The 31-year-old play maker declared:
“It is important that I’m 100 per cent fit; not only for myself, but for my team as well. If I can’t be 100 per cent fit, I would be letting myself down, and my team, and my country as well.”
Harry Kewell’s immense influence in Australia’s squad
Since the late 1990s, Harry Kewell has always proved to be an important player for the Australian national football team. During the 2006 World Cup, Kewell had to fight against his injury worries. He started only one of the Socceroos’ group stages matches, and that was against Croatia in an encounter that his side could afford to draw.
Harry Kewell produced an excellent performance in that game and scored a goal. The match ended 2-2 at Australia’s benefit and the then-Liverpool forward emerged as the Man of the Match.
Unfortunately for Kewell, his lack of fitness prevented him to feature against Italy in the Round of 16. Coincidentally, the Socceroos controversially lost that match 1-0 and eventually exited the tournament.
Despite not being a striker, Harry Kewell found the back of the net a few times during Australia’s 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He was the match hero against Iraq as his 47th minute header proved to be the only goal of the encounter. He also increased his goal tally against Qatar, and Uzbekistan.
Australian soccer fans are counting on Harry Kewell to inspire the Socceroos during their 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign. The 31-year-old attacking midfielder seems very much aware of what the people expect from him. Kewell usually steps up to challenges to help his country; his major obstacles have come from injury worries. Now ahead of the World Cup, Harry Kewell is racing for full fitness. Analytically, Australia have a good chance of going beyond the group stages of the 2010 World Cup and perhaps besting what they achieved at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Will the Socceroos’ fate mainly depend on Harry Kewell’s form?
