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Australian National Team Match & General Discussion

blameturner

By blameturner
in A-League & Asia

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Pablo

Pablo

Posted
Posted (edited)

despite some valiant efforts, the active section fell well short of any hopes, however we did warn about not raising expectations etc

 

big problem was that the "new" capo organised weeks ago pulled out on the day!

 

then the fall back was the megaphone being handed around to much, and then it became almost cringeworthy

 

tend to agree with some of Southy's remarks above esp last two paragraphs

 

anyway we'll debrief, work out strategy and put some things in place - we have 6 months to get set for Asian Cup, with a couple of home friendlies likely before then

 

as for the football on the park, agree that first 30mins the Socceroos were impressive and created so many chances with some fluent attacking football

 

credit to Bafana Bafana as they stepped up and produced some good football - technically they were accomplished and very comfortable on the ball - also defended well in second half

 

our performance was still better than vs NZ 4 years ago (farewell game at MCG which I was at) - and I'm sure we'll lift for Brasil 2014

 

keep da faith

Edited by Pablo
marron

marron

Posted
Posted

Good, Brilliante and Sarota have been cut. The rest fly to Brasil with 4 more to be cut still.

Gazmon

Gazmon

Posted
Posted

Good, Brilliante and Sarota have been cut. The rest fly to Brasil with 4 more to be cut still.

 

Sad to see Sarota not going, Brillante was simply surplus to requirements and Good injured. Guess you can't take them all :)

Bob

Bob

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

Seriously couldnt find A_S_Australia on bookface

 

Ah, found it 

 

Socceroos Active Support 

and

A.S. Australia

bit of competition happening.

The way the conversation looks on both pages though it's only a matter of time before videos of cute cats and references to Hitler take over

Edited by Bob
Portillo

Portillo

Posted
Posted

i have yet to see the socceroos live and i am happy i have not

That's nothing to be proud of TBH.

westofcentre

westofcentre

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

 

Seriously couldnt find A_S_Australia on bookface

 

Ah, found it 

 

Socceroos Active Support 

and

A.S. Australia

bit of competition happening.

The way the conversation looks on both pages though it's only a matter of time before videos of cute cats and references to Hitler take over

 

 

Am I the only person who has an issue with the term "A S Australia" Maybe its just my perverted mind

Edited by westofcentre
Pablo

Pablo

Posted
Posted

 

 

Seriously couldnt find A_S_Australia on bookface

 

Ah, found it 

 

Socceroos Active Support 

and

A.S. Australia

bit of competition happening.

The way the conversation looks on both pages though it's only a matter of time before videos of cute cats and references to Hitler take over

 

 

thanks for update - yes its A.S.Australia

 

not sure about this "rival" Socceroos Active Support in Facebook - will ask someone to it check out

 

(I only focus on Twitter)

Stokz

Stokz

Posted
Posted

I think Ange is on the right track if he wants to dominate in Asia, with his style of play but on the world stage we are going to get torn to shreds.

 

We need to be extra compact at the back and hit quickly on the counters in the WC, that performance did not show any of that. Popa would of been a better coach for the type of players and quality we have at the moment.

 

You can say you want to play attractive, high press football but when you have teams like Spain, Netherlands, Chile, being able to get the ball and put 3 passes together will be hard enough. (Its was hard for teams like Italy, Croatia at the last Euro's)

 

No being a pessimist but we do not have the quality of players to do this against top teams.

westofcentre

westofcentre

Posted
Posted

I think Ange is on the right track if he wants to dominate in Asia, with his style of play but on the world stage we are going to get torn to shreds.

 

We need to be extra compact at the back and hit quickly on the counters in the WC, that performance did not show any of that. Popa would of been a better coach for the type of players and quality we have at the moment.

 

You can say you want to play attractive, high press football but when you have teams like Spain, Netherlands, Chile, being able to get the ball and put 3 passes together will be hard enough. (Its was hard for teams like Italy, Croatia at the last Euro's)

 

No being a pessimist but we do not have the quality of players to do this against top teams.

Correct! History has shown that "smaller teams" get the best results with tight formations and hitting on the counter when playing bigger teams. Even at the top level, you found some notable teams resort to this tactic when faced with teams like Barca. 

ManfredSchaefer

ManfredSchaefer

Posted
Posted

 

I think Ange is on the right track if he wants to dominate in Asia, with his style of play but on the world stage we are going to get torn to shreds.

 

We need to be extra compact at the back and hit quickly on the counters in the WC, that performance did not show any of that. Popa would of been a better coach for the type of players and quality we have at the moment.

 

You can say you want to play attractive, high press football but when you have teams like Spain, Netherlands, Chile, being able to get the ball and put 3 passes together will be hard enough. (Its was hard for teams like Italy, Croatia at the last Euro's)

 

No being a pessimist but we do not have the quality of players to do this against top teams.

Correct! History has shown that "smaller teams" get the best results with tight formations and hitting on the counter when playing bigger teams. Even at the top level, you found some notable teams resort to this tactic when faced with teams like Barca. 

 

 

I really hate to say this but if we are focusing on the World Cup then the Kiwi and Swiss approaches from South Africa 2010 are worth some thought (i.e. don't feel too conflicted about parking the bus). 

 

Of course Ange has a philosophy built around possession and a willingness to go forward but a good coach (hell, a good leader, general, pollie, anyone) understands that you can only get so much out of the squad you have. It's not as if Ange is say a Loew, inheriting a wonderful combination of seasoned top-flight campaigners with young thoroughbreds emerging from a tough system. That is what we had in the lead in to 2006 and even Guus with all his mystical skills was dare I say extremely fortunate to get us through to Germany 2006.

 

You would expect that with the return of Jedinak, Bresc and Spira the middle and back will tighten up a bit, but I wonder if he will regret not looking to the Og-monster for a final effort in the green and gold.  And for all his negative publicity Holman would've been just the right man for a team that hits on the counter.

 

It has to be said that no matter which way you cut it what we are seeing with the national team both on and off the pitch is the result of all those decisions and results that built up shortly after Germany 2006. No one can underestimate the need for the FFA to keep the positive results coming when it needed them for World Cup finals qualification for 2010 and 2014, and the attendant publicity was necessary to keep the game's coffers filling as the A-League struggled. However by now it's patently obvious that Pim and Holger were put into invidious situations with a declining squad, and with the conflict of Socceroo wins versus development always weighted by the administrators and the fans alike in the former is it any wonder we look so ordinary now?

Lookers

Lookers

Posted
Posted

Not sure if this has already been asked/said in this thread, but why is the Australian national team so sucky? Like there are good players but they just don't seem to work together as well as other national teams.

 

Do the Socceroos play together less than the other national squads?

ManfredSchaefer

ManfredSchaefer

Posted
Posted

Not sure if this has already been asked/said in this thread, but why is the Australian national team so sucky? Like there are good players but they just don't seem to work together as well as other national teams.

 

Do the Socceroos play together less than the other national squads?

 

There have been moments when the team doesn't play 'sucky' lol, and you can watch efforts like the first half against Ecuador, our qualification games against the likes of Saudi Arabia away, or the big win over Uzbekistan in the 2011 Asian Cup as examples of when things went right.

 

However it must be said that there is a problem with continuity and cohesion in the team, which comes almost entirely from the fragmentary nature in which the team is brought together, their frequency of games and most recently the overall standard of individual players not being what it used to be. Take as an example some of the best European and South American teams...they will have their squad set up by 2 or more guys who play for the same team in their domestic comp, or maybe overseas. When you see players from Bayern dominate the German squad, or those from Real and Barca for Spain, is it any wonder they know what their team mates can and will do? As for the Socceroos, we have a squad with players as far apart and as different in club affiliations as Melbourne Victory, Club Brugge, Jeonbuk Motors, New York Red Bulls and of course the Wanderers. Our five guys in defence last night included people playing in the Chinese Super League, Belgian and Dutch Leagues and the A-League. Is it any wonder they were all over the place? Throw in their combined lack of international experience and this squad is arguably less competent and cohesive than those that struggled to qualify in the late 70s and early 80s.

 

I've said it before and will say it again...if the individual quality of the players is not as good as it should be then picking players who have familiarity with each other's style and systems is not a bad option. If Trent Sainsbury had been available he would've been useful as one who would know where Mat Ryan would want him and vice versa. Perhaps Sarota, Zullo and Oar with their experience playing together at FC Utrecht would have been useful. Of course we won't know now, and it's hard to see combinations growing in confidence and capability with such a short lead in to Brazil 2014.

Lookers

Lookers

Posted
Posted

 

 

Not sure if this has already been asked/said in this thread, but why is the Australian national team so sucky? Like there are good players but they just don't seem to work together as well as other national teams.

 

Do the Socceroos play together less than the other national squads?

There have been moments when the team doesn't play 'sucky' lol, and you can watch efforts like the first half against Ecuador, our qualification games against the likes of Saudi Arabia away, or the big win over Uzbekistan in the 2011 Asian Cup as examples of when things went right.

 

However it must be said that there is a problem with continuity and cohesion in the team, which comes almost entirely from the fragmentary nature in which the team is brought together, their frequency of games and most recently the overall standard of individual players not being what it used to be. Take as an example some of the best European and South American teams...they will have their squad set up by 2 or more guys who play for the same team in their domestic comp, or maybe overseas. When you see players from Bayern dominate the German squad, or those from Real and Barca for Spain, is it any wonder they know what their team mates can and will do? As for the Socceroos, we have a squad with players as far apart and as different in club affiliations as Melbourne Victory, Club Brugge, Jeonbuk Motors, New York Red Bulls and of course the Wanderers. Our five guys in defence last night included people playing in the Chinese Super League, Belgian and Dutch Leagues and the A-League. Is it any wonder they were all over the place? Throw in their combined lack of international experience and this squad is arguably less competent and cohesive than those that struggled to qualify in the late 70s and early 80s.

 

I've said it before and will say it again...if the individual quality of the players is not as good as it should be then picking players who have familiarity with each other's style and systems is not a bad option. If Trent Sainsbury had been available he would've been useful as one who would know where Mat Ryan would want him and vice versa. Perhaps Sarota, Zullo and Oar with their experience playing together at FC Utrecht would have been useful. Of course we won't know now, and it's hard to see combinations growing in confidence and capability with such a short lead in to Brazil 2014.

Haha maybe sucky was a bit harsh, but what I saw last night was definitely sucky.

 

Obviously Germany and Spain and even Italy have this advantage of a large percentage of the squad playing together frequently in national leagues. But does the entire squad play more regularly than the Socceroos?

 

Also, two weeks of squad bonding is definitely not enough. Perhaps lifting the A League Salary Cap would mean securing more Australians here and thus more consistency.

 

Pretty silly!

Montalbano

Montalbano

Posted
Posted

I actually thought with the combinations it was the best Australia has looked in a while (at least for the first 30 mins anyway). Postecoglou is a better coach than Holger or Verbeek and it showed. Problem is that he has limited players. Still I thought we created around 5 to 10 good chances in that first half. The chances also came through crips passing and using the wide men. Leckie and Franjic were good on the right and we exposed Sth Africa there a lot. We also threatened on the left. I just think as good as Cahill is, he is not a striker who buries all his chances. I also think some of the crossing could be a lot better.

 

But here is the problem. The centre of defence. We were really exposed when we pushed forward and South Africa countered. I also thought the central midfield in Milligan and Holland needed to a better job of plugging the holes. Maybe when Jedinak and Bresciano come back it will be a more solid midfield but it is a worry. But Wilkinson and Mc Gowan were horrid in central defence and you can just imagine what Spain, Chile and Holland will do to them if they get a sniff.

 

The problem of parking the bus is that if any of the teams in our group get a sense of us doing this they will camp themselves in our half and terrorise our goal. It will be 4 or 6 nil anyway. We have to provide some threat to keep them on their toes and force them back a little. Either way we are farked as we just don't have the players. But I really worry about the centre of defence (even if Spiranovic plays there). Curtis Good was really a big loss as I think he would have een at least half respectable. Still I think we can offer something aginst Chile or the Netherlands. It is just a matter of playing with the heart and doing whatever it takes to be competitive.

nmh94

nmh94

Posted
Posted

 

 

I think Ange is on the right track if he wants to dominate in Asia, with his style of play but on the world stage we are going to get torn to shreds.

 

We need to be extra compact at the back and hit quickly on the counters in the WC, that performance did not show any of that. Popa would of been a better coach for the type of players and quality we have at the moment.

 

You can say you want to play attractive, high press football but when you have teams like Spain, Netherlands, Chile, being able to get the ball and put 3 passes together will be hard enough. (Its was hard for teams like Italy, Croatia at the last Euro's)

 

No being a pessimist but we do not have the quality of players to do this against top teams.

Correct! History has shown that "smaller teams" get the best results with tight formations and hitting on the counter when playing bigger teams. Even at the top level, you found some notable teams resort to this tactic when faced with teams like Barca. 

 

 

I really hate to say this but if we are focusing on the World Cup then the Kiwi and Swiss approaches from South Africa 2010 are worth some thought (i.e. don't feel too conflicted about parking the bus). 

 

Of course Ange has a philosophy built around possession and a willingness to go forward but a good coach (hell, a good leader, general, pollie, anyone) understands that you can only get so much out of the squad you have.

 

 

 

Agreed. I think it was said earlier that this style might help us in Asia (an lets be honest, I think that is Ange's real goal), but unless it becomes more pragmatic, like NZ in 2010, this could get ugly when we are inevitably outclassed on the ball.

 

To paraphrase Moe Syzlak, "We don't want to get drawn into a boxing football match here!" Not if we want anything other than 4 goal losses in Brazil anyway.

Gazmon

Gazmon

Posted
Posted

Imagine if we had Ange (with his knowledge today) inheriting the squad after Guus and the 2006 WC... my gawd! Would have been great to watch.

 

I see the boys are flying out today, Cahill had a pic on Twitter, looks like they were staying maybe at the Marriot?

Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Posted
Posted

They were at the intercontinental. My wife saw them there at lunch yesterday.

Gazmon

Gazmon

Posted
Posted

They were at the intercontinental. My wife saw them there at lunch yesterday.

 

Ah, that would have been my 2nd guess :) Not 100% up on my CBD hotel situation. The wife might have wanted to stalk Tim Cahill too...  :ninja:

JackDoff

JackDoff

Posted
Posted

Why the **** is McKay in the squad? Hasn't done anything great for a few years now , was ok when he first got into the team but the last few years, nothing. Oh wait, he gave away the handball vs Japan! Lol I think he's a waste of a spot , jeez I would've rather seen Kewell in the squad than McKay!

Unlimited

Unlimited

Posted
Posted

Here's an interesting discussion point. Consider the A-League players in the current squad:

 

Jets: Birighitti, Taggart

Adelaide: Galekovic

Wanderers: Spiranovic

Roar: Franjic, McKay

Victory: Milligan, Rogic, Troisi

 

 

Why is it that there are two players from a team that finished 7th, three players from a team that finished 4th and only one player from the team that finished 2nd?

GunnerWanderer

GunnerWanderer

Posted
Posted

Yeah anyone who doubts the selections made by is obviously no unbiased

 

Outside of rogic the players are there on form which is why ange said he would pick

 

Juric, duke and fringe players as such didn't do enough

 

Someone like Antonis could can themselves them unlucky - I thought he should have got in

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