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♔ ♕ ♚ ♛ Australia U17/U20/U23 National Team Tournaments & Discussion Thread ♔ ♕ ♚ ♛

Richie said:

New Aussie shootout hero Steven Hall is born as Young Socceroos win under-20 Asian Cup.​


Led by inspirational player-of-the-tournament Alex Badolato and boosted at the death by the goalkeeping of Steven Hall, the team made up largely of teenagers, became the first Australian side to lift the continent’s junior crown in the tournament’s 66-year history.

How sweet it is.
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“The team made up largely of teenagers” - it is an under 20 tournament, what’s the team more likely to be made up of???
 
melbcityguy said:
Is Leonard better then kiki or espisto?
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Maybe not but relying on only 2 quality centre backs in a tournament is insane. I found all of our defenders would do silly things on the ball in build up and let the ball bounce too long. They've got to be tighter on that.

Appropriate changes were made at half time and Saudi went into the box but there wasn't much danger.
 
Must say I was impressed with all of Aus' opponents in the last 4 games I watched - China in the second half, Iraq, Japan and Saudi.

Saudi -

* players like Toure who burst through the other defences with pace, power and some excellent dribbling, and running with the ball, could not penetrate the Saudi defence. They always seemed to have players fast enough who could turn and chase and check him physically. Sometimes we were able to break through the middle in central attacking interplay against the other teams. We struggled against Saudi.

* Aus Defensive Transitions - so often when we lost the ball in a turnover, from just 1 missed tackle, or them intercepting, we struggled to organise ourselves in the 6 second transition from Ball Possession to Ball Possession Opposition quickly enough. Conversely, the Saudi Attacking Transitions were so quick, with either a long, lofted ball over the top, or a fast ball carrying Saudi bursting into our pen box.

*Our defenders had less pace without the ball, than the Saudis had with the ball. If we played long straight balls, I felt the Saudis more easily repelled them.

* Saudi outmuscled us in their defensive half. Physically stronger Saudi defenders shielded the ball, out-tackled, out-jostled and out-headed our attacking mids, wingers and forwards. At senior level, the Socceroos tend to hold their own in the attacking half, whilst they win the 1v1 physical duels in the defensive half. Toure and Jovanovic, and maybe Johnny Yull, held their own, but I thought Pearman, Quintal and Badalato lost a lot of hard ball duels.

In the defensive half Bennie, Okon, Deli, Kikianis, Esposito and Talidora won the majority of hard ball duels, which is to be expected.

AUs strengths -

* some really good patient build ups in the attacking half, with rhythm changes - fast, slow, fast, slow, fast, slow - in neat triangles and diamonds. After the 2010 South African World Cup, Berger and the FFA Tech Dept, analysed that Aus couldn't do this anywhere near as well as the world powerhouses. It has been an aim since to close the gap through the NC. The U 20s are more than closing the gap.

* Mental strength - always identified as having it, it is still there in spades, with the fight back against Iraq.

* Technical qualities - first touch, running with the ball, handling speed, 1v1 attacking skills -have all improved relative to the opposition. Although Youlley, Irankunda, Walatee, and Schreiber, weren't there , they, Okon, Bennie, Quintal, Deli, Toure and Jovanovic, pretty well match any Asian nations.
Grazor has suggested that our long passing isn't as good, and it may be true? Something to work on.

* Defensive organisation and cohesion was good.
 
WhatAmIWatching said:
ABC news online has a small article. ABC news radio at 6am had nothing. Cannot see it in The Age or The Guardian online either.
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It is just incredible the media ignoring football in Aus!

They all came out of the woodwork for the women's World Cup in Aus and NZ, but mainly to cover the Matildas.

Because so little Aus media covers football, I just can't convince any friends not interested in football, that winning an Asian title is a significant achievement. Then because there is so much European content in Aus football media, like all sorts of subscriptions constantly offered for UEFA leagues on streaming services, whilst only those who watch Ten have any idea Aus football is significant.
 
NoMates said:
I wouldn't put any of those players near this team, they stuck there noses up at joining the squad as if there were to good to play in it so why reward them with a world cup spot if they think there $hit don't stink?
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Did they refuse?

I thought clubs held them back?
 
melbcityguy said:
Is Leonard better then kiki or espisto?
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After having a good look at Esposito in the u20 Asian Cup, I think Leonard is much better from what I've seen of him in the AL for Western U. I've seen him play a lot too.

Although Leonard has displaced Kane Vidmar in Western U, although he might be too old, I think he is also better than Esposito - who made quite a few mistakes.

Vidmar is a superb last line, clean tackler in pressure situations in the pen box and a good distributor.

Thought Kikiani was superb - making very few mistakes. For mine Kikianis, Bennie, Okon and Hall, were our best players. Toure was until the Saudi game.

Very impressed with Deli too. Loved that thunderous tackle with a perfect left foot body shape on the correct foot that up-ended Al Shamari - who bullied our attacking players all game - until that crunching Deli tackle which earned a yellow. That softened the cocky Al Shamari up and would have hurt as he went flying up high in the air, going bottom over nipple!

I think Deli has really fast handling speed in short passing and moving sequences in tight spaces too.
 
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NoMates said:
Irankunda and the former Bris Roar kid Both said no so they can play club football.
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Sometimes a few players don't progress as long term pros after underage World Cups.

For some of the Aus under 20s in China, it will be the biggest stage in their entire pro careers.

To play a couple of extra games in a club career, where they might play 200-400 senior club games, compared to a significant intra-continental tournament is a massive mistake!

For the World Cup under 20 comp, do the selectors select the refusers? Or stick to the players who helped them qualify for the World Cup?

IMO opinion, and I've had a good look at these players either in the AL, or playing for the under 23s Aus team, Leonard, Irankunda, Eames, Youlley, De Jesus, Waddingham, will create a much stronger team and more depth.

There are others like Pavlevic I have not seen yet. I have not seen much of Di Pizio either.

I think I've been told Kasey Bos, Walatee and Matthews are too old?

A few younger players should ask Harry Souttar and Martin Boyle how their lives have changed from being solely Scottish league players, and then having the opportunity of playing on the international stage - WCQs, Asian Cups, World Cups?
 
Quicky said:
Makes sense for Irankunda to stay with Grasshoppers given he just transferred there and was going to be a starter.
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In another few years, he will probably have wished he went to the Asian Cup under 20s.

They will seem like just a few other club games.
 
Decentric said:
Did they refuse?

I thought clubs held them back?
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It was one of those stupid back and forths which should have been clarified up to a year before because it was obvious it was coming.

Irankunda and his arrangements languishing in the German 4th tier. Then Circati and the same crap Parma pulled with Bresciano and Grella. It's not bad that the clubs said no but more we didn't seem to try and arrange it enough and the players expressed something of an indifference too. It was bad relationship building. If I remember correctly Bos was eligible too.
 
Quicky said:
Makes sense for Irankunda to stay with Grasshoppers given he just transferred there and was going to be a starter.
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Thankfully water under a bridge now but next season we've got to ensure Bayern will release him. I don't know if clubs are obliged to. This is a FIFA tournament after all. Irankunda should be loaned out again and we have to ensure the absolute best squad for this.

Hopefully the Socceroos have qualified as October 10 is the first game for AFC round 4 and this overlaps with the U20 WC starting September 27.
 
With all the discussion about Robertson and Volpato playing for Aus, from what I've seen of Youlley ( although not in China), Okon and Deli, I couldn't care a less whether they want to play for Aus!

One can add Teague too, if he wants to play for China.

Okon has all the ball skills of father Paul, but is already a better ball winner than Paul senior was. Plus Junior Okon reads the play superbly. His progress in the last year has been staggering!

Youlley is outstanding too.

Deli has the skills of Valadon, in maintaining the ball under very little time and space. He is also a hard man - short in stature, very stocky and muscular, and a great ball winner.

I've only seen Robertson for one Socceroo friendly, Teague a lot for Melb Vic, and have never seen Volpato, but they will all have to be the best midfielders in Aus history to be superior to the younger guys as they peak, plus adding O'Neill, Baccus, Niew, Hollman, Yazbek, et al, and Caceres (improving very late in his career).
 
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JS96 said:
It was one of those stupid back and forths which should have been clarified up to a year before because it was obvious it was coming.

Irankunda and his arrangements languishing in the German 4th tier. Then Circati and the same crap Parma pulled with Bresciano and Grella. It's not bad that the clubs said no but more we didn't seem to try and arrange it enough and the players expressed something of an indifference too. It was bad relationship building. If I remember correctly Bos was eligible too.
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What a shame!
 
Craig Moore was sacked by Rangers ( I think?) for playing in the Olympics.

Moore said outside the World Cup, the Olympics were the greatest experience of his playing career.

It came up all the time in coaching courses, that what holds England and Scotland back, is thinking their own leagues are the epicentre of world football. That playing in almost any comp outside their domestic leagues players will learn nothing that can't be learned by staying with the club.

It is why Gareth Southwell was successful as English coach - he looked a lot outside England for coaching ideas - and he sought advice from other sports.
 
grazorblade said:
Graham Arnold said this too that our young players need to get in the gym

do a league clubs not require this of their youngsters?
A league clubs should try and build gyms as an extra revenue source and a way to develop players

our players always look scrawny the first two years they move to europe
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Having my first look at Serie A for years, watching Lazio, Empoli, Roma and Inter Milan, there are too many tall, big lumps, in those teams.

It is getting the balance right. There were many excess kilograms - which doesn't enhance nimbleness.

Football is mainly played on the ground.
 
Look id like to see the best squad selected for the up coming U20 world cup, I do understand why some players miss out whether it be injury or selection based on current performance I get that. If Waddingham etc are better than what there is and makes himself available i dont have mush of a problem with it - i just dont like to see these kids that got us there (To the U20 WC) get snubbed just because another guy is playing/bench warming in Europe and wanted nothing to do with qualifying.
 
Just reading the posts above:
1. If the club does not release the player, then we can't hold the player responsible.
2. Official FIFA windows are the only times that players must be released by clubs if required to do national duties.
3. The comment about people management by FA needs to be considered because Robertson is on the record as saying that FA pissed him off (summary).
4. Irankunda may well have opted to stay in Europe because he wanted to establish himself at Grasshoppers. He has already worn the Socceroos jumper so he is more likely to be called into the NT. I can accept that.
 
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