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World Cup Qualification Thread for 2026 - Socceroos/Asia

huddo said:
I

Hope people get off the MLS's dick. It's a glorified superannuation league. anyone that thinks Australian players over there are in a better league to those in the Aleague gotta have rocks in their heads.
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I haven't seen MLS since giving up my Fox sub, but I'm concerned Lachlan Brook seems to have disappeared since going there. He was a Socceroo prospect.

One of my kids was a US college soccer player. The training regime was very weight training based, like gridiron.

Yet , she alluded to lots of very skilful South American recruits playing in the college system and MLS.
 
JS96 said:
I think they're may not have been anything too remarkable to be fair but he has poise and moves quickly with his decisions. This is compared to Irvine taking extra touches or using the wrong foot and nearly doing his hip. Irvine has terrible balance.
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I've been overly critical of a tiny facet of Irvine's game - balance due to tall height and inability to two touch rapidfire pass and move in tight spaces- like O'Neill does well.

But - Irvine has so many other strengths to compensate. Great engine, mental strength, very intelligent, terrific late runs into the pen box, composure in front of goal, good ball winner, leader on the pitch, etc, etc.
 
JS96 said:
The reason for many posters' annoyance is because players like Duke and Behich have more lives than a cat. I'm so glad they delivered this window but it was at the very last.

The problem is this masks issues of when they retire or we need to mix it up and no one else has enough exposure. Look at how Bos was against Japan, confident and a cut above. Toure used a lot of muscle and pace coming in that raw. Imagine what we could build if we focused on growth potential.

It'll end like the German economy by focusing on old half successful models while failing to innovate.

The same could be said for midfield where O'Neill has been steady but won't provide attacking passes forward. Teague favoured and embellished by China but it's early days. Yazbek oozed the confidence we'd expect Balard and Triantis to bring.

Meanwhile Geria and Degenek are true professionals who get the job done every time.

Metcalfe saved himself this window. Different system for the first time.
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Another facet of play we can't have insights on, is that Behich and Duke may be terrific mentors for younger players. Their experience could be invaluable in the team unit.

I think both still have a lot to offer. Also, mindful there are a lot young LBs and strikers who look promising to replace them.

Degenek has had a resurgence and Geria should have been selected years ago - with the gift of hindsight. I was an Arnie fan, but missing Geria was a big flaw.
 
Decentric said:
A few posters have said they are really buzzing and ecstatic about the WCQ for the 6th successive time.

I'm the same. After two Arnie lead Roo games, I thought we were gone! There are only 11 football nations who have qualified for 6 WCs in succession. Nearly all the others are powerhouses!

*However, reading some of our fellow posters' comments, it is like they are annoyed some of their less favoured Socceroos were selected and did the job efficiently.

*They are annoyed Aus qualified without their favourite players outside the squad included.

* They have lists of players they define as 'good' and others 'bad'. When one uses heaps of of football specific performance criteria to evaluate players, most have strengths and weaknesses, and there isn't much difference in the overall product - with very fine margins at play.

*It is no different in the past. Brett Holman was hated by fans until he scored a few goals.
Jade North was hated too. Leckie and Kruse, both who struggled to score goals, were also hated by fans.
ATM it doesn't seem to matter what poor Duke, Metcalfe, Behich, and now possibly O'Neill and Ryan, do, their detractors can't see any good qualities.
Surely pro coaches like Arnie and Popa have undertaken high level coach education and developed insights the general public haven't? Albeit, I can't get over Arnie not selecting Geria as RB, whilst selecting Geraint Jones.

* It seems some don't like the Poparoos qualifying with him using so many AL players.

*Another member posted an article here where it repeats Duke stating it will be nice to get some keyboard warriors off his back. Poor bloke should be lauded - like Metcalfe.

This has been the Socceroos' greatest turnaround in WCQ history. All fans should be ecstatic!
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I don't think anyone here is annoyed Australia qualified, with or without their favourite players. I think we are all ecstatic that Australia has qualified.

We are all football fans, so we are all going to have different opinions. Some players are always going to be perceived more negatively than others, again that's a fact of life with football fans.

And I think you are incorrect to say that their detractors can't see any good qualities in players you quoted like Duke, Behich, etc. They may not be everyone's idea of who should be playing in the national team, but I think everyone recognises when they do something well. For example, I think Duke and Behich's time has passed, but I still recognise their contribution in the last window, and thank God, Allah, Buddha and every other deity that they did it. I just think that overall, there are better players who should be picked instead of them. Even Popovic thought this in the last window in relation to Duke, he was only in the squad because of an injury to Leckie.
 
huddo said:
So why not give Ballard a team spot? what does it prove leaving him out of the team for....Okon's kid?

C#@ts selecting on what basis? The player didn't shit on his team?
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I've seen Popa state that Ballard has only just missed out on selection after being in camp, and was very unlucky.

Maybe it is a question of having more Socceroo depth in the position of DM/ central midfielder?

I believe that the younger Valadon, Youlley and Okon Jr, and the emerging Bozinovski, have more potential, with higher level skill sets on the ball. Ballard may be the perfect foil playing alongside one of them?

I think Thurgate is unlucky too.
 
Alex M said:
Duke is still the best option if we play with a lone striker unsupported and the 3-4-3 reverts to a 5-2-2-1 or a 5-4-1, although at his age he may not be for much longer. It's past time some of our younger strikers learnt how to play in a system like this.
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That's an interesting point. I wonder if it says we should reconsider our formation to suit our players. Outside of Duke our strikers aren't known as strong headers. I think D'Agostino is a good header but he needs to get fit and play to be an option. Who else is good with their head?
 
Cunningstunt said:
I hope so. I like him. But talking about Popa being bitter is just a cope
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Probably - but Nisbet performed better than Teague in that game and the following year a winger playing in the midfield (Leckie) showed Teague up again. Teague performed well in the game against a lesser team (China) but does not turn up on the big occasions. As you can tell I don't rate Teague.
 
Decentric said:
I've seen Popa state that Ballard has only just missed out on selection after being in camp, and was very unlucky.

Maybe it is a question of having more Socceroo depth in the position of DM/ central midfielder?

I believe that the younger Valadon, Youlley and Okon Jr, and the emerging Bozinovski, have more potential, with higher level skill sets on the ball. Ballard may be the perfect foil playing alongside one of them?

I think Thurgate is unlucky too.
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I can't see that. While we are all happy with getting through our DM/CM was the area on my viewing (without re-watching games) that we seemed to constantly lose possession.
 
patjennings said:
Probably - but Nisbet performed better than Teague in that game and the following year a winger playing in the midfield (Leckie) showed Teague up again. Teague performed well in the game against a lesser team (China) but does not turn up on the big occasions. As you can tell I don't rate Teague.
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I agree with the Teague comments. In addition, in the game against China he played a large part in allowing China their best chance on goal, which Ryan saved.
 
patjennings said:
I can't see that. While we are all happy with getting through our DM/CM was the area on my viewing (without re-watching games) that we seemed to constantly lose possession.
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Don't need to keep re watching games, possession stats tell you who is the ball/territory controller plain and simple.
D is in his own planet looking for the minor details to confirm his POV for positives and counter arguing - granted maybe there is in bits and pieces but proof is in the pudding we struggle retaining possession not just recently but for yonks.
The most possession we do obtain is on counters whilst the defense is turned and we retain ball for those precious 3/4 links till they have reset and pressure our ball reciever who as D mentions his body isn't in correct position to move forward let alone wonder where support is hence the back or sideway pass.
 
patjennings said:
Probably - but Nisbet performed better than Teague in that game and the following year a winger playing in the midfield (Leckie) showed Teague up again. Teague performed well in the game against a lesser team (China) but does not turn up on the big occasions. As you can tell I don't rate Teague.
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China are a weaker team, but that match was high pressure. Granted Teague didn't look good against Japan, but no one did. He didn't look worse than anyone else in the side.

huddo said:
You can when you realise the Johny Warren Medalist wasnt picked up off some preconceived notion of the expected physical traits of a decent footballer.

This is not a comparison in anyway, But Maradona was only an inch taller, could you image a coach turning to Maradona and saying, you are the best I've ever seen, you're just not 6'2". That's just stupid.

Nisbet is by far one of the best transition players Australia has ever produced, and all you're thinking is the Socceroos are like the fucken Big Beasty and require a height restriction.

Fuck me!!!
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I don't think his height is why he isn't being picked and wasn't what I was referring to. Granted some clubs/coaches will be put off. But as has been pointed out, Messi is short, Maradonna was short. I was saying the reason is because they don't think he is good enough as a footballer.

If he really was being unfairly treated by Popa, there would be a queue of clubs lining up to sign him. It would be obvious to the whole world, not just yourself. Plenty of great footballers have won the JW medal. Also plenty of good footballers who haven't gone onto any other great heights as well. I hope you're right and he is the former, at this stage there isn't evidence of this.

Quick edit:
It will be really easy to see if he is as good as people speculate. If he went to Ross County and was the stand out player keeping them in the SPL. He didn't manage that, granted Scottish football might not suit him. So now he could be the standout player taking Roda back to the Eredivisie, then does it again to keep them up or gets picked up by a big club. If he truly is one of our best, it will be demonstrated.
 
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It should be pointed out that Messi was 13 years old when he was signed by Barcelona and at that stage no one knew how tall he was going to be. Maradona was 8 when he signed with Argentina Juniors and although everyone realised that he was short for his age, they still would not have known how tall he was going to be.
 
WhatAmIWatching said:
It should be pointed out that Messi was 13 years old when he was signed by Barcelona and at that stage no one knew how tall he was going to be. Maradona was 8 when he signed with Argentina Juniors and although everyone realised that he was short for his age, they still would not have known how tall he was going to be.
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Not trying to be THAT guy as I love them both as players, but Barcelona would have had some idea about Messi's height seeing as though they agreed to pay for the growth hormone treatment he needed?

As for Diego? Well he could have stayed 4 foot and any club on the planet would have still signed him....

 
Monoethnic Social Club said:
Not trying to be THAT guy as I love them both as players, but Barcelona would have had some idea about Messi's height seeing as though they agreed to pay for the growth hormone treatment he needed?

As for Diego? Well he could have stayed 4 foot and any club on the planet would have still signed him....

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wonder what our resident coaching analyst would say how left foot favoured he was and Messi might I add.
 
LFC said:
wonder what our resident coaching analyst would say how left foot favoured he was and Messi might I add.
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Being two footed is objectively better than favouring one foot. But as with any player, flaws in one area are compensated by strengths in another. Saying you don't need to worry about kids playing with both feet because Maradona didn't would be absurd. Maradona would come through any development pathway.
 
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