Auckland coach readies part time squad for Club World Cup s toughest group

Auckland Citys players arent full-time professionals and many have taken annual leave to compete in the Club World Cup where they face what coach Paul Posa calls the toughest group.

New Zealands champions, who are fresh from winning the OFC Champions League, will face Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors in Group C of the revamped tournament, which starts on Saturday, and Posa acknowledged their uphill battle.

Its quite possibly the toughest group we could have drawn, Posa, who guided them to fifth place in the old Club World Cup in 2009, told Reuters. We have two traditional European powerhouses in Bayern Munich and Benfica and Boca Juniors, who are also capable of going all the way.

We have competed in many of the previous versions of the CWC competition which has given us a broad range of experience allowing us to punch above our weight in the past. Our goals are to be prepared, and compete, to the best of our ability, he added.

Auckland enter the 32-team tournament months after claiming their 13th Oceania title and fourth in succession. Yet despite continental success, football remains a part-time commitment for the squad.

All of the players have other jobs alongside their football commitments, said Posa. However, they have an extraordinary dedication to their football outside of their working hours.

Players have had to take annual leave from their jobs... Indeed some of the players were unable to take time to attend both the OFC Champions League competition and the Club World Cup.

The mid-June to mid-July tournament timing means it falls during Aucklands season rather than after it, as the previous version of the competition did.

The challenge of having the CWC fall in the middle of the season has been ensuring that players are in top form at