SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Australian soccer captain Lucas Neill says being the fitter team might be the difference in the World Cup

Record ID: 452785

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Australian soccer captain Lucas Neill says being the fitter team might be the difference in the World Cup
  • Date: 29th May 2010
  • Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (MAY 27, 2010) (REUTERS) AUSTRALIAN SQUAD JOGGING PAST THEIR NATIONAL FLAG AND AROUND THE TRAINING PITCH AUSTRALIAN FLAG CLOSE UP OF COACH PIM VERBEEK VERBEEK WATCHING PLAYERS DOING STRETCHING EXERCISES CLOSE UP OF HARRY KEWELL STRETCHING TIM CAHILL (4, ON RIGHT), GESTURING TO ASSISTANT COACH MARK SCHWARZER KICKING THE BALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIA CAPTAIN LUCAS NEILL SAYING: "Our manager prides himself on preparation, we pride ourselves on fitness and I think we are going to have to take any advantage we can in this competition and if that means being better adapted to altitude or being a fitter team than the next, then perhaps that might be the difference in the games." CAMERA CREWS (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIA CAPTAIN LUCAS NEILL SAYING: "Between the New Zealand game and our next game, we will have got a lot of rust out. A lot of players will have had a good couple of weeks training under their belt. We want to get a lot more passing going in our football, a lot more flowing, a lot more consistency in our possession and we want to create a lot more chances but we were also not quite sharp enough or fit enough, but that was a result of training very hard during the week as well, so as we keep going, two trainings a day, getting used to the altitude, I'm sure you're going to see a much more attractive football team on the field." PLAYERS JOGGING AROUND THE PITCH
  • Embargoed: 13th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA56B90TJ5O5JYQFLZHRA0V0QFA
  • Story Text: Australia have put an average performance against New Zealand behind them and should show a big improvement in the World Cup warm-up against Denmark next week, team captain Lucas Neill said on Thursday (May 27).
    The Socceroos were the first team to arrive in South Africa for the June 11-July 11 showpiece tournament and hope the early start to training at high altitude in Johannesburg will give them a step up on group stage rivals Germany, Ghana and Serbia.
    "Between the New Zealand game and our next game we will have got a lot of rust out. A lot of players will have had a good couple of weeks training under their belt," Neill told reporters after the team's first training session.
    "We will get a lot more passing going, a lot more flowing and a lot more consistency in our possession, and we want to create a lot more chances."
    Australia, ranked 20th by FIFA, scraped a scrappy 2-1 win against the 78-ranked All Whites on Monday thanks to a late winner by Brett Holman, a performance that was slammed by coach Pim Verbeek.
    Neill said tough training ahead of the friendly may have contributed to the team's sluggish performance.
    "But also we were not quite sharp enough or fit enough but that was a result of probably training really hard," he said.
    "As we keep going, two training sessions a day and get used to the altitude, I'm sure you are going to see a lot more attractive football team on the field."
    Good preparation and fitness could make the difference in leading the team through a tough group.
    "I think we are going to have to try take any advantage we can in this competition and if that means doing better in adapting to altitude or being a fitter team than the next, then that might be the difference in the games."
    Australia, in their third World Cup, have based themselves at high altitude in Johannesburg and will face Denmark in a friendly on June 1 and then the United States in another warm-up on June 5.
    Their first World Cup game is against Germany on June 13 in coastal city Durban before they move to Rustenburg -- at 1,300 metres above sea level -- to play Ghana. The final Group D match is against Serbia.
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