World Cup Qualification Thread for 2026 - Socceroos/Asia

[Hillbilly55]

I am having a laugh at some of the comments. Yengi is being castigated for mishitting the first shot wide of the goal, but he was there and did shoot, which is what we have been crying out for all series. Get in there, some days you get the rewards for being there. AND HE WAS!!!!! Good on him.

 

[JS96]

I am having a laugh at some of the comments. Yengi is being castigated for mishitting the first shot wide of the goal, but he was there and did shoot, which is what we have been crying out for all series. Get in there, some days you get the rewards for being there. AND HE WAS!!!!! Good on him.

If our opponent had missed such a chance then it'd mean we technically lost the game. Remember, according to some, Syria scored by hitting the post in 2017 and we didn't go to Russia.

It's true that Yengi's shot was going wide and we did have some good fortune there but people like to pick and choose.

 

[LFC]

Agree totally, we need someone to deliver them, dead ball specialist who can deliver the ball perfectly.

Consistent deliveries into the zone and Souttar or whoever going to win that ball with utter intent and body on the line !
Like are they training corners for x spot for Souttar to get into it ball after ball.
Can’t be that hard and as mentioned the shorter Bahrain fellas got to headers more than us in attack it seemed.
Anyway it’s in poppas hands were the armchair critics

 

[jas88]

It does present a socceroos hero arc for someone if they keen, 2018 was jedi with his pens(although cahill saved us against syria), 2022 was Redmayne.

If someone comes in and scores some goals against saudi/japan and we get points they might just qualify us.

 

[patjennings]

If our opponent had missed such a chance then it'd mean we technically lost the game. Remember, according to some, Syria scored by hitting the post in 2017 and we didn't go to Russia.

It's true that Yengi's shot was going wide and we did have some good fortune there but people like to pick and choose.

That always gets me as well. When the ball hits the post or goes just wide the commentators say they had the keeper beaten when in fact the keeper had the goal covered. The only reason the keeper was beaten was that the shot missed the inside of the goal.

 

[LFC]

Hindsight - article

Skipper blasts playing group amid Socceroos’ brutal World Cup reality: Talking Points

‘Throw the win away’: Skipper rips playing group amid Socceroos’ brutal World Cup reality

www.foxsports.com.au

"The introduction of four new players within a short space of time didn’t seem to impact the fluency of the side. O’Neill, in particular, looked incredibly dangerous but all of Bahrain’s best chances and their two goals came in, around and just after the time the substitutions were being made.

It was a point highlighted by former Socceroo Robbie Slater while speaking on Fox Sports News on Monday.

“We were cruising at 1-0 - they didn’t look like they were going to score - and we took off, in the space of five minutes, three of our most experienced players,” Slater said.

“Once those three very experienced players in the team came off; I think it disrupted the structure a bit and allowed Bahrain as we saw, in the space of a couple of minutes, to take the lead.”

“That might’ve been a mistake to take off three very, very experienced players and in Jackson Irvine, that’s your number six as well, controlling the midfield.”

robbos mentioned way back "attittude"
Ryan mentions "ignorant" in the article.

 

[Robbos]

That always gets me as well. When the ball hits the post or goes just wide the commentators say they had the keeper beaten when in fact the keeper had the goal covered. The only reason the keeper was beaten was that the shot missed the inside of the goal.

If Garang Kuol's shot had not hit Martinez arm, higher or lower, we would take Argentina to extra time & a possibility of a 1/4 finals of WC.

Are you saying Australian football (even more so Soccer, yes old Soccer) fans are pessimists?

 

[tsf]

Maybe some people with a better understanding of keeping can answer this, but if they are in possession, moving forward where they are, should Ryan be so far off his line? People are like 'nothing he could do' - well yeah 'cause he's halfway up the pitch. Defender mistake but he's not really playing it safe as anything can happen.

Watch the replay, even if the attacker didn't shoot and played the through ball Ryan is scrambling back like a mad man.

 

[LFC]

I get where your coming from TSF, every GK is different in their approach no diff to players we all agree.
Some safe as house's some not, look at Gauci last game thinking he's a player leaving release that late and once caught out.
We've seen even the best of them get caught out too far out, I actually think its one of the beautys of the game and the individual.
Even though we dislike the outcome when against your club or NT on the other foot the Bahrainies were on cluod 9 right.

OR are we looking for the irobot GK as well now do not move past the 6yard line when we're in possession up the pitch or you'll be shot !

 

[tsf]

OR are we looking for the irobot GK as well now do not move past the 6yard line when we're in possession up the pitch or you'll be shot !

Surely there's a happy medium though, he was in a weird position. Maybe I am wrong

Gauci conceded 2 times in 3 no? Ryan 2 times in first game back.

 

[Hillbilly55]

If, if, if. The shot only needed to be a metre wider and it would have missed etc ad infinitum. For the second goal, the rebound could have gone almost anywhere else and we clear it. We are dealt the hand we have. Robbie is probably still gutted that his mate is no longer coach. Whether the players replaced were on the pitch or not, they would not have prevented the actions by the players concerned. As @LFC said, we aren't robots (fortunately) and we still have a clear shot at direct qualification.

 

[Cunningstunt]

Maybe some people with a better understanding of keeping can answer this, but if they are in possession, moving forward where they are, should Ryan be so far off his line? People are like 'nothing he could do' - well yeah 'cause he's halfway up the pitch. Defender mistake but he's not really playing it safe as anything can happen.

Watch the replay, even if the attacker didn't shoot and played the through ball Ryan is scrambling back like a mad man.

I think this is an interesting discussion point. Was it Federici who was beaten from halfway when Ange was coaching? I remember the reaction at the time was pretty harsh. I remember Bosnich being particularly harsh. But the GK is in that position for a reason, it is because this is how the coach wants to play, utilising him in build up. Bosnich said something along the lines of he would never have allowed himself to be caught out this way. In that case he would never have played for Ange, because this is where Ange wanted the GK, and you know Ange is not picking someone who doesn't buy in.

Football has changed. I will often hear people say the GK first job is to make saves. This is pretty objectively not the case anymore. Matt Ryan made 22 passes and 3 saves against Bahrain, Gauci had 32 passes and one save. Granted you won't get picked if you can't make a save, but the same is true of being able to play.

There was a great video of Gary Neville discussing training at the start of his career compared to the end. At the start he said most of the time was spent working on defending, even at Man Utd, who would dominate most matches. As his career progressed it became more and more focused on possession work. He said defenders today are not as good at defending compared to when he started, purely because this is no longer the focus, they don't train for it. What they are orders of magnitude better at is passing the ball.

The TLDR I think is that GKs being beaten from range after cheap turnovers is something that will continue to happen because football has changed.

 

[LFC]

Surely there's a happy medium though, he was in a weird position. Maybe I am wrong

Gauci conceded 2 times in 3 no? Ryan 2 times in first game back.

same happy medium you can apply to same player position.
The timing of a defender compared to another, why does one flanker or forward always get pinged so much for offside than another.
Why does Cahill get in position so well to head the ball others hit and miss much more.
I agree though WHY was he so far out ? like you got to be prepared for the whatif/unexpected so as you know you can scramble back and cover that lonnnnng range shot.

Good points C S, I've been rewatching the Beckham doco, alot of early footage, matchs/trainings/Fergi talk ofcourse the game has changed but you know what, both Neville's did like attacking - Gary though had Becks his side so always played him but he did start venturing higher alot more later.

 

[Mr Cleansheets]

Maybe some people with a better understanding of keeping can answer this, but if they are in possession, moving forward where they are, should Ryan be so far off his line? People are like 'nothing he could do' - well yeah 'cause he's halfway up the pitch. Defender mistake but he's not really playing it safe as anything can happen.

Watch the replay, even if the attacker didn't shoot and played the through ball Ryan is scrambling back like a mad man.

I've played and coached keepers at a decent level and my mantra on positioning was that the spot is the centre of your universe - it's where everything starts and you check it all the time. Next (when the ball's up field and you're in possession) you patrol the edge of the box always staying in a direct line between the ball and the centre of the goal. The instant you lose possession you retreat only slowly - in case you need to charge off your line - but by the time the ball is within striking distance you're back inside the six yard.

Football has changed, however. Keepers are now expected to play as a deeper sweeper and that's Ryan's problem. He's always been a bit too adventurous - even considering the sweeper role. That Bahraini striker would have been very conscious all game that he was off his line and just hanging for a chance to have a first time pop.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I think this is an interesting discussion point. Was it Federici who was beaten from halfway when Ange was coaching? I remember the reaction at the time was pretty harsh. I remember Bosnich being particularly harsh. But the GK is in that position for a reason, it is because this is how the coach wants to play, utilising him in build up. Bosnich said something along the lines of he would never have allowed himself to be caught out this way. In that case he would never have played for Ange, because this is where Ange wanted the GK, and you know Ange is not picking someone who doesn't buy in.

Football has changed. I will often hear people say the GK first job is to make saves. This is pretty objectively not the case anymore. Matt Ryan made 22 passes and 3 saves against Bahrain, Gauci had 32 passes and one save. Granted you won't get picked if you can't make a save, but the same is true of being able to play.

There was a great video of Gary Neville discussing training at the start of his career compared to the end. At the start he said most of the time was spent working on defending, even at Man Utd, who would dominate most matches. As his career progressed it became more and more focused on possession work. He said defenders today are not as good at defending compared to when he started, purely because this is no longer the focus, they don't train for it. What they are orders of magnitude better at is passing the ball.

The TLDR I think is that GKs being beaten from range after cheap turnovers is something that will continue to happen because football has changed.

Thats a great reply....

 

[patjennings]

If Garang Kuol's shot had not hit Martinez arm, higher or lower, we would take Argentina to extra time & a possibility of a 1/4 finals of WC.

Are you saying Australian football (even more so Soccer, yes old Soccer) fans are pessimists?

No, Martinez made himself big and saved Garang's shot. Garang did not miss the goal - his shot was saved.

 

[LFC]

Thats a great reply....

you'd think his name has anything to do with that

 

[patjennings]

I think this is an interesting discussion point. Was it Federici who was beaten from halfway when Ange was coaching? I remember the reaction at the time was pretty harsh. I remember Bosnich being particularly harsh. But the GK is in that position for a reason, it is because this is how the coach wants to play, utilising him in build up. Bosnich said something along the lines of he would never have allowed himself to be caught out this way. In that case he would never have played for Ange, because this is where Ange wanted the GK, and you know Ange is not picking someone who doesn't buy in.

...

I've never been impressed with Bosnich's takes on being a keeper. Yes he was a great keeper. but some of his insights go against what he was coached and actually cause problems.

e,g. He always said you need to stand on you line at a free-kick because it gave you the most time. I know one of his early coaches told him he needed to be slightly off his line. The reasoning being if you can't catch the ball you can at least turn the ball around the posts. You don't need to bat the ball away towards incoming attackers. If you try to push the ball around the posts when you are on the line all that will happen will the ball will hit the post and you will have no idea where it will go.

 

[Pasquali]

FYI: The forum is now in real time. No need to refresh the page for future matches as messages will come through automatically

 

[Keeper66]

I think this is an interesting discussion point. Was it Federici who was beaten from halfway when Ange was coaching? I remember the reaction at the time was pretty harsh. I remember Bosnich being particularly harsh. But the GK is in that position for a reason, it is because this is how the coach wants to play, utilising him in build up. Bosnich said something along the lines of he would never have allowed himself to be caught out this way. In that case he would never have played for Ange, because this is where Ange wanted the GK, and you know Ange is not picking someone who doesn't buy in.

Football has changed. I will often hear people say the GK first job is to make saves. This is pretty objectively not the case anymore. Matt Ryan made 22 passes and 3 saves against Bahrain, Gauci had 32 passes and one save. Granted you won't get picked if you can't make a save, but the same is true of being able to play.

There was a great video of Gary Neville discussing training at the start of his career compared to the end. At the start he said most of the time was spent working on defending, even at Man Utd, who would dominate most matches. As his career progressed it became more and more focused on possession work. He said defenders today are not as good at defending compared to when he started, purely because this is no longer the focus, they don't train for it. What they are orders of magnitude better at is passing the ball.

The TLDR I think is that GKs being beaten from range after cheap turnovers is something that will continue to happen because football has changed.

While I think Bosnich was otherwise a great keeper at his peak, he was always shit with his feet. That's the reason he would never have been well outside his box.