Pim spoiled for choice

Australia coach Pim Verbeek believes he is spoilt for choice when it comes to strikers for next week’s World Cup qualifier against Bahrain.

Verbeek’s team heads to Manama for next Thursday’s clash with a perfect record in the final round of Asian qualifying for the 2010 World Cup with six points from two games.

Such is Verbeek’s confidence that he believes any one of the five attackers he has chosen in the 24-man squad for next week’s game – Scott McDonald, Josh Kennedy, Bruce Djite, Brett Holman and Tim Cahill – are capable of doing the job for their country.

Kennedy and McDonald appear to be Verbeek’s preferred combination up front and he recently watched both in action and was pleased with what he saw.

“Both are doing well,” he said.

“I watched Scott last week when he played for Celtic against Hearts and then I was with Josh last Saturday when he played for Karlsruhe (in Germany),” Verbeek said.

“And Timmy (Cahill) is playing 90 minutes (for Everton) and Brett Holman is in a very good team (Dutch club AZ Alkmaar) which is doing well and (Bruce) Djite is always playing and scoring (in Turkey) so we have five good strikers and that’s not even including the strikers I have on the standby list (such as A-League pair Matt Simon and Archie Thompson).”

“So for the future I am not worried at all (about the depth of Australia’s strikers).”

Verbeek is also closely monitoring Australia’s goalkeeping talent knowing that after the next World Cup he will have to find a successor to the Socceroos’ long-term custodian Mark Schwarzer.

With that in mind uncapped Adam Federici has been included alongside Schwarzer and Michael Petkovic in the 24-man squad for the trip to Bahrain.

Verbeek says he has been impressed by the recent form of Olyroos keeper Federici since he moved to English League One club Southend on loan from English Championship club Reading.

“He had a good Olympics and we know his qualities,” Verbeek said of Federici.

“His problems were that he was not playing at a high level but he is playing regularly now for Southend and he is doing very well.”

“So we have three goalkeepers (in the squad) and the more we have the better.”

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Real Football