Kewell takes hands-on approach
By Robert Lusetich in Stuttgart
June 7, 2006
AS Australia settled into its secluded German castle on Monday, they could have received no warmer welcome than the sight of Harry Kewell training at breakneck speed.
Fired up .. Kewell at training yesterday. Pic: Gregg Porteous
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Kewell moved freely and aggressively during the Socceroos' first practice in Germany and appears to have fully recovered from the recurrence of a groin injury sustained during the FA Cup final three weeks ago.
In what will be a major boost to a team that struggled to find an attacking spark against The Netherlands on Sunday, it now seems certain the left winger will start in Australia's final warm-up early tomorrow morning (AEST) against Liechtenstein.
If he gets through that game, Kewell, 27, will have made a compelling argument that he should be included in the starting line-up for the first World Cup game against Japan on Monday even if coach Guus Hiddink is leaning toward saving him as a high-impact substitute.
The Australians were further encouraged by the fact Tim Cahill, the goalscoring hero of the 1-1 draw against the Dutch, also appeared uninhibited in his movement on Monday, shaking off the effects of a knee injury sustained playing for Everton, while veteran defender Tony Popovic is also available for selection.
"Everyone is fine," a relieved assistant coach Graham Arnold said.
"We have total full-squad selection. We trained this afternoon and both Harry Kewell and Tony Popovic joined in.
"Everyone is back on board."
Liverpool's Spanish coach Rafael Benitez - who once thought Kewell to be a waste of money, openly questioning his desire to play - predicted the Australian could make a big splash in the tournament.
"Last season was Harry's best for Liverpool and it was very unfortunate he was hurt in the cup final. That was unlucky for him.
"Until then he'd had no problems with his fitness since his comeback and was getting stronger with every game.
"There were a lot of games last season when we saw Harry beating players and making a lot of crosses. He played his part in a much better season for us in the Premiership."
Kewell will need to show stamina much more than style against Liechtenstein considering his only outing since breaking down on May 13 was against a Dutch amateur side - even bigger cannon fodder than the tiny European principality - last Friday.
Last week in The Netherlands, Hiddink appeared to have made his mind up that Kewell would play as a super-sub during the Cup.
"He will not be top-fit in the tournament," the coach said. "He is not a player who will be able to go full out for 90 minutes for three games. We have to be careful how we deal with that."
But as Hiddink later acknowledged, Kewell is one of the few who can make the difference with one action.
The Australian