Door Opens For Socceroos Wannabes
Sun Herald
Sunday February 4, 2007
GRAHAM Arnold will require world-class needlecraft skills to stitch together a team for Australia's friendly match against Denmark this week. The Socceroos' defence is unrecognisable from that in the World Cup.
Injuries and post-Germany retirements have given Australia's next generation of defenders a chance to impress Arnold before the Asian Cup in July. Mark Schwarzer, Craig Moore and Lucas Neill are likely to be ruled out with injuries. Turkey-based goalkeeper Michael Petkovic could be recalled and Leicester City's Patrick Kisnorbo and Nuremberg's Michael Beauchamp in central defence could get starting opportunities. Arnold is so stretched at the back that Beauchamp will come into reckoning having resumed full training only last week after a two-week lay-off with a thigh strain. Beauchamp returned to Nuremberg's squad for the match against Bayern Munich on Friday night. After breaking into the first team in December, the former Central Coast Mariner said his first objective was to re-establish himself at his club before thinking about the Asian Cup. "The cup is a long way away for me," he said. "I have just come back from an injury and have to get back in the Nuremberg side. "It would be great to get into the cup team but it is still a few months away. If I'm not playing regularly, it's not going to look too good. "It's a cliche but it's definitely one game at a time. The more you play the more positive you become. I will be talking to Arnie about Asia as it gets closer." The 25-year-old remains modest about his future but he impressed Nuremberg enough for the club to initiate talks that will seal a permanent move to Germany after his one-year loan from the Mariners expires at the end of the European season. As with his international career, an injury to a teammate was the trigger to impress at club level for the former Marconi and Parramatta Power central defender. "It was tough here initially because they were using the same line-up as last season at the back," Beauchamp said. "Fortunately for me, but not so good for the left stopper, he got injured and I was put in there. "I played five games, including a cup match. It was a great experience and hopefully there's more to come." Guus Hiddink picked Beauchamp as one of only two A-League players in Australia's World Cup squad last year. He had no game time but said he had learned to play smart since leaving Australia's domestic competition. "Here you have to be on your toes for 90 minutes," he said. "The strikers are cheeky in that they're all looking for an opportunity to get in behind you or do a run where you are not even looking. You have to always be paying attention. The hardest thing to me was to have to concentrate even for a full training session. "The strikers here are paid big dollars to score goals, so every opportunity they get they are going to try to put them away. That is part of the challenge. But other than that, in Germany the ball is round, just like in Australia." Arnold does have good news. Tim Cahill has returned for Everton after a lay-off with a knee injury and Mark Viduka has recovered from a hamstring strain. John Aloisi, however, remains under an injury cloud.
© 2007 Sun Herald