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Line Up Against Italy
Comments(23)Australia coach Guus Hiddink has some selection issues to resolve before the Socceroos take the field against Italy on Sunday night in Kaiserslautern.
The goalkeeper choice was made for him after Kalac’s howler against Croatia and he’s forced into a change with Bret Emerton’s suspension for yellow card accumulation. There’s also an injury cloud hanging overHarry Kewell (shock), so who knows if we’ll see him start or come on as an impact player later in the game. For me personally, I’d rather see Kewell start and run himself into the ground and then get substituted, rather than bring on a potentially injured player who may have to make it through extra time as well.
I haven’t read anything but I can only imagine Marco Bresciano is carrying an injury which kept him out of the starting line up against Croatia. He’s one of the best ball players we have and is very experienced with the Italian style of play. I think playing him in a wide position to replace Emerton is a waste of his skills.
I’d love to see Australia play five in midfield with Grella in the holding role, allowing Bresciano and Cahill the freedom to support the front two of Viduka and Kewell/Aloisi/Kennedy. This puts a lot of pressure on the wide men to do more work on the defensive end and still get forward to supply crosses and support. Who would those wide guys be? Perhaps Chipperfield who was been solid and Culina or Skoko could fill in, even though they’d be playing out of position.
But what do I know? Guus is the master and knows his team inside and out. Whatever shape the team takes on Sunday I’m sure the tactics will support the selection. Guus has beaten the Italians before, albeit with some dodgy refereeing assistance. The heat will most certainly be a factor, more so should the game go to extra time. Australia’s fitness is good but it will be tested if their game plan is centered around a lot of up and back running.
I think Hiddink will probably go with players that have started previous games, so
Schwarzer, Moore, Neill, Chipperfield, Wilkshire, Grella, Culina, Cahill, Bresciano, Sterjovski, Viduka
Kewell to come on after 55min, probably for Sterjovski.
If we’re behind late in the game, Aloisi and Kennedy on for Wilkshire and Moore.
If we’re in front, Aloisi and Skoko for Viduka and Bresciano.
Posted from 
Australia
Short passes, each player go for maximum ground attack as if you are playing touch rugby gain as much ground as possible before passing, keep the ball low when shooting at goal.
The aim is to keep the ball in Italy’s goal area.
Posted from Australia
Short passing, keep the ball low when shooting at goal. And gain as much ground as possible before passing, up the guts with tons of smoke.
Posted from Australia
if kewell isnt fit we can cover him nicely.
schwarzer
moore
chipperfield
neill
grella
culina
viduka
bresciano
cahill
kennedy
sterjovski
i would start kennedy. i think he straightens the aussies up in terms of getting a header. i think with cahill and kennedy are a dangerous combination for a defense to stop. the both can jump and kennedy with his extra height. sterjovski is creative so him and bresciano creating chances and viduka being the hit man with the counter we could give italy a shake tonight and have aloisi come in for viduka later on in the match.
grella, chipperfield and neil and moore have shown they are good enough in defence to match it with the best.
the fact we can go into a match now and have selection headaches is brilliant. as before we would be terrible without kewell.
but if kewell plays i would perhaps sit him on the bench for the first half. if australia wins tonight you want kewell to be fit for the next game. although we should go all out for victory while keeping injuries to a minimum.
Posted from Australia
mate all i can say is if Croatia can beat Italy we have an at least decent chance against Italy as long as we hold our defence well ….
they had identical goals against Czech and Ghana where they got a 1 on 1 with the keeper due to defenders giving too much space
no more talk about penalties!
Mario and Luigi you are going down!!!
Posted from Australia
Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi has been banned for four games for elbowing USA striker Brian McBride in the face.
Italy’s Alessandro Nesta has been ruled out of the match with Australia because of a thigh injury. Nesta’s place will be taken by Marco Materazzi, who scored in the 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic.
Australia goalkeeper Zejko Kalac, who let in a soft goal against Croatia, has been replaced by Mark Schwarzer. Harry Kewell (groin) is a doubt and manager Guus Hiddink has to choose between Mark Milligan and Jason Culina to replace the suspended Brett Emerton.
Probable teams
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon; Gianluca Zambrotta, Marco Materazzi, Fabio Cannavaro, Fabio Grosso; Simone Perrotta, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi; Francesco Totti; Alberto Gilardino.
Australia: Mark Schwarzer; Marco Bresciano, Lucas Neill, Craig Moore, Scott Chipperfield; Vince Grella, Jason Culina, Tim Cahill, Mile Sterjovski, Harry Kewell; Mark Viduka.
Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain).
I’m really looking forward to watching you guys giving it to the Italians. I have to say that the Italians are probably the favourites to win. They’ll like the style of Australias attacking, never say die attitude, it’ll enable them to get you on the counter-attacks, they’ll be looking for an early two goal lead. Not sitting on the one goal lead they normally do! They’ll heavily man mark, soak up all of the Aussies attacks, look to see how many cards they try to get against you. Watch the buggers dive and protest, it’s really quite impressive!
Posted from 
United Kingdom
isnt it sad when teams resort to acting to try and win games. it says alot about their .
character if cheating pleases them. the netherlands probably created there own problems with that because they are prolific whingers and dive badly. i’m sure the refs wont fall for it. they seem to do alright in that department.
Posted from Australia
The publication that printed the idea of Milligan being a replacement for Emerton needs to hire a new football reporter! 
Posted from Australia
ha ha ha, thats funny. which publication said that?
Posted from Australia
Troy, watch last nights Portugal/Holland match (highlights just won’t do it justice), fine example of blatant cheating.
Posted from United Kingdom
Don’t know, it was mentioned in Phooey’s post.
Kewell looking worse with severe blisters (or something). No Harry and no Brett would be a big dent in the team. I’m extremely nervous about this one but if everyone rises to the occasion, gives it their all and keeps it clean then I’ll be proud… no matter the result.
Posted from Australia
Milligan being a replacement for Emerton came from the BBC. Sorry! Just told you what I’d read.
Posted from United Kingdom
where did the bbc come up with that? did beckham joke to the media or something. did anyone else see becks documentary. sbs last friday night. feel sorry for him that the media make a joke of what he says to sell papers. seems a genuinly nice guy.
Posted from Australia
At this moment in time one of the unmerited statements made by fanatical fans of Italy is that their nation is 3-times world champion. So? Does Italy still have players playing for them from the squads of 1934, 1938 and 1982? If so, where are they? Italy has a new team where many of the players have never experienced a world cup, so they don’t have an advantage that is even worth considering.
I think Australia played far better against Brazil, than the way Italy played against the USA. Italian fans may want to claim Italy is a far better team than Australia because of its good record in the WC, but we live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today.
Posted from Australia
Damn straight Enzo. Australia have nothing to lose. If they lose, they’ll be praised for making it this far in the Cup. If they win, then they’ll be exalted.
If Italy win, everyone’s expectations met. If Italy lose, there’ll be a Spanish Inquisition and a huge uproar.
Posted from Australia
In the press. Australia striker Tim Cahill has revealed he is being cheered on by an army of Everton fans who have switched allegiance from England.
Posted from United Kingdom
@ troy re: Beckham. It really has more to do with his talentless wife and his speech impediment, though they try to bring it all back round to his lashing out against Argentina (soooo last Century), and his poor performance on the international scene. Scandal and the associated sh*te that goes with it sells papers. He is a genuinely nice bloke, bevoted father and husband, does a great deal to raise the profile of children’s charities.
The British media loves to built people up and put them on a pedestal, only to hack their legs off at the knees come the first opportunity.
Enough said about Becks, it’s Australia’s day!
Posted from United Kingdom
I posted my line-up on the previous blog. The time difference here in the States (14 hours behind) kills me. I post when you guys sleep and you post when I sleep. Always behind.
Anyway this was my line-up pre Kewell not playing rumour (is this another Guus ploy or is this legit)
3-5-2 – Schwarzer, Moore, Neill, Chippers, Grella, Culina, Cahill, Bresciano, Kewell, Dukes, Aloisi. Used subs Kennedy, Sterjovksi, Skoko
4-5-1- Schwarzer, Culina, Moore Neill, Chippers, Grella, Cahill, Bresciano, Sterjovski, Kewell, Dukes, Used subs, Kennedy, Skoko, Aloisi
However, with Kewell not playing I would have 2 options:
4-5-1 Schwarzer, Culina, Moore, Neill, Chippers, Grella, Skoko, Cahill, Bresciano, Sterjovski, Viduka
or
4-4-2 Schwarzer, Culina, Moore, Neill, Chippers, Grella, Cahill, Bresciano, Sterjovski, Kennedy, Viduka. Subs: Skoko, Aloisi, Kewell (if he can run for 15 minutes).
The 4-4-2 would be a loose formation with Culina pushing more into midfield with Grella just infront of the defense (depending on how Italy is playing) therefore it could be more a 3-2-3-2. I would have Bresciano and Sterjovksi out wide with Cahill in the middle of the park roaming. I would have Kennedy being the target man allowing Viduka to do something he has not had the opportunity to do – score goals!!!!
Will be interested to see the formation and how bad Kewell really is!
Posted from 
United States
You have my condolences.
Fabio Grosso dived for the penalty, christ how the hell did he manage to walk onto the pitch without falling over.
Undeserved win.
Your boys did you proud!
Posted from United Kingdom
thanks phooey
the ref took the opportunity to award the game to the bigger club. australia without doubt should feel cheated this game as well as throughout the tornament, australia joins the long list of lesser known clubs screwed by the refs this cup. i’m guessing a few refs had bets on the side. although i felt this ref was the best one we had so far. but congratulations italy a great escape. but at least you know you played a game. not the thrashing everyone predicted. again it was the ref who decided the game and hijacked the game from the players for there own agenda.
australia failed to score against a 10 man italy so at the end of the day italy perhaps deserved to win. but not in the way they did. i would hate to be in lucas neils shoes at the moment. at least he can take solice that when he sees the replay he will know that it wasnt his fault. but i can concede also italy shouldnt have received the red card either. so i dont know how the game would have unfolded had italy had 11 men.
Posted from Australia
I am sick to the stomache that your team is out, it shouldn’t have been. I personally think there are bigger powers deciding what happens, maybe I am just being silly but hey we had the same with England. I think it was intended to rile Rooney, for heavens sake if Rooney had stamped on his privates he would have been in agony for hours, feeling physically sick wanted nothing more than to sit on a cushion of ice abd have been carried off on a stretcher (thats according to the men in my life). Just don’t think it happened that way, think the red card was issued after instigation from Rinaldo, his team mate at Man U. So either somebody is telling porkie pies and it doesn’t hurt when you stamp on your mans bit’s or it just didn’t happen they way the Portugese are portraying it.
I was really looking forward to an Aussie vs England Cup final, yeah there would have been loads of blogs both positive and negative but it would have been funny. Nobody will ever convince me that you guys weren’t robbed and they say you are the crooks some people need to luck in the mirror, you guys have been real troopers and sports fans I know how hard it is to swallow but you will have your day. cheers.
Posted from 
Japan
Who put Kalac in goal? we all knw he cant save…
Posted from Australia
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If Harry Kewell is not fit then this is my lineup:
Schwarzer
Neill
Moore
Chipperfield
Cahill
Culina
Bresciano
Grella
Viduka
Kennedy
Aloisi
Posted from
Australia