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Poppa Out

Obviously waaaay too early and I'm not AT ALL suggesting it... yet... but young Haine Eames (16) at the Mariners is going to be an amazing player. Very classy midfielder who may well be banging on the Socceroos door by the end of the season. Perhaps more realistically... if we do make WC2026, he'd be my dark horse to make the squad.

Yet another CCM won't keep for long.
 
Mr Cleansheets said:
Obviously waaaay too early and I'm not AT ALL suggesting it... yet... but young Haine Eames (16) at the Mariners is going to be an amazing player. Very classy midfielder who may well be banging on the Socceroos door by the end of the season. Perhaps more realistically... if we do make WC2026, he'd be my dark horse to make the squad.

Yet another CCM won't keep for long.
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A lot of composure when he scored.
 
Quicky said:
Lucks an excuse. When you set-up the team the way Popovic has scoring will be difficult. The results are predictable. He needs to find a better defensive/offensive balance.
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Our esteemed former IS poster, Arthur, posted an article a few years back, where a renowned football journo/author claimed that in every football game 40% of the game outcome has a 40% luck component, Q.

One that has favoured the Socceroos looking at match replays, is some refs have called offsides against the opposition who've split the Socceroos defence, particularly in home WCQs in Aus, and the replay has shown they were onside. I reckon we were lucky with the disallowed Saudi goal in extra time too.
 
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Decentric said:
Our esteemed former IS poster, Arthur, posted an article a few years back, where a renowned football journo/author claimed that in every football game 40% of the game outcome has a 40% luck component, G.

One that has favoured the Socceroos looking at match replays, is some refs have called offsides against the opposition who've split the Socceroos defence, particularly in home WCQs in Aus, and the replay has shown they were onside. I reckon we were lucky with the disallowed Saudi goal in extra time too.
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The Saudi offside is a good example of luck favouring us but I'd argue that evens out over time.

My admittedly biased view is that we have been on the receiving end of those calls more often than the beneficiaries. I feel we often get harshly reffed as we aren't liked in Asia.

My point was driving at the teams current set-up which is so heavily defensive. It doesn't provide a lot of room to create scoring opportunities. It doesn't support that mindset. The scoring opportunities to me seem low percentage and low quality.

That isn't surprising with 5 defenders, 2 of which are defensively minded wing backs, 2 defensive mids and a centre forward who is picked as much to press as any scoring qualities he has.

I actually think that is so counter intuitive to the Australian sporting psyche that it's damaging.

I don't mind the defensive posture as it suits our players and has merit against Asian heavy weights, the issues of travel time/jetlag, and the lightening counter attacks from the smaller Asian nations.

I want to see balance though. If we play this way we need to create higher quality opportunities so our strikers have an easier time of it / better chance of finishing. To do that I believe we need to support them with stronger technicians in midfield. We need to counter attack with more conviction when we do decide to go.

We have the players to set-up like that if we want.
 
Quicky said:
The Saudi offside is a good example of luck favouring us but I'd argue that evens out over time.

My admittedly biased view is that we have been on the receiving end of those calls more often than the beneficiaries. I feel we often get harshly reffed as we aren't liked in Asia.
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I agree with you, but I wonder if I'm biased?

We've recently had some offside calls going our way, but in general I feel like Middle East refs in particular let players hack our forwards with no sanction, whereas our defenders seem to barely breathe on the opposition attackers and we cede free kicks and cards.

Eas Asian refs are far more impartial - IMO.

It would be interested to hear the views of an experienced ref like Muz?

As I've compiled 1v1 stats v Asian teams, we tend to dominate in any given game, particularly in body on body duels. When it comes to speed over the turf and being dribbled around, the opposition have much more success against Aus. Maybe refs inadvertently favour other teams?
 
I don't think this will be popular but I wouldn't mind seeing a change from Popovic prior to our pre WC friendlies. Bring in Muscat.
 
Quicky said:
I don't think this will be popular but I wouldn't mind seeing a change from Popovic prior to our pre WC friendlies. Bring in Muscat.
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Is this just a pie in the sky hope?

Based solely on his results Popa could take a shit on the harbour bridge and likely still keep his job heading into this world cup
 
I simply can't get behind something like this even with Triantis lost. Don't want a 2018 WC repeat with a stale new system. We do have time compared to back then though.
 
onedaywinners... said:
Is this just a pie in the sky hope?

Based solely on his results Popa could take a shit on the harbour bridge and likely still keep his job heading into this world cup
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Pie in the sky. Venting a bit. But I don't like the way Popovic has set up this team. I'd like to see a coach with a better defensive/attacking balance. I want someone who doesn't ostracise his players.
 
I think there is a large part of me that almost has accepted we need this World Cup as a mechanism of getting rid of Popovic - with the focus being 2030 when all our best young talent are 5 years older.

I of course don't want us to perform poorly at the big dance BUT it may be our best bet of booting this fool and not wasting this clearly talented playing group!
 
Quicky said:
Pie in the sky. Venting a bit. But I don't like the way Popovic has set up this team. I'd like to see a coach with a better defensive/attacking balance. I want someone who doesn't ostracise his players.
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Yes Popovic qualified - I'm pretty sure Arnold would have as well. But Popovic only knows one way to play and it will not work against the better teams in the World Cup. When Ange got 0 points at the World Cup I was pissed off because he can only play one way, but at least it was exciting. I can see another 0 points but worse dire football as well.

Arnold may never have been the most flambouyant manager but Popovic's teams are awful to watch.
 
I would honestly take Aloisi over Popa at this point.

At the moment I’m pissed that Popa justifies picking Brattan and Caceres over Triantis and Balard, but it’s actually a bigger issue causing longer-term problems for us beyond even Popa’s tenure i.e. I get that Popa is focussed on short-term results, but a player like Triantis could have had a 10+ year national team career with the Socceroos, and now that opportunity is gone due to a short-sighted manager who will ultimately be a blip in the history books of Socceroos managers.

Popa doesn’t get that this is bigger than him. He’s just another Holger tbh.
 
We need a coach that will be open minded to getting our best players available, both Arnie and now Popa have shown they will pick favorites to fit their own system which doesnt necessarily mean they are the best players that are available.

Ideally you have a TD they will work together with the national team coach in doing this as the coach tends to do it’s own thing, as international football you can’t pick and choose given how competitive it is out there so you need a collaborative approach.

See counties like Morocco in how they have done it they got in a TD and national coach working together and targeted their strong dispora of players and made a semi final of the World Cup as a result.

Can we win the World Cup unlikely but can we make a possible deep run and go further than the last World Cup, well it depends on how strong the national team can be in terms of who is the best available out there, if we don’t try then will not know.
 
Barca4life said:
We need a coach that will be open minded to getting our best players available, both Arnie and now Popa have shown they will pick favorites to fit their own system which doesnt necessarily mean they are the best players that are available.

Ideally you have a TD they will work together with the national team coach in doing this as the coach tends to do it’s own thing, as international football you can’t pick and choose given how competitive it is out there so you need a collaborative approach.

See counties like Morocco in how they have done it they got in a TD and national coach working together and targeted their strong dispora of players and made a semi final of the World Cup as a result.

Can we win the World Cup unlikely but can we make a possible deep run and go further than the last World Cup, well it depends on how strong the national team can be in terms of who is the best available out there, if we don’t try then will not know.
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We won't try them and are a big chance of not making the 32 unless Popovic looks at who is available. Forget that Brattan was preferred over Triantis. If he wanted to pick an older player Luongo younger than Brattan and had made himself available
 
Some of the other comments have reminded me about the sickening favouritism and arrogance Popovic has displayed. Yes, he got results but the Japan win masks a grave situation. Interesting would've been the Indonesia game had they converted the penalty.
 
In defence of Popa, consider this? He is easily the most successful coach we have had in an Aus WCQ campaign in Asia. Or at least the most successful Aussie domestic coach.

Pim got Aus through as third team to qualify for SA in 2010. Even then some in the Aus media and fans criticised Pim's team 's playing style.

Popa has been more successful as a WCQing campaign coach compared to Ange and Arnie, who had to qualify through play offs. Popa has been more successful than Holger or Guus, who only joined the Oceania WCQ campaign late.

5 wins and 3 draws in 8 games, is pretty astonishing. We have had a share of good fortune, but it appears illogical to call for Popa's replacement, given his results and the team improvement.

Re style, when Popa was coach of Melb Vic, in Possession they often played a 4-3-3 attacking midfield triangle. Teague was the sole DM screener. Then later as he introduced Valadon, MV played a 4-3-3 defensive midfield triangle with 2 DM screeners. JV became the deep lying playmaker.

In many games I've seen them play under Popa, MV dominated possession and territory, but struggled to convert goals. They appeared profligate around goal as a team unit.
 
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