Daniel Alessi

who is the third player on that contract with us ?

Jake McGing ?

Perkatis and Olson are the other under 21s in the first team squad. Oh and baressi is there as well.

Perkatis and Barresi?

I think those two are on proper first team contracts.

This kid is going to be something else. Came on tonight when he probably wasnt expecting to do so & he was so solid. Will probably play in the return leg & I think we can expect something similar.

Some of those long cross field passes.....dayum

Keep giving him game time and it will do him wonders this early. Mullen has competition.

I did warn you'se all, the kid is a gun

So far he's marked Del Piero out of the game in his debut, come off the bench as an injury replacement in a side that beat the reigning Asian champions and regularly plays for his country at youth level. Hope he gets plenty more game time because a big club is going to stump up some serious coin to buy him in a year or two.

Ready to start a-league this year from what we have seen

Well played. Hope he has the game of his life next week...

Rock up back to school.

- what did you do last night Daniel?

- I owned the champions of Asia in front of 60000 people.

- Yeah cool, where's your homework?

Kid's a star, was watching him carefully the moment he came on. Made maybe 1 bad mistake (not the yellow card) - absolutely rock solid. Passing was delicious. 

Kid's a star, was watching him carefully the moment he came on. Made maybe 1 bad mistake (not the yellow card) - absolutely rock solid. Passing was delicious.

Yeah the yellow card came off the back of a rash pass, but it was a good card to get at the time.

Good outing by the wonderkid last night

More games like this will make him into a top notch player.

Popa has to encourage him to make some overlapping runs, and be a little more comfortable on the ball. I felt when they pressed him when he had the ball he was a little lost of what to do. But this comes with experience and confidence.

Popa has to encourage him to make some overlapping runs, and be a little more comfortable on the ball. I felt when they pressed him when he had the ball he was a little lost of what to do. But this comes with experience and confidence.

I almost feel as if Popa instructed him to not go forward as much. especially once we had the lead. looked as if we were playing Alessi-Hamill-Topor across the back when we had possession of the ball 

As for the rest of his game, well he looks pretty solid. The only time i was really concentrating on him though he made a mistake. Made a terrible press, and left La Rocca with an awful lot of work to do which allowed Evergrande right down our end 

He has maturity far beyond his years, he is a class act. He's gonna be an absolute machine. Really nice bloke too, always comes up for a chat at training

Good outing by the wonderkid last night

 

More games like this will make him into a top notch player.

 

Popa has to encourage him to make some overlapping runs, and be a little more comfortable on the ball. I felt when they pressed him when he had the ball he was a little lost of what to do. But this comes with experience and confidence.

I'm not familiar with the football terms but when you say 'overlapping runs' I'm assuming you mean when he runs from RB to RW to give the forward line an extra man to hopefully whip in a cross to Juric who smashes the ball in the bottom left corner to win the ACL for us?

If so, I spotted him running up but was ignored on a few occasions.

Kinda.

It means he overtakes the attacking winger on that side to provide an option to that winger, generally to put the defence into two minds between having to deal with the fullback running towards the opposition goal on the wing (who could get the ball and cross), or the winger cutting inside or making their own early cross. The fullback is (in my opinion) the most offensively free position on the park, because they are opposed by opposition wingers, who are less defensively inclined.

The matchup between winger and fullback is a key because a fullback who is better offensively than their opponent is defensive can give that fullback a free hand to assist in attacks and deliver crosses, shots and penetrating passes. Of course, the flipside is the same, a winger who is better offensively than his marker is defensively minded is just as bad.

Popa's defensive structure rarely includes both of our fullbacks moving high up the pitch, as one of the fullbacks is earmarked to provide coverage if the other fullback moves up the pitch but we lose the ball, if the opposition counter-attack down the exposed flank and get behind the fullback/winger who were up the pitch, one of our central defenders will be pulled over to cover, which pulls the other central defender to cover that position.

The defensive fulbacks role is to push across himself to cover the central defensive position left vacant by the sliding of the two fullbacks, until the defensive shape can be reformed with the offensive fullback regaining his position, allowing the other three defenders to go back to their positions.

Allowing both fullbacks to push high up the pitch can leave a defence dangerously exposed to 3 or 4 man counter-attacks often perpetrated by the 4 man attacking midfield common in modern football (striker, two attacking wingers and attacking midfielder).

While it's hard to make a 100% all the time rule, I'd suggest he would have said for one of his two fulbacks to stay further in the defensive zone by default when the team has the ball, and that they both need to ensure they don't over-commit at the same time. Our fullbacks also don't get too involved in the high pressing and generally fall back to maintain the back four position very quickly.

He has maturity far beyond his years, he is a class act. He's gonna be an absolute machine. Really nice bloke too, always comes up for a chat at training

When does Daniel & our other representatives, have to leave for Vietnam with the Young Socceroos?

On the overlapping fullbacks thing, Alessi was the more conservative fullback and Golec regularly bombed forward on the left (the opposite to last season when D'Apuzzo stayed back in left back and Polenz pushed forward on the right). NTS sometimes covered for Golec when he pushed on but his main cover was Poljak, who was very switched on and dropped into left back whenever there was nobody there.

He has maturity far beyond his years, he is a class act. He's gonna be an absolute machine. Really nice bloke too, always comes up for a chat at training

i know he was at school last year doing year 10, his wiki says he is now enrolled in Sydney Distance Education High School so i guess that means he can train more.

 

He has maturity far beyond his years, he is a class act. He's gonna be an absolute machine. Really nice bloke too, always comes up for a chat at training

hughsey, is Daniel in full time training with the senior squad now?i know he was at school last year doing year 10, his wiki says he is now enrolled in Sydney Distance Education High School so i guess that means he can train more.

17 today.  Great young talent.

17 today.  Great young talent.

****, that depresses me. Great young talent, this lad.

17 today.  Great young talent.

he is 17 and is a pro footballer

I'm 18 and I go to uni

****

I knew he was young, but I didn't realise he was so young 

He is going to be a superstar.

Happy Birthday.

Look forward to seeing him have a stellar career here and abroad - then come back on minimum wage if required.

popa needs to get this wonderkid locked into RB mode. No more playing him at CB, theres a plethora of CB aussie talent. Hes 17, athletic, great defender and ready to be moulded into a good RB.

Get him working on crossing and technique everyday, positioning and overlapping running down the flanks. And get him more involved in the first team so he doesnt look as lost when in possession. Still a way to go but he will be miles ahead of Mullen if given the chance. 

I can see him being a great foil and "sidekick" to Castelen on the right.

Congratulations go to Daniel again for his selection in the U19 squad to play in Hanoi in the AFF Youth Championship from 5 to 13 September.

Congratulations are in order again.  Daniel has been selected in the u19 squad for the AFC Championships in Myanmar from October 9 to 23.