World Cup Qualification Thread for 2026 - Socceroos/Asia

[Keeper66]

Diego's right foot was only for standing on when he took a piss.... lol

I didn't realise his left foot was that talented ....

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I didn't realise his left foot was that talented ....

wouldn't surprise me if the bloke could unzip AND shake the drops out afterwards just with his left peg......

One and ONLY true football God.. RIP Diegito.

 

[LFC]

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.

CS, obviously what you say is absolutely valid and we all understand this BUT I tell you what absurd is alive.
Some flaws watched over at SAP/YL rep levels by some TD's are not given much rope nowadays, some TD's are that set in the ways what SUITS them some promising kids are turned away.
The individualist type another some TD's just don't want them, some perservere and try to coach it out of them.
Its what happens alot nowadays.

 

[Decentric]

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.

Don’t underestimate the second looks, LFC.

All pro coaches use video analyses to find out new info, or confirm what they already thought.

I have an open mind. I don’t have a POV, or agenda, to confirm.

ATM I’m thinking that a lot of ball they received as DMs- O’N, Teague and Yazbek - was played to them under intense opposition Squeezing pressure.

I could be correct? I could be wrong? I’ve seen all three DMs perform better in more time and space than against Japan and Saudi.

Also, some stats, I suspect accrued through AI, listed immediately after a game, are wrong. Sometimes to determine whether a pass is completed or not, takes a number of replays. Ditto a 1v1 outcome.

It is impossible to accurately verify these stats immediately at half time, or full time.

Commentators on the night claimed Japan won the 1v1s. I won’t know until evaluating the entire 90 mins?

Against Indo and the first game against Japan, both teams dominated 1v1s for the first 15-25 mins. Then Aus gained the ascendancy as the games progressed.

One phenomenon is that is if players can hold their own in 1v1s in the AL, they more than hold their own in international football.

Aus would need the 3 CBs and 2 DMs to be outmuscled to lose the 1v1s aggregate over 90 mins. This is very difficult to do against the Socceroos.

The Aus FBs will be dribbled around a bit by wingers, but Duke, Borrello and Metcalfe will have forced a lot of tough duels in 1v1s against opposition defenders.

However, I could be wrong. These 2 games could deviate from the norm.

Also, 1-3 players always throw up surprises.

 

[Decentric]

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.

Well said!

 

[grazorblade]

I was curious about height and the difference between south american and Uefa players. There is a difference, but height still seems to be an advantage in south america, with the vast majority of players who are short playing as fullbacks and wingers. Looking at the most recent starting xi's this is how many are 180cm or over

Argentina: 5
Columbia: 7
Brazil: 9
Paraguay: 6
Uruguay: 8

Interestingly, we are as short friendly as Argentina, the most short friendly country in the world. If I look the starting xi for city's grand final I get:

Melbourne city: 5

 

[Decentric]

Wouldn't have happened if they had been indoctrinated in the Dutch curriculum

Ha ha!

Very funny.

Except any coach education you’ve pursued in Aus since 2008 has been Dutch/French/Spanish in methodology.

You’ve previously waxed lyrical from what you’ve learned from Aus coach Ed!

It has had a strong Dutch component!

 

[Decentric]

I was curious about height and the difference between south american and Uefa players. There is a difference, but height still seems to be an advantage in south america, with the vast majority of players who are short playing as fullbacks and wingers. Looking at the most recent starting xi's this is how many are 180cm or over

Argentina: 5
Columbia: 7
Brazil: 9
Paraguay: 6
Uruguay: 8

Interestingly, we are as short friendly as Argentina, the most short friendly country in the world. If I look the starting xi for city's grand final I get:

Melbourne city: 5

Interesting, Grazor?

Brazil and Arg have been influenced by UEFA physicality.

 

[Decentric]

I was curious about height and the difference between south american and Uefa players. There is a difference, but height still seems to be an advantage in south america, with the vast majority of players who are short playing as fullbacks and wingers. Looking at the most recent starting xi's this is how many are 180cm or over

Argentina: 5
Columbia: 7
Brazil: 9
Paraguay: 6
Uruguay: 8

Interestingly, we are as short friendly as Argentina, the most short friendly country in the world. If I look the starting xi for city's grand final I get:

Melbourne city: 5

What was Victory’s no of 180cm players?

 

[grazorblade]

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!

I think for Gethin Jones Arnold really valued a long season. Australian players have a high mistake rate imo due to a shorter season. They also have lower match fitness. So even league 1 isn't amazing, playing for one of the top teams and getting 50 games a year was valuable to arnie. Not sure if we have a viable path to get to 30+ game seasons here...

 

[Keeper66]

Ha ha!

Very funny.

Except any coach education you’ve pursued in Aus since 2008 has been Dutch/French/Spanish in methodology.

You’ve previously waxed lyrical from what you’ve learned from Aus coach Ed!

It has had a strong Dutch component!

Umm, pretty sure I've never written on here (or on the old site) about Australian coach education, whether positive or negative. Certainly have never "waxed lyrical" about it. Happy to be proven wrong if you can find anything I have written anything about it though, but I'm quite sure I haven't.

 

[grazorblade]

I wasn't assuming you were, but others have made comments about his height being held against him, not that they agreed.

He might be a player who needs to play AL, which these days is a much more technical league than when it started. Nisbet was developing nicely and IMO was becoming a Socceroo asset. Neat passer and mover in tight spaces, closed down space really effectively and was mobile when the other team had the ball.

the more I understand scouting the more I think the scouting is going to be shallow unless you are an absolute top team that can afford a lot of scouts. There are zillions are players in the world and to scout a single player properly you need to watch 4 matches with the player maybe 4 times to do it properly. Then you rely on data like WyScout to fill in the gaps

so in that context it makes sense why most clubs that aren't elite are going to have some shallow rules of thumb in their scouting. Apparently no one could look past Nisbet's height. Dylan Leonard was also told by german clubs they have a minimum for height of cbs they are willing to look at of 185cm. He had to correct the record that he was actually 187cm!

 

[grazorblade]

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.

MLS definitely play a continental style these days, more similar to belgium than the championship but the quality is probably around Austrian bundesliga style

 

[grazorblade]

What was Victory’s no of 180cm players?

Victory had 7. More like an average south american, short friendly european nation (I looked at some heights of some uefa teams and you might get 1-2 below 180 sometimes)

 

[grazorblade]

Interesting, Grazor?

Brazil and Arg have been influenced by UEFA physicality.

yeah very difficult these days to be in control of your own style as UEFA clubs will choose players based on their tastes which will automatically affect the national team because most players selected are those with the best european careers

it is why I hope the expanded club world cups makes a step towards busting the european monopoly on elite club football

In any case, A legaue academies are likely to follow suit. The difference between two players who will perform similarly in the a league could be millions of dollars if one is more suited to european tastes

 

[Decentric]

Umm, pretty sure I've never written on here (or on the old site) about Australian coach education, whether positive or negative. Certainly have never "waxed lyrical" about it. Happy to be proven wrong if you can find anything I have written anything about it though, but I'm quite sure I haven't.

On 442 performance section you were thrilled with a goalkeeping course you did with a controversial coach educator I’ve done a lot with!

I’m pretty sure it was you.

Do the initials DM mean anything?

 

[Keeper66]

On 442 performance section you were thrilled with a goalkeeping course you did with a controversial coach educator I’ve done a lot with!

I’m pretty sure it was you.

Do the initials DM mean anything?

No, DM doesn't ring a bell. And I've never done a goalkeeping course.

 

[grazorblade]

Why I took a break from Australian football - Part 4: Media and discourse

"Maybe you're just complaining because you can, or in Australian football, it has somehow become the 'cool' thing to do." The fourth of a five-part series on why Christian Marchetti took a break from Australian football.

www.frontpagefootball.net

"But I'd also ask you: What exactly will make you happy? If you know what that is, no problem; I'm all ears. If you don't, maybe you're just complaining because you can, or in Australian football, it has somehow become the 'cool' thing to do."

Although what if what makes you happy is complaining about and overanalysing your favourite sport with mates

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Why I took a break from Australian football - Part 4: Media and discourse

"Maybe you're just complaining because you can, or in Australian football, it has somehow become the 'cool' thing to do." The fourth of a five-part series on why Christian Marchetti took a break from Australian football.

www.frontpagefootball.net

"But I'd also ask you: What exactly will make you happy? If you know what that is, no problem; I'm all ears. If you don't, maybe you're just complaining because you can, or in Australian football, it has somehow become the 'cool' thing to do."

Although what if what makes you happy is complaining about and overanalysing your favourite sport with mates

One persons criticism is another's teachable moment... If people here think that online criticism of Popa or any of the Roos players is fierce have a very rude awakening if they ever set foot outside this bubble...

 

[ashtongate]

On 442 performance section you were thrilled with a goalkeeping course you did with a controversial coach educator I’ve done a lot with!

I’m pretty sure it was you.

Do the initials DM mean anything?

Do you keep dossiers on everyone who has ever posted?