Cahill poised for the perfect swansong as Australia hosts the Asian Cup Australian midfielder Tim Cahill is ready for one last battle on the international stage at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup kicking off this month. Is there one more virtuoso performance for us maestro? Thats the question for Tim Cahill on the lips of every Socceroos fan this week as the host nation dares to dream about winning the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Since he made his international debut for Australia against South Africa at Loftus Road in London in 2004, Cahill has been writing footballing symphonies with the Socceroos. His record of 36 goals in 76 appearances in national colours speaks of a player with a sense of occasion who relishes the responsibility and expectation that comes with representing your country. Four new managers in the dugouts Having scored five goals at the FIFA World Cup Finals over three tournaments, he joins the likes of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Raul, Henrink Larsson and Zinedine Zidane who have done likewise. Rarified company indeed. To put it plainly, Cahill is the finest big game performer in Australian sport. The grander the stage, the greater the show. Last years wonder-strike against the Netherlands in the World Cup is testament to this. These are the moments he lives for. Now 35, questions have been asked about how much more the New York Red Bulls star has left to give. I sat down with Tim Cahill for ABC Television as the Socceroos were preparing for their opening Group A game against Kuwait in Melbourne and asked him just that. Cahill said: I feel great. This is a big tournament and I really want to do well in it. I still love the game. I love it the same way I did when I first started playing at Millwall as a 16-year-old. Football is something that comes naturally to me because of my passion for it. And so the goals have kept coming. Tim Cahill scored seven of the 11 goals that the Socceroos produced in 2014. Former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill is regarded as one of Australias best players in the past decade. Australias reliance on Cahill for goal production has been a source of great angst for fans. As coach Ange Postecoglou has put his squad through a radical renovation, he is yet to find a striker who can compliment the former Evertons stars uncanny knack of finding the back of the net. The veteran is unconcerned, convinced the goals will start to flow for his teammates. Ive seen their work ethic in training and know theyre capable. Its about self-belief for some of these guys. Now its about them finishing their own good work. They will score once they believe they have the right to be there. Cahill has flourished under the tutelage of coach Postecoglou. He loves the Socceroos boss uncompromising approach to preparation and execution. Just as importantly, its Postecoglous determination to dream big and take the best on at their own game that mirrors the 35-year-olds own approach to football. Finally theres someone in Australia who loves the game more than I do! Hes a coach that picks every single player methodically, hes passionate when he speaks and he always leaves a mark on his players and his teams No one is ever safe in this team. You have to earn your start. We believe in his philosophy and hopefully we can execute it in the Asian Cup. When Cahill made his International debut in 2004, the Socceroos were still marooned in the Oceania Confederation, dreaming of returning to the World Cup finals. At home, the National Soccer League was in hiatus, the A-League was yet to arrive. Football down under wasnt an endangered species, but its habitat was shrinking. Ten years on, the picture could not be more different. The Socceroos have been to three consecutive World Cups. Australia have said goodbye to Oceania and is now fully integrated into the Asian Football Confederation and the A-League is thriving. The success of the Western Sydney Wanderers in winning the 2014 AFC Champions League underscored just how far the game has come in Australia. Western Sydney Wanderers surprised many by winning the 2014 AFC Champions League under the guidance of Tony Popovic. Hosting the Asian Cup is a landmark moment in Australian footballs Asian odyssey. Cahill, a man keen to leave a legacy to the game, understands the importance of the occasion. If you cant understand just how important this tournament is now, then youll never get it, he said. You see how well Japan and Korea have progressed, Iran also with the way they performed at The World Cup. Its a challenge. We want to leave a legacy for the game, Cahill added. And Im confident this group of players get whats at stake and will produce in this massive tournament. Recent results for the Socceroos have shaken the confidence of many that they can live up to such expectations. Having slipped to a FIFA World ranking of 100, with just one win from their last 11 matches, the raw numbers arent flattering. Cahill insists its all about the big picture and a bigger stage. The curtain is about to be drawn back on the AFC Asian Cup and well see if Cahill has one more unfinished symphony to complete.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 06:20:56 +0000
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