Can Kangaroos and Lions Swim ?

Apparently not ! On Saturday night the Socceroos took on the Lions of Singapore on one of the worst pitches I have seen for international football in a long time. With large puddles of water laying about the ground (one right in front of the penalty box at one end) it was difficult for both teams to play with any sort of fluidity.

The fact that the match ended in a nil all draw is no surprise but what can Australia take away from the game if anything.

The big story before the match was the presence of Harry Kewell. Pretty much out the door at Liverpool, Kewell obtained a release for this friendly to help his fitness and also demonstrate to Pim that he could do the job in China. It only took him a half to prove his worth. Even on a waterlogged pitch Kewell was a class above anybody out there, his little runs and through passes were a pleasure to watch.

Apart from Harry, other players to shine were Archie Thompson, James Troisi, Nathan Burns and Mile Jedinak. Thompson was busy from the outset and he was enjoying the service from Kewell, with Kennedy and MacDonald (it appears he has injured himself on the weekend) out of the China game it appears that Archie will almost be a certain starter. The question Pim will have is who to play alongside him? Mark Bridge was ineffective last night, Bruce Djite may be the best option from the current squad. If MacDonald indeed cannot travel I would be expecting Pim to replace him in the squad with another striker.

Troisi is one to watch, I have seen him play in a couple of the Olyroo matches and have liked what I have seen. Again last night he showed why so many are touting him as one to watch. It seems Pim is encouraging him to move on from Newcastle United and look for first team football to continue his development and it seems he may have some interest from Holland.
Nathan Burns was the standout player of the second half. This was the best performance from him on a long time and it seems he may finally be returning to the form we saw in 2006/7. Jedinak also demonstrated that he is capable of stepping up to the highest level, though he may be third in line for the DM position.

In terms of negatives, Topor-Stanley was disappointing. The quality of the pitch certainly contributed to this but I question whether he has the speed to play the Left Full Back position at this level. Mark Bridge again failed to fire, he seems to drift in and out of form and just doesn’t have the consistency I would like to see. He has made the final China squad and may just get his chance to shine.

Overall there is not a lot to take away from the match (The weather saw to that) but it does provide a entree to the main course of China on Wednesday.