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Socceroos vs Turkey 2026 World Cup match thread 🇦🇺🇹🇷

I couldn't agree with you more big fella, but I'm not sure the match thread is the place to discuss it.

I'm not a mod so I'll shut up about this now. I'm just frustrated that threads are constantly getting derailed by political issues that, while worth discussing, are completely irrelevant to the matter at hand.
Fair call mate, I bite at the racists more than I should I agree... still chuffed from Sunday though... :)
 
Fair call mate, I bite at the racists more than I should I agree... still chuffed from Sunday though... :)
Hopefully we can back up our World Cup campaign opening day win over Turkey with another win over the United States on Saturday and silence Grella and all the other pundits who have nothing better to do than write us off and say we have no chance of doing anything right this tournament.
 
I couldn't agree with you more big fella, but I'm not sure the match thread is the place to discuss it.

I'm not a mod so I'll shut up about this now. I'm just frustrated that threads are constantly getting derailed by political issues that, while worth discussing, are completely irrelevant to the matter at hand.
I'm not sure I've seen the posts you're referring to. If you have concerns though please report the post so we can look into it. There's a lot of traffic and we can't be across everything.
 
I was being a precious petal and had a whinge a few pages back, but it's in the past now.

Back to the match, I just want to record how impressed I was by Italiano's performance. It seems to me Turkiye identified him as a weakness (which was probably fair enough, given the relative strength of the rest of our backline), because there were a really large number of times when Yilmaz and then Yildiz tried to stand him up one on one, and he gave them absolutely no change. He deserves a lot of credit for that.
 
I was being a precious petal and had a whinge a few pages back, but it's in the past now.

Back to the match, I just want to record how impressed I was by Italiano's performance. It seems to me Turkiye identified him as a weakness (which was probably fair enough, given the relative strength of the rest of our backline), because there were a really large number of times when Yilmaz and then Yildiz tried to stand him up one on one, and he gave them absolutely no change. He deserves a lot of credit for that.
Italiano and Geria after him. Neither dove in.
 
Italiano and Geria after him. Neither dove in.
I was being a precious petal and had a whinge a few pages back, but it's in the past now.

Back to the match, I just want to record how impressed I was by Italiano's performance. It seems to me Turkiye identified him as a weakness (which was probably fair enough, given the relative strength of the rest of our backline), because there were a really large number of times when Yilmaz and then Yildiz tried to stand him up one on one, and he gave them absolutely no change. He deserves a lot of credit for that.
Agreed on both... The Turks attacked it as a point of weakness and it took some mazy footwork to even get a few runs in... Italiano was exceptional at the composure he kept.
 
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Having a look at a second replay - whilst the Roos have hope.

Okon’s ball winning has improved out of sight! He has already made 3 crunching tackles against the all star Turks at the 24 min mark. He is also barging Turks off the ball too. Love it! His old man was never this good a ball winner.

Okon has really improved this facet of the game playing in the rugged AL.
 
The defensive effort of the Roos is like a good Italian team of the past.

So often Ausssie players who are second defenders are tracking Turkish runners supporting Turks on the ball. It is lovely to watch!

Then Roo after Roo keeps looking to keep the 5-2-3 and 5-4-1 shape compact when Turkey have the ball.

Just looking at Dutch v Japan, the Dutch played an attacking midfield 4-3-3 with the ball, then reverted to a 5-4-1 without it.

In the attacking half Aus goes to 5-2-3, before the 2 wide players drop back in a line with the 2 DMs to make a 5-4-1 in the defensive third, when the Turks have the ball.

Then instead of copying the Dutch going to a 4-3-3 attacking midfield triangle with the ball, Aus plays a flat midfield 3-4-3.

How about some Popa love from his many detractors? This is the best defence Aus has ever had.
 
Someone else I can’t remember made the valid point how well Italiano defended, when I lauded the two different Turk left wingers in both halves.

The two Turks are the peroxide blonde in the first and the dark blonde number 11 in the second.

Good point about Italiano, which I acknowledged then. As I’m having another look at Italiano’s jockeying, delaying and showing, despite both dribblers sometimes getting past him, his defensive work is verging on brilliant!

Then, he is putting in some blood and thunder crunching tackles! And clean tackles too. Once again love these newbies stepping up to the plate!

Metcalfe is supporting Italiano well as the second defender too.

This facet of the game is really unsettling Turkey. The physicality of the Aussies in body on body, tackling and heading in the 1v1s.

Plus Toure is really putting himself about against the CBs.

Turkey are. dribbling around our guys at times, but Bos (fastest player in WC so day at 37 KPH), Iran and Toure are winning 1v1 speed duels.
 
It was a fabulous effort and Popa deserves a lot of the credit.

There's a lot about what he's done in his tenure that I dislike, but after Sunday... I dislike him slightly less.
Wow!

You are hard to please, Mr C!

At least you have acknowledged that Popa deserves some credit!

Vince Grella, plus current players, have said that Popa’s attention to detail is second to none.

I’d love Aus to have more ball, more possession, BUT, I’d much rather win like Popa is doing with a squad worth only 15-20 percent of the Turks and Americans’ transfer value.
 
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Look if the Mods aren’t going to delete your constant derailing posts of good Foitball thread topics, which others complain about, whilst I find your posts on track worthwhile, but through your lack of maturity and blatant egocentricism, I will place you on Ignore for a few months.

Hopefully, you grow up, become less egocentric over the next few months, if, and when I reinstate you so I can see your posts again.

Bye, Mono.
See ya turbo..... hope you dont get hit by a bus.
 
Best thing about this result is surely there is scope to improve on set piece delivery/threat and in attacking transitions.
Good point, DC!

The Turks closed us down far too quickly in our Attacking Transitions - the 6-10 second period when Aus wins the ball back.

The set piece delivery at corners hasn’t been as good without Goodwin and Hrustic.

When was the last time we scored from a set piece outside the box?

Although Iran has gone close from set piece shots outside the pen box from free kicks.
 
Look if the Mods aren’t going to delete your constant posts derailing good football thread topics, which others complain about, showing disrespect to the starters of some good ideas for football threads, whilst I find your posts on track worthwhile, I feel I have no option through your lack of maturity and blatant egocentricism, but to place you on Ignore for a few months.

If you had others constantly derailing your beloved South Melb threads, the same as you constantly do to others in AL and Socceroo threads, you would be pissed off.

Hopefully, you grow up, become less egocentric over the next few months, and show some consideration to the thread starters of veritable football topics, if, and when I reinstate you so I can see your posts again.

Bye, Mono.
Guys, the mods take a fairly liberal view and don't mind robust debate but we don't like personal arguments that derail threads.

Both Decentric and Mono are highly valued members of our community so can you just get off each other's backs for a while and in the words of the great Infantino... chill?

Listen to to this:

 
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