Socceroos vs Cameroon/ Curaçao March 2026 🇦🇺🇨🇲🇨🇼

[grazorblade]

watching the replay

the first 10 minutes were excellent and metcalf, who i criticized, had 4 neat passes forward under pressure

After that we go through a period where every possession we only have a few passes because we are trying to get a killer ball straight away which leads to a period where cameroon are back in the game because they get to dominate possession for a while

then a lot of conservative backwards passing, probably to settle things

it feels like we need a general out there, we struggle to get the balance right either being too positive or too negative and there aren't a lot of periods of sustained attacking pressure in the first half from us

 

[JS96]

Most capped player had 15 caps. Kofane from Leverkusen started but was ineffective. Team lists below show the club next to the name. It isn't really a team to help keep us honest.

Australia - Cameroon 1:0

WORLD: FIFA Series - Group Stage

www.flashscore.com

 

[grazorblade]

Most capped player had 15 caps. Kofane from Leverkusen started but was ineffective. Team lists below show the club next to the name. It isn't really a team to help keep us honest.

Australia - Cameroon 1:0

WORLD: FIFA Series - Group Stage

www.flashscore.com

Their xi was worth 35 million and ours 23 million, so i think it was nothing to sneeze at

Step down from our group stage opponents but step up from most asian opponents

 

[JS96]

Their xi was worth 35 million and ours 23 million, so i think it was nothing to sneeze at

Step down from our group stage opponents but step up from most asian opponents

Watching some of their play they're definitely talented. More flair than the Romanian side last night but a bigger hit out would be against someone a bit higher. The Croatia Colombia friendly is another world.

Cameroon's team is very fresh currently so they're learning themselves.

 

[JS96]

15min and I already have a tonne of notes! It'll be in the analysis thread. I'll have chatgpt break it all down by player too and I'll proof read it for clarity.

 

[JS96]

I'll go early on this. Our World Cup back 3 should be Herrington-Burgess-Circati. Even if Souttar is back.

i reckon we have to start Herrington against Mexico and then we'll know that bit more. He'll build so many brownie points that we won't be as bothered when we concede unless it's something disastrous. I feel that because Miller started out as dodgy and costly, his lapses look more criminal and it's harder to redeem himself.

 

[JS96]

I love How Matt Ryan plays the ball quickly. He is the only one keeping me awake.

His distribution has always been class despite what people say. One missed throw and he's suddenly bad but he's already looking for options.

 

[patjennings]

I guess rowles and geria have the fact they cover wing back working in their favour to be number 5 and 6 in the cb rankings

Not sure why that counts in rowles favour rather than elders....

Elder was injured this time again - but I really don't rate Geria any more.

 

[Bbouy]

i reckon we have to start Herrington against Mexico and then we'll know that bit more. He'll build so many brownie points that we won't be as bothered when we concede unless it's something disastrous. I feel that because Miller started out as dodgy and costly, his lapses look more criminal and it's harder to redeem himself.

We will play another country after Mexico before our opening game. What are your thoughts on playing so many games right before the group stage? I just get so anxious watching our players play, especially our important players knowing they could get injured. I would be resting Bos and Circati against Curacao. I'm definitely for resting our best players as much as possible in the lead-up and can't wait for their seasons to end.

 

[JS96]

We will play another country after Mexico before our opening game. What are your thoughts on playing so many games right before the group stage? I just get so anxious watching our players play, especially our important players knowing they could get injured. I would be resting Bos and Circati against Curacao. I'm definitely for resting our best players as much as possible in the lead-up and can't wait for their seasons to end.

Yes I get very nervous so I don't want our best playing. We had 3 games pre 2006. We didn't have any last time. They almost seem pointless if we know what we want to achieve. 2018 we had good hitouts against Czech Rep and Hungary.

 

[grazorblade]

Finished the replay

gee okon made a difference. Only passed backwards once (and even that was during a switch of sides)

If there is a passing lane open he hits is so quickly and accurately, only missing once. In just 30 minutes, probably a dozen dangerous attacks started with a quick forward pass from him, more than the other cms we have would manage in 3 games

if no passing lane is open he will shield the ball, dallying until a lane opens rather than bumping it back to the cbs like our other mids

 

[grazorblade]

We will play another country after Mexico before our opening game. What are your thoughts on playing so many games right before the group stage? I just get so anxious watching our players play, especially our important players knowing they could get injured. I would be resting Bos and Circati against Curacao. I'm definitely for resting our best players as much as possible in the lead-up and can't wait for their seasons to end.

I think its a good idea because our best xi will have a lot of players with less than 20 caps

 

[grazorblade]

crowd 23798

pretty darn small for a rooster game. Our last 2 coaches have been very effective for getting results but both pretty dour, is it hurting the roos brand

 

[Bbouy]

Finished the replay

gee okon made a difference. Only passed backwards once (and even that was during a switch of sides)

If there is a passing lane open he hits is so quickly and accurately, only missing once. In just 30 minutes, probably a dozen dangerous attacks started with a quick forward pass from him, more than the other cms we have would manage in 3 games

if no passing lane is open he will shield the ball, dallying until a lane opens rather than bumping it back to the cbs like our other mids

Yeah, I rewatched the second half and thought Okon was strong.

 

[grazorblade]

I left this comment on a youtube vid and putting it here

Poppa and arnie is getting really good results and we can start to expect to consistently get results against those 2nd tier nations for the first time since the golden generation. However, I do wonder if two very pragmatic, dour coaches in a row is costing the socceroos brand. Yes, the weather was bad, but Cameroon are a high profile opponent and I would expect a way bigger crowd. To get a coach as effective as arnie and poppa, but also capable of entertaining you are going to have to pay a lot more money, so I always didn't pay to much heed to criticisms of our coaches. But would an entertaining roos that are just as effective put another 20k bums on seats last night? I presume the FA get the money from those ticket sales....so I am wondering if it might be worth splashing big on the next coach to rebuild the roos brand?

 

[patjennings]

I left this comment on a youtube vid and putting it here

Poppa and arnie is getting really good results and we can start to expect to consistently get results against those 2nd tier nations for the first time since the golden generation. However, I do wonder if two very pragmatic, dour coaches in a row is costing the socceroos brand. Yes, the weather was bad, but Cameroon are a high profile opponent and I would expect a way bigger crowd. To get a coach as effective as arnie and poppa, but also capable of entertaining you are going to have to pay a lot more money, so I always didn't pay to much heed to criticisms of our coaches. But would an entertaining roos that are just as effective put another 20k bums on seats last night? I presume the FA get the money from those ticket sales....so I am wondering if it might be worth splashing big on the next coach to rebuild the roos brand?

I don't think you need to splash big - just pick the right one. Australia in years gone by was considered the physical side. Ange proved that we can play football though he forgot you have to defend first. Arnie and Ange have gone the other way. We need a way of playing that suits us.

Arnie relied on "Culture and Vibes" and Popovic on "Stodgy Defensive Rigidness"
Both managers often are trapped with slow, sideways possession (the "U-shaped" passing) when teams sat deep. It looked "stodgy" because the #6 and #10 took too many touches.
They often prioritised "defensive strikers" (like Duke) for their work rate, sometimes at the expense of clinical finishing.
While they both have capped youth, there was often a "seniority tax" where older, "safer" players kept their spots too long.

I'm not blaming them for the crowds though - that first started under Pim with dead rubber against China where he picked nobodies.

 

[Sharkman84]

I don't think you need to splash big - just pick the right one. Australia in years gone by was considered the physical side. Ange proved that we can play football though he forgot you have to defend first. Arnie and Ange have gone the other way. We need a way of playing that suits us.

Arnie relied on "Culture and Vibes" and Popovic on "Stodgy Defensive Rigidness"
Both managers often are trapped with slow, sideways possession (the "U-shaped" passing) when teams sat deep. It looked "stodgy" because the #6 and #10 took too many touches.
They often prioritised "defensive strikers" (like Duke) for their work rate, sometimes at the expense of clinical finishing.
While they both have capped youth, there was often a "seniority tax" where older, "safer" players kept their spots too long.

I'm not blaming them for the crowds though - that first started under Pim with dead rubber against China where he picked nobodies.

I try to forget that game.

As I said posting the video in the archive, I happened to be there with a few then work colleagues from China, it was not a pleasant experience.

 

[grazorblade]

I don't think you need to splash big - just pick the right one. Australia in years gone by was considered the physical side. Ange proved that we can play football though he forgot you have to defend first. Arnie and Ange have gone the other way. We need a way of playing that suits us.

Arnie relied on "Culture and Vibes" and Popovic on "Stodgy Defensive Rigidness"
Both managers often are trapped with slow, sideways possession (the "U-shaped" passing) when teams sat deep. It looked "stodgy" because the #6 and #10 took too many touches.
They often prioritised "defensive strikers" (like Duke) for their work rate, sometimes at the expense of clinical finishing.
While they both have capped youth, there was often a "seniority tax" where older, "safer" players kept their spots too long.

I'm not blaming them for the crowds though - that first started under Pim with dead rubber against China where he picked nobodies.

I think ange was a unicorn. Similar results to poppa domestically but more entertaining. There is a reason why he ended up in europe. We got ange before he was discovered in europe and if we wanted an ange quality coach today he would be out of our price range unless we produced another before they got big. As u say tho, even with someone of anges class he did his style at the cost of defensive profligeracy. If you want the same level of entertainment and attack as ange but less leaky in defense it would cost even more

Even muscat is already costly enough that we would have to outbid csl clubs.

pim indeed was pragmatic and having 3 out of the last four long term coaches being pragmatists has probably affected the brand

 

[Sharkman84]

I think ange was a unicorn. Similar results to poppa domestically but more entertaining. There is a reason why he ended up in europe. We got ange before he was discovered in europe and if we wanted an ange quality coach today he would be out of our price range unless we produced another before they got big. As u say tho, even with someone of anges class he did his style at the cost of defensive profligeracy. If you want the same level of entertainment and attack as ange but less leaky in defense it would cost even more

Even muscat is already costly enough that we would have to outbid csl clubs.

pim indeed was pragmatic and having 3 out of the last four long term coaches being pragmatists has probably affected the brand

Funny thing when we gave Ange the role, Marcelo Bielsa had been very interested in the job.

Given what he did at Leeds and what he's now doing with Uruguay and his past work with Argentina and Chile that's a huge case of what might've been.

 

[grazorblade]

I guess to argue with myself a bit....As much as the pragmatism isn't pretty, we have gotten on a decent run against that 2nd tier of nations (regulars at world cups, but not in the top 10)

Oponent	Result
Peru	0-0 (won on penalties)
Tunisia	1-0
Denmark	1-0
Equador	3-1
Equador	1-2
Mexico	2-2
New Zealand	2-0
South Korea	1-1 (lost in extra time)
Japan	1-1
Saudi Arabia	0-0
Japan	1-0
Saudi Arabia	2-1
New Zealand	1-0
New Zealand	3-1
Canada	1-0
Usa	1-2
Venezuala	0-1
Cameroon	1-0

10 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, which is insane against world cup quality opponents

35 points from 18 games is insane string of results at this level.

In the period between 2012 and the peru game we had 18 games against 2nd tier opponents that i can find (might have missed some) for 4 wins and 5 draws and 9 losses for 17 points

So huge jump in recent years