World Cup Qualification Thread for 2026 - Socceroos/Asia

[RIMB]

Forgive me for sounding all doom and gloom, but I'm still not optimistic about the Socceroos qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Sure, the 5-1 drubbing of Indonesia was a good result, which keeps us in second spot (for now), but the next three qualifiers are very hard games, China away, Saudi Arabia away, and Japan at home.

Anyone else feel the same way?

I don't feel the same but it is easy to see where you are coming from.

I think we are playing a different style of football under Popa and it is having an effect. We may still bomb out of qualification, but I am now hopeful of continuing improvement where before we did not seem to have any promise in our future.

I am expecting us to beat China and even ridiculously optimistic about getting something out of the Japan game - purely because I have regained some belief in our green and gold strip under Popa.

 

[JS96]

I'm looking forward to seeing the new Triantis.

Gee, this forum has talked him up. ATM he sounds like the best player in Europe, just Popa doesn't know. LOL! Has he improved as much as the fans think? I've seen limited minutes.

This occurs from time to time.

Many years ago Rhys Williams was a fan favourite, who struggled to get a Socceroo game. When he did, he got about 4 caps.

ATM Robertson is another fan favourite, not to mention Volpato.

Then forums have Socceroo scapegoats. Jade North was one, and Brett Holman was until he started scoring goals.

Behich is another scapegoat for a few. Popa thought only he and Ryan had good all round games last night, apart from the scorers of goals. Ryan is another current scapegoat for a few too.

Triantis has been excellent and this is a point that Australia and Hibs fans strongly agree on. Once again it's the frustration that we have players doing great things at club level and not even getting a chance for the national team. I get managers have their own system but when the performance by the chosen players is constantly bad, we want change. we got the result last night but it was a rough performance in possession.

Thankfully Behich was much more aggressive last night but he offered nothing offensively and after the first 40min he just faded off. I guess we were winning so he didn't have to.

Rhys Williams was basically an invalid with his career threatening injuries.

 

[JS96]

The equation is minimally favourable being 1 point ahead and having very good GD. It means we have to lose to be pegged back. Saudi have Japan away then Bahrain away the host Australia. It'll come down to the final game. If we have a 2 point advantage it's as meaningless as 1 or zero as a defeat sees us jumped.

 

[Decentric]

Behich isn't a 'scapegoat' - he has been a major stifling factor in our poor left sided attacking performances for sometime now. He regularly converted promising attacks into back passes, and he has a tendency to run into the space where our left forward player normally does their own best work but wouldn't pass to them when they looked to run into that space themselves.

I do not think a dislike of his influence on games over the last few years is an unfair criticism of him.

He has always been a bulldog in the defensive side of the ledger which is a positive.

Last night it looked to me like he had an unusual good all round game as has been noted by others. Good to see.

I would go so far as to say maybe his play up until now has been corrupted by the fear of losing that Arnie generated in the team and he has changed under Popa - but one good game does not a Summer make.

One thing though - it is necessary to mention the difference between Behich the poor game influencer and Behich the player who bleeds green and gold. Nothing questionable about his commitment or attitude to the shirt.

There was another thread where one very experienced and respected poster on G and G, thought Behich was a shocking player. To his credit he went back in games, listing lots of specific actions where he thought were indiv mistakes from Behich. Others agreed, wanting Bos instead.

I was adamant they were wrong, but, could they all be correct?

I looked at one replay, where there were ostensibly issues elucidated with Behich, listing actions at specific times. Found the complete opposite. Behich was playing well for mine, and apart from one mistake, I thought he made good decisions ( which he usually does) and I concluded we are very lucky to have him. H e is experienced and his body still holds together.

Also, when Goodwin, Irvine and Behich play on the left, their chemistry and collective football nous as a unit, exceeds their individual ability.

In the same video, I identified another popular current Socceroo, Strain, having a lot of issues at RB. It surprised me.

 

[JS96]

There was another thread where one very experienced and respected poster on G and G, thought Behich was a shocking player. To his credit he went back in games, listing lots of specific actions where he thought were indiv mistakes from Behich. Others agreed, wanting Bos instead.

I was adamant they were wrong, but, could they all be correct?

I looked at one replay, where there were ostensibly issues elucidated with Behich, listing actions at specific times. Found the complete opposite. Behich was playing well for mine, and apart from one mistake, I thought he made good decisions ( which he usually does) and I concluded we are very lucky to have him. H e is experienced and his body still holds together.

Also, when Goodwin, Irvine and Behich play on the left, their chemistry and collective football nous as a unit, exceeds their individual ability.

In the same video, I identified another popular current Socceroo, Strain, having a lot of issues at RB. It surprised me.

Yeah that was me. Behich and his stupid backpasses and killing off any potential move forward. The entire team did this in the first 25min last night. Thankfully they got into better gear after that. The issue with Behich is he's hoarded the position for years off the back of a terrible line of left backs winning the power vacuum.

Elder always had a niggle before a window and came in once and Arnold fobbed him off on a sort of group suitability and he preferred King. Gersbach made his own mistakes but should've been given more of a go. Bos and Farrell are the future and if fit need to be played. For me Behich needed to take a squad role post 2019 Asian Cup.

Strain still had other games where he did well. He's decent amongst a poor bunch at right back. We won't see him again though as Popovic won't look at him. It's disappointing but not a crucial loss.

 

[JS96]

Christ though. Goodwin is brilliant, Irvine does his things. Imagine however Bos, Goodwin and Triantis and then Robertson linking up.

We're simply not picking our best. We got results but it was the same stomping around performance with very few cohesive moments. Just imagine we could look with the better brains out there.

It's inevitable which is exciting. The play and goals by our youth teams is something we've been asking for for years.

 

[patjennings]

Unpopular opinion noting the Popa love-fest currently taking place.

If not for a Ryan worldly of a save and a shit indo pen takers, this game could have been alot different.

Sitting back and inviting pressure almost blew up in our face again. Great we were so clinical, but its pretty embarrassing we have to concede possession to Indonesia and hit on the counter, as a game plan.

This - especially since we are rarely clinical.

 

[Decentric]

Triantis has been excellent and this is a point that Australia and Hibs fans strongly agree on. Once again it's the frustration that we have players doing great things at club level and not even getting a chance for the national team. I get managers have their own system but when the performance by the chosen players is constantly bad, we want change. we got the result last night but it was a rough performance in possession.

Thankfully Behich was much more aggressive last night but he offered nothing offensively and after the first 40min he just faded off. I guess we were winning so he didn't have to.

Rhys Williams was basically an invalid with his career threatening injuries.

I just don't rate the Scottish league, now I've had a look at plenty of Cup games.

Conversely, I think Celtic play fantastic football. Rangers are quality too.

It can't be just lots of bad days, because the rest of the Scottish clubs just don't play modern football. The players don't appear to be coached effectively to support the ball carriers.

Boyle and Miller from Hibs, for mine, ATM, are two of the Socceroos weakest players - and- the only Scottish players selected, besides teammate Triantis. Popa has selected more AL players than from Scotland.

I was pleased to see Grazor make the point , that Irvine is a fantastic player off the ball. This often goes unnoticed. I've unfairly highlighted his two touch passing having slow handling speed. True. He more than makes up for this in so many other ways though. It would be difficult to replace him. He has played every minute of this season's Bundesliga.

Popa thought his two best players were Behich and Ryan against Indo.

 

[mkxx]

Not really.

Should we get the win over China on Tuesday (or at least a point) and Japan beat Saudi we're in a very good position to either qualify directly or via the playoffs.

As is I'm not particularly concerned by the Japan game in Perth.as I wouldn't be particularly surprised if Japan send over a second string team as they'll have all but locked in qualification and the top spot if they beat Saudi on Tuesday.

If it comes down to the last game. The ref will give the Saudis a pen or a red card to our players.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

In regards to Nectar, I think his promotion up the field at Hibs has unleashed a part of his game that was contained. He was always decent at running the ball up field with CCM, but his position in the backline meant he was restricted in when he could do it. Now he has less responsibilty to the back line

I see Robertson in the same vien as as Nisbet, and Caceres, actual ball distributing number 10's. Although I'm not on the hype train, I am interested to see if he can perform, noting his pedigree ( Man city trained, was instrumental in Portsmouth's promotion to League 1, helping carry Cardiff out of religation.

I don't see Behich as a scapegoat, but I do see him clogging up a position. Right now we have Bos and Farrell (when they are fit) coming through. Both are better than Behich, but Behich is kept around I take it for experience. I think the points valid. What isn't valid is Popa's substitutions 3 up, 4 up is the time to take of the old leg and try new blood, not Popa though. He'd rather put Degenek on, then trial Trewin.

If you are expecting Popa to play a "ball playing #10" you may be waiting while mate ....

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I don't feel the same but it is easy to see where you are coming from.

I think we are playing a different style of football under Popa and it is having an effect. We may still bomb out of qualification, but I am now hopeful of continuing improvement where before we did not seem to have any promise in our future.

I am expecting us to beat China and even ridiculously optimistic about getting something out of the Japan game - purely because I have regained some belief in our green and gold strip under Popa.

Very much this ... gotta say hats off to Popa ... it wasnt pretty to watch but he managed to beat a low block with, well, a low block. He brought in Goodwin to focus on set pieces/corners and it worked...

The Indos where just awful technically (their Dutchie ringins aside) and a lucky penalty miss countered a dodgy call int the first place but we gave them the back for the first 20 mins and despite all the pressure we just soaked it up .... Its a very strange match to explain, not often you get a 5-1 win and your best players is the goalie.....

 

[Decentric]

Yeah that was me. Behich and his stupid backpasses and killing off any potential move forward. The entire team did this in the first 25min last night. Thankfully they got into better gear after that. The issue with Behich is he's hoarded the position for years off the back of a terrible line of left backs winning the power vacuum.

I think we have to credit Indo with such superb Full Pressing and intensive Squeezing.

We constantly had to back pass, because Aus players were receiving with the incorrect body shape to play forwards. Indo's co-ordinated gegenpressing, with many of them playing in the Eredvisie, was high quality.

Our off the ball players weren't moving quickly enough into space to shake their Indo markers, or, weren't checking ( feinting one way and moving in another to shake a marker) effectively enough to open diagonal passing lanes, so a Socceroo could have effective body position to receive and play forwards.

I reiterate, that Arie Schans and Ad Derkson, KNVBstaff coaches, dispelled the myth that it is the fault of the player on the ball, where it is passed to. They did this in 2008 in Aus, coaching all the AL youth coaches.

It i s incumbent on the players off the ball to support the ball carrier, by opening diagonal passing lanes to have effective body shape to play forwards.

Indo were almost as good as Japan in Pressing and Squeezing. Irvine said they did it for the entire 90 mins, which was almost unprecedented for it to occur in a home game in Aus against Asian opposition.

Once Indo become experienced as a team unit, and have more cohesion in their defensive pen box, they will be an Asian powerhouse. The Eredivisie is the 6th ranked league in Europe!

6 of the Indo players play in it (I think - courtesy of Quicky) and 1 plays in Serie A, plus 2 play in the Championship.

 

[Barca4life]

Half an hour into the replay and I think we are completely dominant to be honest

don't look at possession stats. Without the ball we rarely press high and we seem content to sit back unless there is a pressing trigger. I think the pressing trigger is if the goal keeper touches it - poppa must have identified that indonesia's goal keeper isn't safe with his feet or something. Then we will rush with a 5 man press and the other five denfending in our own half. We weren't even pressing up to the half way line, we were content to sit back in a deep block as they passed the ball round the back four

We also are very fast and positive with the ball. This means more mistakes and turnovers but also more chances

Despite Irvine's comments this is not a game plan where you get 70% possession, it is a game plan where you concede possession.

Miller and Geria very strong so far for different reasons. A lot of attacks start through geria and millers mobility and strength off the ball blunting indonesia is blunting them. Despite all indonesia's possession they are looking toothless whereas we look constantly dangerous.

Since they missed a penalty maybe a 5-2 score is fair, but it definitely looks like a flogging on the replay

I also missed on first viewing that taggart got the assist for vellupilay's goal with a very nice chip

You think Indonesia made us sit back? There press was quite good and they kept the ball quite well.

Im not sure if it was deliberate but the space it gave for our attackers which was beneficial for us.

 

[huddo]

If you are expecting Popa to play a "ball playing #10" you may be waiting while mate ....

I have worked out it ain't gunna happen, just means going behind, I have to come to terms with the fact we won't have a plan B.

 

[Barca4life]

I think we have to credit Indo with such superb Full Pressing and intensive Squeezing.

We constantly had to back pass, because Aus players were receiving with the incorrect body shape to play forwards. Indo's co-ordinated gegenpressing, with many of them playing in the Eredvisie, was high quality.

Our off the ball players weren't moving quickly enough into space to shake their Indo markers, or, weren't checking ( feinting one way and moving in another to shake a marker) effectively enough to open diagonal passing lanes, so a Socceroo could have effective body position to receive and play forwards.

I reiterate, that Arie Schans and Ad Derkson, KNVBstaff coaches, dispelled the myth that it is the fault of the player on the ball, where it is passed to. They did this in 2008 in Aus, coaching all the AL youth coaches.

It i s incumbent on the players off the ball to support the ball carrier, by opening diagonal passing lanes to have effective body shape to play forwards.

Indo were almost as good as Japan in Pressing and Squeezing. Irvine said they did it for the entire 90 mins, which was almost unprecedented for it to occur in a home game in Aus against Asian opposition.

Once Indo become experienced as a team unit, and have more cohesion in their defensive pen box, they will be an Asian powerhouse. The Eredivisie is the 6th ranked league in Europe!

6 of the Indo players play in it (I think - courtesy of Quicky) and 1 plays in Serie A, plus 2 play in the Championship.

I hope they make the World Cup because they looking like they building something to get them there otherwise I can’t imagine the reaction from their fans if they don’t make it given the naturalisation process they have taken.

 

[Decentric]

I hope they make the World Cup because they looking like they building something to get them there otherwise I can’t imagine the reaction from their fans if they don’t make it given the naturalisation process they have taken.

I think I've read that Muz attended live.

Who else did?

It seemed on TV that there were more Indo supporters at the game, who were more vocal than Socceroo supporters.

I either heard on TV last night, or read a G and G poster, that a strong Indo will be great for friendlies for Aus. This is a good point - only about 5-6 hours flight away!

With so many Indo supporters last night in a crowd of 35 000, why did so few Socceroo supporters attend in Sydney?

 

[huddo]

I hope they make the World Cup because they looking like they building something to get them there otherwise I can’t imagine the reaction from their fans if they don’t make it given the naturalisation process they have taken.

Talk about zero to 100 in 4 years. 3 years ago they lost to Afghanistan twice....

 

[huddo]

I think I've read that Muz attended live.

Who else did?

It seemed on TV that there were more Indo supporters at the game, who were more vocal than Socceroo supporters.

I either heard on TV last night, or read a G and G poster, that a strong Indo will be great for friendlies for Aus. This is a good point - only about 5-6 hours flight away!

With so many Indo supporters last night in a crowd of 35 000, why did so few Socceroo supporters attend in Sydney?

Sporting saturation. Unless it means something, most of sydney won't turn up, next time put it in Newcastle you'll get 33k and it will be more of a spectacle.

 

[Lupi]

wouldn't surprise me if Japan conspire to get the Socceroos eliminated

they still remember "forever in our shadow"

 

[huddo]

wouldn't surprise me if Japan conspire to get the Socceroos eliminated

they still remember "forever in our shadow"

Why the fuck do japan care about us? Besides if they did it's now East over West. Oz backs Japan