie Thompson, Bruce Djite and Jason Culina are. I think we need a big squad to take no risk at all.”
There is one last stop for Verbeek on his month long overseas sojourn, flying today to Japan to cast his eye over reigning Hyundai A-League Player of the Year Joel Griffiths (Avispa Fukuoka) and also Eddy Bosnar (JEF United Chiba).
“I have people there that follow those guys, but okay I want to see them myself before I make any decision (on their selection),” he added.
While Verbeek concedes he might not have all his stars back for the Ghana match, he does not see it as no less important and is looking forward to giving several players more exposure to international football against a high quality opponent.
He indicated that a number of local-based players will get another chance and even said that several players from the Qantas Under 23-s will be called back from Malaysia, where they are playing in a tournament, for the match against the world-ranked No.15.
“Ghana, for us, is a very interesting game; to see how some players cope with a big international opponent. We know that at the end of a season that some players will be tried, but we will find a solution for that game.”