Jump to content

AFC qualification pathway to Russia 2018 World Cup

Pablo

By Pablo
in A-League & Asia

Recommended Posts

btron3000

btron3000

Posted
Posted

It's weird with Ange. He says stuff like 'we don't just want to qualify, we want to qualify in style' while we lie in 3rd place. The media seems to hold him up as some sort of visionary building a revolutionary project. Well at the moment we're doing worse in qualifying than under Pim!

 

 

But Ange won't get drilled for these bs selections and decisions. Everyone acts like he is the messiah. Is he going to be the first national coach to fail to qualify in Asia?

Forget winning in style ffs. This is WC Qualification. Its a results business. You don't get points for style. You win ugly and get the results you need.

Stop trying to revolutionise the national team when you're playing away in the Middle East and WC Qualification is on the ropes.

Very interesting points. Both Pim and Holger were roasted for not evolving the team as they qualified. Now we have a coach who is experimenting while qualifying, and the team is failing.

 

Ever since we've been in Asia we've paid lip service to the quality of the other teams. Everyone says "well these games are tough" but, apart from the difficult road trips, we always think we'll win and no-one expects us not to qualify.

 

Perhaps this is just another learning curve for us as a football nation. Most national teams have failed to qualify at some point. We have to learn that you can't go to Thailand or Iraq away and experiment. If you don't have enough friendlies to experiment, well do it for a home tie. Now we're probably going to have to go into the Thai game looking at goal difference (if we're even still in the race at that point) and that denies you a chance to experiment.

 

I guess Ange would say that he is trying to experiment and toughen up some of the players under the heat of qualifying. Well, they're feeling the heat now!

Link to comment
sonar

sonar

Posted
Posted

 

Said it on twitter, Ange has disrespected his opponents with his circus formation. We were lucky not to lose.

Yep and I said before the game even started that no defensive FBs and we'd be killed on the wings. Was so obvious to see ffs.

Caught got in the counter a tonne of times because our "wingers" were offensive minded and not wingbacks.

 

Stupid decision to try and play all our midfielders and 2 wingers that have done nothing for the national team for years.

How Kruse gets a start is beyond comprehension.

YOu could tell the back 3 didn't know where they were supposed to be. Their positioning was all over the place.

 

But Ange won't get drilled for these bs selections and decisions. Everyone acts like he is the messiah. Is he going to be the first national coach to fail to qualify in Asia?

Forget winning in style ffs. This is WC Qualification. Its a results business. You don't get points for style. You win ugly and get the results you need.

Stop trying to revolutionise the national team when you're playing away in the Middle East and WC Qualification is on the ropes.

 

 

I agree with the gist of what you are saying, but not with Kruse, I thought he was okay. I thought Jedinak was really slow at times and got caught on the counter when the attackers went past him and he couldn't keep up. I was surprised there was no Sainsbury or Burns in the starting squad. Our play out of defence was actually comical at times and looked C grade stuff. We gave the ball back to them so many times in our defensive third that in the end we were lucky not to concede more than the one goal.

 

There was a little bit of how the Wanderers are playing at times with the national team last night in that we had a lot of chances to put the game away in the first half and didn't. I'm usually pretty optomistic but I have a feeling that we may not be good enough to get direct qualification. Have to wait and see I guess.

Link to comment
btron3000

btron3000

Posted
Posted

Ange said he was going to pick on form. Yet Kruse who has had a handful of games for 12 months gets a start?

That is what I'm complaining about. Troisi should have started ahead of him based on current form, instead of getting 12 minutes.

Troisi was 100 times better than both Kruse and Leckie. Neither of them has a clue when they get into the box, Kruse does when he's been back from injury for a while and got his confidence back, but that is too rare. The squandering of Tomi's through ball was atrocious. Leckie got into the box twice in the second half in decent positions, one he was basically baring down on the 6 yard box, and both times he passed it to... no-one. SHOOT *****!

 

Jedinak - he must have some amazing leadership qualities because he is pish. Been saying for ******* ages that Milligan should be the fulcrum at the DM position. Fullbacks (when he plays them!) - pish.

 

This is a team that should be happy to qualify, and Ange wants them to outstrip the 06 team. Massive lols

Link to comment
SBW

SBW

Posted
Posted

Thank **** i didnt stay up to watch this garbage.

 

Watching the highlights on fox, I see us passing the ball around, Iraq then press, win the ball they go into quick transition of counter attack and almost score.

 

Seriously, this possession football crap needs to go. We are not ***** Barcelona ffs!

 

It cost teams win and the inability to shoot ***** is showing.

Link to comment
btron3000

btron3000

Posted
Posted

If we don't improve we are gonna get torn apart by the first team we play who can finish, i.e. Germany in the Confeds Cup. 

 

We are bang average and tbh I don't see which other players are gonna be able to change that. 

 

Apart from Baccus and Antonis.

Antonis would definitely add something. There is no-one in the team that is quality and stable at the same time. Mooy and Rogic have touches of magic but are mercurial. Jedinak is shite. And Milligan, while our best option at DM, does tend to make a mistake or two per game, sometimes in bad situations. Antonis would bring stability as well as a touch of class at the same time. Get him in there for the June games.

Link to comment
Gazmon

Gazmon

Posted
Posted

Thank **** i didnt stay up to watch this garbage.

 

Watching the highlights on fox, I see us passing the ball around, Iraq then press, win the ball they go into quick transition of counter attack and almost score.

 

Seriously, this possession football crap needs to go. We are not ***** Barcelona ffs!

 

It cost teams win and the inability to shoot ***** is showing.

 

Classic case of trying to fit players into a system, rather than base a system around what players you have. We just don't have the ability to play a possession based game.

 

That said, our original aim has always been draw away from home and win at home...

Link to comment
Paul01

Paul01

Posted
Posted

 

 

Thank **** i didnt stay up to watch this garbage.

 

Watching the highlights on fox, I see us passing the ball around, Iraq then press, win the ball they go into quick transition of counter attack and almost score.

 

Seriously, this possession football crap needs to go. We are not ***** Barcelona ffs!

 

It cost teams win and the inability to shoot ***** is showing.

Classic case of trying to fit players into a system, rather than base a system around what players you have. We just don't have the ability to play a possession based game.

 

That said, our original aim has always been draw away from home and win at home...

Japan😯😯😯😯
Link to comment
DCWSW

DCWSW

Posted
Posted

We don't know what sort of UAE team will turn up on Tuesday.

They're capable of beating Japan away, as they did earlier this campaign. But they were very average last night, and for some reason they're manager decided to bench many of their better players. Maybe they were being rested for Tuesday?

 

Omar was marked by Nagatomo pretty much all of last night and the Japanese full back did very very well to contain him. Omar wasn't in the game at all. Maybe Ange will get Milligan on him. If he's allowed to do his stuff we could be in some trouble.

 

2015 AFC Player of the year Ahmed Khalil was out 'injured' with calf problems but I reckon he'll be fit for Tuesday.

 

You just never know. It will be both a shock and no-surprise if we lose or draw on Tuesday.

Link to comment
Gazmon

Gazmon

Posted
Posted

Still plenty to go in the campaign. We could even end up outside the top 3 and miss out all together. Doubt we'd finish top, but you never know. Going to be very, very interesting.

Link to comment
DCWSW

DCWSW

Posted
Posted

Green socks in 

 

Referee AHMED ABU BAKAR AL KAF (OMAN) Assistant Referee 1 HAMED SULAIMAN AL MAYAHI (OMAN) Assistant Referee 2 ABU BAKAR AL-AMRI (OMAN) Fourth Official MAHMOOD SALIM SAID AL MAJARAFI (OMAN)


No Aussie refs involved in WCQ tomorrow night 

Link to comment
btron3000

btron3000

Posted
Posted

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/socceroos-coach-ange-postecoglou-wont-back-down-in-world-cup-qualifier-against-uae-20170327-gv793d.html

 

On the right path, or just stubborn?

 

I think Ange is mixing up the fans desire to hear past coaches say we could slay the big footballing nations with his current desire to play possession-based attacking football. There's not a Socceroos fan out there that thinks we are as good as Germany. But we still think we can hold them and perhaps beat them in a one-off game IF we get the tactics right.

 

Even the 06 team played with wing-backs if they went to three at the back, unless they were chasing the game. Normally they played 4 at the back. This team is not as good as them, playing 3 at the back away from home or against a big nation is suicide. If he plays 3 at the back without proper wing-backs against Germany at the Confed Cup it'll be 0-4 by halftime and he should lose his job for being stupid.

 

 

Link to comment
WestSyd

WestSyd

Posted
Posted

Ange has too many things going on all over the place imo. He should concentrate on just coaching the team, and forget about going on TV sports shows as a commentator or expert. Even to the point where he is giving opinions on other sports. Mixing the two doesn't work or well. Either concentrate on coaching or media.

 

Also I sense his whole game plan is based on his teams having the confidence to dominate possession. When it doesn't work out like that, both the players and coach end up looking very average. The last 3 or 4 games have been a case of 'false confidence'. We never earned the right to have it. You can count the players that play in the top leagues in Europe on one hand. Compare that to 10 years ago.

Link to comment
JackDoff

JackDoff

Posted
Posted

Ange has too many things going on all over the place imo. He should concentrate on just coaching the team, and forget about going on TV sports shows as a commentator or expert. Even to the point where he is giving opinions on other sports. Mixing the two doesn't work or well. Either concentrate on coaching or media.

Also I sense his whole game plan is based on his teams having the confidence to dominate possession. When it doesn't work out like that, both the players and coach end up looking very average. The last 3 or 4 games have been a case of 'false confidence'. We never earned the right to have it. You can count the players that play in the top leagues in Europe on one hand. Compare that to 10 years ago.

We've been gradually getting worse
Link to comment
GunnerWanderer

GunnerWanderer

Posted
Posted

Ange is doing a good job with what he has got, none of these players outside of rogic or mooy would be in a squad with the golden generation.

 

Should he be tweaking now? I I don't think this is the right question without context

Before last weeks game we have had 3 draws in a row should we be staying with the same that's not working?

 

People moan popa is tactical inflexible Ange tries something different and gets slaughtered.

 

Tonight they will deal with the long balls better (which was the real problem last game) and win I think and Ange will get to give it back to you all...

 

Maybe

 

But seriously he's never been one to appease the masses I'd rather die with him trying he has the runs on the board and doesn't have the cattle to do much

Link to comment
mack

mack

Posted
Posted

Wanting Popa to maybe think about once in a blue moon trying something with less than two defensive midfielders is a bit different to Ange trying an objectively crazy formation (four central midfielders, 3 central defenders, ultra attacking wing-forwards leaving our flanks unguarded), untried in world football, in vital World Cup Qualifers.

Link to comment
btron3000

btron3000

Posted
Posted

Yeah but it's a bit different playing at home. He tried it in a must win game away from home. 

 

I'd like to know why not one journo went through the tape and asked about the amount of decent chances Iraq created through simple balls to the wings. The only thing I've seen written until that article where Ange defended himself was Ange saying that they had to deal with long balls and that can be done by a back three as well as a back four. lol 

 

It's his "you get what you asked for" response that concerns me. Not "we have trained with that formation and were comfortable with it, there were some issues so if we continue to use it we'll tweak it" etc etc. His response shows an unwillingness to adjust his philosophy or tactics, at least publicly.

 

The connection to the young Socceroos and Foster debate is interesting. Ange always claimed the team wasn't good enough. Now he's got a team that is not good enough and he's trying to force them to play in a way that they are struggling with. Maybe his concerns about the past are impacting his current thinking too much?

Link to comment
btron3000

btron3000

Posted
Posted

So judge him after 2 games instead of 1

If doesn't produce tonight slaughter him at will

Well he's picked Smith tonight, so is he "compromising his beliefs"?

 

They're calling it 3-2-4-1 but Smith won't be anywhere near as far forward as Kruse was. And Sainsbury is in.

 

Bit different than Millsy at CB and Kruse on the left.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...