Demandred
05-05-2007, 09:18 PM
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,21674478-23215,00.html
WITH Guus Hiddink's punishing World Cup training camps still fresh in the memory bank, midfield player Vince Grella believes Australia's superior preparation will be the difference at July's Asian Cup.
Temperatures in Bangkok will be hovering around 30C while the humidity could be excruciating, but Grella is confident that a parallel preparation to Germany 2006 will allow Australia's stars to excel.
Grella claims the conditions, plus the World Cup watermark left by the Dutchman, will pave the way for Australia's superstars to wreak havoc.
"After Guus's era, we're very prepared. The No.1 one thing for me is physical conditioning and we'll be able to handle the heat," Grella said.
"We will always beat the (Asian teams)in a physical battle and all of us will be fit, technically there won't be much between the teams because the Asians are quite skilled but the climate will slow the game right down.
"That will really suit the technical players, because it's harder to do all that stuff at high speed.
"It wouldn't change much for me, but it will be a big, big advantage for players like Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka.
"Mark Bresciano as well with his change of pace and in and around the box, and the slower it is the easier it will be for Tim Cahill to get into the box.
"All the cards are on the table for us to do well."
He was indispensable to Hiddink and Graham Arnold adores him -Grella has transformed from a Socceroos fringe player and is now touted by many good judges as the team's most important.
He also wears the captain's armband for Italian club Parma, which narrowly escaped relegation this season - Grella endured a wretched campaign where he missed 11 games and was injury-affected in many of his 23 matches.
Italian football has endured a horror stretch with match-fixing and crowd disturbances rife but, unlike best buddy Bresciano, who said the incidents were driving him away from the country, Grella maintains he can't let a handful of hooligans dictate his future.
"Bresh and I did everything we could to get here and I'm not just going to leave because of a few d---heads in the crowd and with all the bulls--- that happened, I don't think it'll happen again," he said.
"I've worked so hard to build a reputation in Italy and I'm not just going to leave like that.
"I used to watch these stadiums on TV and now I'm walking out on them with the armband on, shaking hands with (AC Milan captain) Paolo Maldini at the San Siro - it's not a bad feeling."
It is no coincidence that Australia's highest profile players are competing in the Premiership, but the limelight does not interest the 27-year-old.
"The only reason I would go to England is to measure myself in the Premiership, it would have nothing to do with the profile," he said.
"I love my profile as it is and I wouldn't swap it for anything. I want to be normal and I want to be respected for what I do on the pitch.
"One thing that disappoints me is the poor coverage of the other leagues in Australia - if people could watch us more often they would appreciate Italian football more."
Grella has been linked with moves to the Premiership, including Tottenham Hotspur after the World Cup.
WITH Guus Hiddink's punishing World Cup training camps still fresh in the memory bank, midfield player Vince Grella believes Australia's superior preparation will be the difference at July's Asian Cup.
Temperatures in Bangkok will be hovering around 30C while the humidity could be excruciating, but Grella is confident that a parallel preparation to Germany 2006 will allow Australia's stars to excel.
Grella claims the conditions, plus the World Cup watermark left by the Dutchman, will pave the way for Australia's superstars to wreak havoc.
"After Guus's era, we're very prepared. The No.1 one thing for me is physical conditioning and we'll be able to handle the heat," Grella said.
"We will always beat the (Asian teams)in a physical battle and all of us will be fit, technically there won't be much between the teams because the Asians are quite skilled but the climate will slow the game right down.
"That will really suit the technical players, because it's harder to do all that stuff at high speed.
"It wouldn't change much for me, but it will be a big, big advantage for players like Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka.
"Mark Bresciano as well with his change of pace and in and around the box, and the slower it is the easier it will be for Tim Cahill to get into the box.
"All the cards are on the table for us to do well."
He was indispensable to Hiddink and Graham Arnold adores him -Grella has transformed from a Socceroos fringe player and is now touted by many good judges as the team's most important.
He also wears the captain's armband for Italian club Parma, which narrowly escaped relegation this season - Grella endured a wretched campaign where he missed 11 games and was injury-affected in many of his 23 matches.
Italian football has endured a horror stretch with match-fixing and crowd disturbances rife but, unlike best buddy Bresciano, who said the incidents were driving him away from the country, Grella maintains he can't let a handful of hooligans dictate his future.
"Bresh and I did everything we could to get here and I'm not just going to leave because of a few d---heads in the crowd and with all the bulls--- that happened, I don't think it'll happen again," he said.
"I've worked so hard to build a reputation in Italy and I'm not just going to leave like that.
"I used to watch these stadiums on TV and now I'm walking out on them with the armband on, shaking hands with (AC Milan captain) Paolo Maldini at the San Siro - it's not a bad feeling."
It is no coincidence that Australia's highest profile players are competing in the Premiership, but the limelight does not interest the 27-year-old.
"The only reason I would go to England is to measure myself in the Premiership, it would have nothing to do with the profile," he said.
"I love my profile as it is and I wouldn't swap it for anything. I want to be normal and I want to be respected for what I do on the pitch.
"One thing that disappoints me is the poor coverage of the other leagues in Australia - if people could watch us more often they would appreciate Italian football more."
Grella has been linked with moves to the Premiership, including Tottenham Hotspur after the World Cup.