This week sees footballing nations from all over the world play qualification games for next years World Cup in South Africa. However five countries have already qualified for the greatest show on earth. Those countries are Australia, Holland, Japan, North and South Korea.
Here is a profile of two of those teams who have already qualified for World Cup 2010, Australia and Holland.
Australia
How they qualified
The Australians were impressive in qualifying finishing top of group 1 in the Asian section. They won six, drew two and lost none in the group and only conceded one goal in the eight games. It will only be the Socceroos third ever World Cup finals appearance after appearing at Germany 1974 and again in the last World Cup in 2006.
The Boss
Pim Verbeek
The experienced Dutchman has had spells in charge of Eredevisie side Feyenoord, Groningen and Sparta Rotterdam in his homeland, as well as spells at the helm of the South Korean and United Arab Emirates national sides. Verbeek has done a solid job in his latest post. However his managerial style has been criticised by media back home for his boring brand of football.
The Squad
The Australian squad has lots of experienced European performers. They have Premier League based players such as Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Everton midfielder-cum-striker Tim Cahill and Blackburn midfielder Brett Emerton, who finished as the Aussies joint top scorer in qualifying with four goals alongside Cahill. The team is captained by former West Ham star Lucas Neill. The tough-tackling defender is currently a free agent, but he is the still the main man at the back for Aussies.
Holland
How they qualified
Holland were the first European team to qualify for next years tournament, topping group nine with seven wins out of seven games. They have conceded only two games and scored 16 goals. The Dutch have always been underachievers at big tournaments. Problems with temperaments and egos have proved their downfall in recent tournaments, but this squad seems more disciplined and determined than ever.
The Boss
Bert Van Marwijk
Van Marwijk is another experienced coach whose had two spells at Feyenoord. He had success in Rotterdam in his first spell winning the UEFA Cup in 2002 and then winning the Dutch Cup in 2008 in his second spell at the club, before leaving the club to become national team coach. He also had a two year spell at Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. Among Van Marwijk’s coaching staff are former international stars Phillip Cocu and Frank de Boer.
The Squad
Their squad is one of the most talented in world football. The Dutch midfield is made up of Inter new boy Wesley Sneijder, Real Madrid playmaker Rafael Van Der Vaart and Bayern Munich new signing Arjen Robben. Not to mention Manchester City anchorman Nigel De Jong and PSV star Ibrahim Afellay. Their strike force features AC Milan’s big signing Jan Klaas-Huntelaar, Liverpool’s hardworking Dirk Kuyt and Arsenal’s graceful striker Robin Van Persie.
The Dutch will go in to the World Cup as one of the favourites after winning their group in such convincing style. However you never know with the Oranje as they always seem to produce the unexpected at tournaments. Holland are one of my favourite teams to watch and I’ll enjoy watching them compete at the biggest of internationals tournaments.
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