Safe Schwarzer to Keep Out Kalac

Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink has the tough decision to make about the goalkeeper, however as Paul Johnson reports, there is only one who can rightfully lay claim to the post.

It is now the time for Australian Coach Guus Hiddink, to stop playing mind games with Australia’s two top choice goalkeepers, and make the right choice. That choice is simple pick Mark Schwarzer!

There is no possible way that Zeljko Kalac, should gain a place in the Socceroo’s line up ahead of the Middlesborough keeper, who not only saw us through our tough qualifying series against Uruguay, but is almost the sole reason that the Australian team are at the World Cup in Germany.

Schwarzer’s effort to save two penalties and countless shots on goal from Alvaro Recoba and company in the qualifiers should have easily been enough to keep his spot safe in the Australian line up, but Hiddink has insisted on not only giving both keepers equal game time, but playing mind games saying he is not sure who he will pick.

While I do agree that Hiddink is a master coach, his attitude in this regard has been remiss; to even suggest that Schwarzer may not start is laughable.

If there was ever more evidence for his case, it was his performance in Rotterdam against a rampant Dutch outfit that tore through our defence only to be stopped repeatedly by none other than Mark Schwarzer. The man who has been a consummate professional for a long time now, and is the backbone of this team thwarted all names like Van Nistelrooy, Van Bommell, Van Persie and Robben. Make no mistake we only drew 1-1 because of Schwarzer’s shot stopping ability.

Kalac has been claiming in recent weeks to anyone that will listen that he is the man for the job and that Schwarzer is “not at his best, and shaky”. Unfortunately, for Zeljko, he was not only wrong to claim this but he was indecisive when he played against Greece and his poor decision-making could have cost Australia a victory.

Schwarzer has in contrast let his football do the talking for him, and in this respect and on the pitch, he has proven himself to be the better man of the two, not buying into the slanging match that Kalac wanted.

It appears that Socceroo coach Hiddink has a favourable opinion of Kalac, but where he got it is anyone’s guess. The coach wanted to put Kalac in between the sticks for the penalty shootout against Uruguay, presumably because of his towering presence and ability to stop a penalty, but in this respect, Schwarzer has very few peers who can match him in world football. He is a recognized penalty saver, who has on more then one occasion now, saved his club and country.

Kalac may have been fair in his appraisal tat Schwarzer was mixing his form for Middlesborough, but he also helped get them to the UEFA Cup final this season, while Spider largely spent the year sitting on his backside on the AC Milan bench. Clearly, Schwarzer is the number one choice for both his club and country while Kalac is a bench player, a substitute.

The Socceroos’ coaching staff, must now choose Schwarzer, otherwise they not only risk a public outcry back home, but a potential disaster if Kalac were to slip up at the World Cup. Schwarzer is the correct option and he has proven that over time.

If the mind games continue we are risking a similar destabilising situation to that of the French, where the squad has been divided over a very similar issue between Goalkeepers Fabien Barthez and Gregory Coupet, and that is something the Socceroos as a team do not need.

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