Its a Kewell, Kewell World

The troubled one, Harry Kewell. is set to make his return next month, after 9 months of rehabilitation.

We all know the cliche line: The man they apparently call 'sick note' has never been able to consistently reproduce the mesmeric form he had at Leeds, form that opened doors to Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and his boyhood fantasy club, Liverpool FC.

But the glimpses have always been there since those times - wonder goals for the Reds, ripping Uruguay apart in Sydney and just being on the spot vs. Croatia to send us hurtling into our quarter final frenzy. There have also been the heartbreaks - coming off injured in the Champions League Final, or hobbling onto the bench straight from the dressing room before the Italy QF.

He'll run out in a reserve grade team for Liverpool, and once again we'll all hold our collective breath and hope he won't tweak, pull, tear or break anything in the leadup to the Asian Cup. So it was for the lead up to the World Cup in Germany, so it is again this year for I-M-T-V.

The buzz around the football web used to be that without Harry, we were always behind the eight-ball. Since his enforced absence, however, the National Team has thrown aside the need for the 'one saviour' crutch. The total football approach of the Hiddink era re-inforced the fact that no individual is greater than the whole team. Sure, Australia is a far better side with him in it, but now I think its more that Harry adds a new dimension to our attack, rather than being a crucial linch-pin that keeps the wheels on the wagon. I would worry more if a Vinnie Grella or Jason Culina were unavailable for the AFC Finals because that type of player has a larger impact on our overall system.

Now the talk is of Harry moving on from Liverpool, and I imagine the Asian Cup Finals and his return this year will outline his destiny for the years to come. For a guy who has had so many troubled weeks of injury, he is still the best player we have ever produced. Hopefully this won't be yet another heartbreak return, and we'll see him in Sydney and Melbourne again in June.

Best of luck H, break a leg....

Aus v China - Post Match Thoughts

What a surprising first half - I certainly didn't expect China to capitulate so easily in midfield where the Aussie's were running rampant.

The second half showed some cracks in team discipline that, for me, need to ironed out by Arnold or his successor. There was no need to change the simple passing game and switch to floating long balls just because the Chinese turned it up a notch. Put it down to fatigue and lack of interest, perhaps - I hope.

Key points of note:

- Viduka was on fire - As a serial 'off the ball' and out of the limelight front-man when he dons the gold jersey, he finally brought over some of his club form on the ball and produced a few moments of magic.

- Brett Holman - More to prove against tougher opposition but at least he was there when he needed to be, and a scuffed goal is better than no goal at all.

- Carl Valeri - If this guy gets regular time with Inter or a similar club then our midfield future is secure.

- We still can't take a spot-kick to save our life. A dimension of the game that we are really lacking in, which I believe is costing us goals.

- Why bring on Nick Carle with only 10 minutes to go? Give the guy half an hour at least. Showed flashes of confidence on the ball, albeit against a defence that had probably given up the ghost by the 88th minute.

- Did Lucas Neil play?

- Marco - flashes of form, and I hear at Club level he is ripping it. Obviously a solid performance but I guess I still expect more.

- Shane Steffanuto - What is with that haircut man? Depeche Mode or Norties 'Emo' ?

All in all I think we caught China at a bad time for them, with obvious off field issues affecting their motivation. A contrast to a relatively stable ship for the Aussies. We are now really starting to see the rewards of regular internationals against real opposition.

More opportunity to see our real quality with the Argies and Uruguay to come, and more opportunities to groom a squad for Asia, 2010 and beyond.