How happy Frank Lowy must be to have seen the Socceroos arrive in Tashkent. The Asia Cup was the pilot run, the Asian Champions League the reconnaissance and Qatar, Iraq and China was the entree. Now, we begin the main course, en route to the carrot dangling in the distance – South Africa 2010.

Being part of Asia has well documented benefits, integration to the world’s fastest growing football community, on and off the pitch, being one of them.

But the real, tangible benefit starts tonight. Rather than wait for November 2009 for a cut-throat, two-legged gamble to decide whether or not we deserved to make it to the World Cup, Australia now embarks on an arduous but thorough campaign.

If we make it through, boy will we deserve it. If we don’t, we can put up our hands and say we weren’t good enough. We’ve got a fair go.

Despite the dismal showing in the Asia Cup and the levelling affect the Asian conditions have on the players with short preparation, Australia still has an aura and swagger about us when sides are drawn to play us. But our win against Holland, our ranking, and the wealth of our players won’t deliver the win.

Pim went ultra cautious in the first phase of the campaign, but often because we simply ran out of personnel. Without Josh Kennedy or Bruce Djite (yes, we are thin in the striking department), Verbeek simply had no option but to plug the midfield. Scott McDonald is unproductive without a supplying partner and doesn’t work hard enough in defence, so the Dutchman had little choice but to approach the first round as he did.

Now he has a fit and scoring Kennedy. Harry Kewell has reaped the benefits of the Socceroos’ ‘Super June’. The signs are that Pim might set out for three points in Uzbekistan, with the luxury of not risking dropping any.

If there is ever a sign of how this increased workload has developed a squad of players (Australia has played 10 high-level internationals, including only 4 friendlies, in 2008), Australia has lost Vince Grella, the ‘unreplaceable’ midfield lynchpin pre-Asia, but can feel comfortable replacing him with Carl Valeri. The benefit here is that Verbeek would have still played 4-2-3-1 but would have been tempted to play both Grella and Valeri. These players are midfield marshals, a conduit between attack and defence, but not creative architects. It would have constructed a formidable Great Wall of Pim but would have made scoring very difficult. Now Jason Culina, our high-octane dynamo in midfield, will tick all the defensive boxes, but can get into the box and supply a final ball as well.  

Moving Culina deeper opens the spot for another attacking weapon, and away from home, it seems Brett Holman is Pim’s man. He’s got the worst shot in the world, finds the crowd more than the back of the net when on goal, but is busy, smart and incredibly fit. He’ll get close to Kennedy, he’ll create chances, and more importantly, he’ll get picked ahead of Mark Bresciano because he’ll press high up the park but still have the energy to work back when needed.

The Socceroos boast a wealth of midfield options, but at the back, Lucas Neil needs a partner. Jade North has been diabolical upon returning to the A-League and can’t be risked in this match. Michael Beachamp has just returned from injury and Pim has his doubts. Pim included Mark Milligan and Matthew Spiranovic in the squad, so it must mean he was thinking of risking them before they got injured. It leaves us with Chris Coyne. It doesn’t sound glamorous, but if he keeps his cool he’ll be too physical and hopefully too cunning for the Uzbeks. If not, expect to see Craig Moore in the green and gold at Suncorp in October.

Tonight is the first step – eight more matches and the Socceroos need to be in South Africa to keep the juggernaut rolling. 

English pundits (on football365.com) take great pleasure in ranking their players in the lead up to major tournaments. Helps them vent.

We still love our Socceroos, so we’ll spare the English pessimism just yet. Here’s who the Socceroos must keep fit over the next 12 months, while trying to suss out where some Newcastle United striker fits into the picture once recovered from injury, if he feels like playing!

1.       Neil - our captain, our only decent centre-back. They hate him in England, we think he’s adorable and the country is still outraged he was penalised for lying down in the box.

2.       Schwarzer – at the moment, our only top drawer goal keeper.

3.       Kennedy – Okay, so our first team is very good – we just need to keep these guys fit!

4.       Culina – the engine room

5.       Emerton – can’t remember an Aussie team without him

6.       Kewell – still the only player the non-purists care about and let’s face it, he’s still our x-factor, and we can’t see another one like him on the horizon. Fourth world cup campaign.

7.       Grella

8.       Cahill – gets goals out of nothing and will take the pressure of the strikers. A luxury when available.

9.       Valeri  - if Grella goes, we’re still in safe hands.  

10.   Wilkshere – proved his doubters, myself included, wrong and can play anywhere. Each team needs a Wilkshere’s work rate, not to mention he has set up headed goals for Kewell and Kennedy with Beckham-style quality from the right flank. A Wilkshere-Emerton and Carney/Chipperfield-Kewell combination rolls nicely off the tongue.

11.   Coyne – um, our 2^nd best defender at the moment?

12.   Bresciano – why doesn’t anyone want to pick Bresc anymore? Still a big game player and will always play a part.

13.   Chipperfield

14.   Holman – He’d be playing for Man U if he could score!

15.   Beachamp

16.   Carney – a great attacking weapon for the Socceroos, but we trust Chippers more.

17.   Moore – how can he be so important if he is retired? Well, if the others don’t hack it, he’ll be the stop gap before the youngsters step up.

18.   Spiranovic – love him. Will be our centre-half if we make 2010.

19.   Petkovic – will somebody else step up in goals please?

20.   Djite – Pim likes him, Arnie didn’t.

21.   McDonald – looks a bit tubby in the Aussie shirt.

22.   Sterjovski – always sharp for Australia, an incisive wide threat

23.   Carle  - the enigma. Will Pim ever give him a run?

24.   North

25.   Milligan – find a club, Millsy!  

26.   Covic

27.   Jedinak – most improved player in Australia

28.   Jones – give him another go so he can forget his howler in his one and only game

29.   Garcia  -  a new option on the right

30.   Thompson

31.   Aloisi – he’s getting paid $1 million to trot around 23 A-League weeks and he’s already been injured…he’s got to do something to earn the money.

32.   Musialik

33.   Federici – good Olympics

34.   J Burns

35.   Kisnorbo  

36.   Leijer

37.   Steffanuto

38.    Bridge

39.   Troisi

40.   Holland

41.   Thwaite   

42.   Joel Griffiths - stop telling Pim what to do, and he might get a run.

43.   Vidosic   – part of the talented Olyroo brigade that needs to step up. But first we have to make sure he doesn’t defect to Croatia.

44.  N Burns – didn’t make the Olyroos squad but is part of a dozen or so attacking players that could feature in the next few years.

45.  Heffernan  - he might have a broken leg but he’s got a left-foot. priceless.

46.  Van Strattan  – if he’s good enough for Juve, he’s got to be doing something right.

47.  Ward  – robust and determined.

48.   Bosnar

49.  A Griffiths

50.   Bosnich – just kidding.