The man behind Australia’s disappointing run at the 2010 World Cup, Pim Verbeek, says Australia has no chance against his native Holland when the two sides meet in Porto Alegre on Thursday.
The current coach of Morocco’s under 23’s side says the young Socceroos are in for another tough result after a competitive opening outing against Chile last week, predicting the Oranje’s quality and form to result in a one-sided affair.
“I don’t think so,” was Verbeek’s response when asked if the Socceroos had a chance going into the side’s crucial second matchup.
“I think Holland is doing very well at the moment,” he told News Limited. “They have a lot of confidence and the strikers are fit. The quality, and the international experience of the players will give them an advantage, especially at a big tournament.”
Verbeek was quick to compliment the Socceroos fighting style, admitting the Tim Cahill’s attack had every chance to steal the win against Chile after a shock opening 15 minutes.
“I think they did very well in the defensive transition – they didn’t give anything away, and on the counter-attack they were very dangerous with Leckie. And every ball with Timmy in the box is dangerous.”
“Everyone in Holland also knows however, that it will not be easy – that is what I and (Netherlands coach) Han Berger have told the Dutch media. They know the results of the previous games – they have never beaten Australia. It’s not that they are over-confident here, but they are confident.”
The Socceroos never recovered under Verbeek in South Africa after an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Germany, managing just one win before being eliminated in the group stage. The 58-year-old expects more defensive tactics from Ange Postecoglou’s side tomorrow morning, with more to come of the “eight players in front of the penalty area” followed by “attacking football” when counter opportunities open up.
Postecoglou ruled out midfielder Mark Milligan for the must-win match, possibly out for the remainder of the tournament with a hamstring strain, and opted to keep quiet regarding possible line-up changes, instead focusing on the value of strong substitutions.
“We’ve seen a lot of substitutes come on late in games and turn games and I don’t think we had that impact in the first game,” Postecoglou said Wednesday. It’s not just the guys who are starting, we want to have a look at who our bench is and make sure the people coming on make an impact.”
“We had a good chat to everyone about that during the week, to make sure that they’re all ready to go because you just don’t know when that substitution is needed and usually people are coming on at the most crucial time.”
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