Socceroos vs Egypt - 2026 World Cup R32 - Sat 4th of July 4am AEST

[ClockworkOrange]

I don't like him for the NT, poor at his defensive duties, hardly scores or gets an assist, he just doesn't perform as high as his ego thinks he should.

To be fair, I don’t think he’s ever had a good run in the team. He’s always been a bit player. In 15 or 20 minutes you only get 3 or 4 chances to make a difference.

 

[jas88]

Mabil was good in ET. The exact fresh legs and drive to do something. He was fouled late on the edge of the box and his shot was blocked.

He's a frigging beast now wish he put that size on when he was a bit younger would have really helped him.

 

[Robbos]

He is better in the air and thats about it. Neill was technically better, bloke played almost 300 epl games.

I love Lucas Neill, he comes from my local NLP team, a strong Manly Warringah junior, his name is in the stands of our local home ground, but no way is Neill technically better than Souttar.

 

[Pub League Champion]

I’m absolutely sure this was the set piece instruction. It has happened every corner and free kick this World Cup, except for the goal v Egypt.

And we never even looked liked scoring from it. This needs to be looked at as much as the penalty choices. I’d like to know who made the decision to take corners like this. Poppa as Head Coach? Did someone take on the set piece duties? Given our height, the number of wasted corners was a disaster.

 

[RIMB]

Different class of players to start with I acknowledge - but watching France play I am envious of their overall approach to games.

They went a goal up against someone this World Cup with at least 5 players streaming forward in threatening and supporting roles. Missed many chances but created many chances. Being a goal up they then continued to attack with at least 5 players streaming forward in threatening and supporting roles. Missed many chances but created many chances. Two goals up and they then continued to attack with at least 5 players streaming forward in threatening and supporting roles. Missed many chances but created many chances. Three goals scored. Then, wait for it, they then continued to attack with at least 5 players streaming forward in threatening and supporting roles. Missed many chances but created many chances.

The whole time their opponents had 3 to 5 players back when France did not have the ball because they knew what was coming the moment they lost the ball. They were effectively a team of 5 players attacking Frances 10 men.

Popa always chooses to hold players back when we go a goal up trying to play out his own defensive pipedream and we have been screwed so many times because of it.

Arnie was the same in Australia, both domestically and nationally. They have both lost grand finals in the aleague on the back of cowardly changes when they have been dominating and capable of continuing it.

In a big game if we were dominating and pressing then scored, they have both instructed the team to stop doing what was working and give the opposition time and space to craft whatever they were capable of creating. Popa does it from early in the first half when we have been lucky enough to jag his dream goal.

I say Popa has no faith in his team or players and that, by itself, is enough to show him to be a lousy manager. If they are good enough to be selected then they are good enough to play their way for 90+ minutes so stop micro-managing the game. Someone take his Xbox off him so he can remind himself of what real world football play is.

You don't make brilliant tactical changes on a baseless whim - you make them on considered grounds with good judgement.

My normal Popa rant of course.

If you select players based on form then play them in the roles that they showed the form in.

Trewin has been playing an attacking role when he stood out this last aleague season. So Popa picks him then plays him defensively.

He has chosen Irankunda before, and again now, because he has shown what a threat he is in wide positions with space - so he plays him as an isolated central striker.

The team has shown that they have the heart and skill to match it with top teams - regardless of winning or losing - but Popa constantly rewards great attitudes and effort by making the team play with their feet tied together after they get on top.

The more I see of Popa's shit cowardly tactics the worse I feel about him.

I have always said, I don't care if we lose games against good teams as long as we make a go of it. I would rather see us playing football than successfully grinding out a rare win against a higher rated country.

I still rate playing good football above results.

Better teams should beat us because they are better teams. That is how sport works. But it is the chance we might outplay them on the day that makes the dream.

That is actually the Aussie DNA that gets mistaken by our head coaches as actual DNA. It is our willingness to face any opponent with self belief and go at them with a balanced game plan that says "don't care who you are - we can beat you". It is not a DNA thing that will give us results just because we are Aussies - it is the battling DNA that succeeds against the odds when it is given permission to take the bastards on.

Our attackers will get back and help out - that is part of the Aussie DNA - but we also have to let our midfield and defenders help out going forward and let our attackers do what they are there for. And that is not playing an isolated defensive chasing role up front with 9 players behind the ball.

Popa cannot change. He could have learned from Turkey. He did not.

An RIMB Aussie DNA original proverb:
A player is taller when he has his head up looking at his foe. A player looking down at his opponent is made shorter.

 

[ClockworkOrange]

View attachment 8087
Mauk has said it well.

I think that is why I'm feeling so flat. It's so nice football being in the spotlight for a few weeks and the Socceroos being the talk of the town for all good reasons. Then for the next 4 years all we'll hear is about the odd fan brawl.

That and that I think we didn't reach our maximum potential/limit with this squad. Whereas in all WCs bar maybe 2010 I reckon all juices were squeezed out of each squad. We had more to give with this squad....

Really disappointed today.

2006 is more disappointing for me. Golden generation (all playing in top leagues) playing against 10 men and let them score. An Australian coach would have been attacked mercilessly for the negative tactics in the last 15 minutes …

 

[JM47]

2006 is more disappointing for me. Golden generation (all playing in top leagues) playing against 10 men and let them score. An Australian coach would have been attacked mercilessly for the negative tactics in the last 15 minutes …

I agree however at least there we played the eventual World Champions.

Yesterday we played Egypt...

 

[ClockworkOrange]

I agree however at least there we played the eventual World Champions.

Yesterday we played Egypt...

The irony is if we’d won in 2006 history would say we beat a 10- man, mediocre Italian side.

 

[JM47]

For me the biggest blunderclass and the one I think that had the biggest impact in not defeating Egypt and potentially even putting more scoreboard pressure on the US, was how we used Irankunda.

The penalties and Leckie use etc. whilst questionable, I think are far outweighed by Popa's refusal to play Irankunda in his most useful position. It just boggles my mind that after that Turkiye performance, we did not for one minute see Irankunda in his preferred position. He is our X-factor and he is more or less ineffectual in the 9 role. It just really disappoints and should haunt Australian football that we did not see our most feared player in his most damaging position. For me, that is the one that Popa needs to really look at. Whilst it may be because Toure struggled physically, it'd have been far better to play Yengi there with Irankunda in behind.

It genuinely feels like a what could have been, had we had Irankunda there and then one of Volpato and Metcalfe coming off the bench. I think the scoreline is different.

 

[Pub League Champion]

With that said, I haven't seen any team coached by Tony Popovic, but if this is how he sets up his teams, good lord, I hope we get a new coach before the next round of qualifiers. This was shockingly bad - no faith.

Imagine everyone’s frustration when he set the team up this way during qualifiers against teams ranked 90th in the world while playing at home. Completely gutless.

Poppa’s whole schtick was “we need to play this way to progress in the knockout rounds of the WC.” Look how that turned out. We still could’ve made the Rnd 32 playing positive football and might’ve even had a shot at going through. It’ll never get easier than facing Egypt in the knockouts of the WC.

 

[Alex M]

Imagine everyone’s frustration when he set the team up this way during qualifiers against teams ranked 90th in the world while playing at home. Completely gutless.

Poppa’s whole schtick was “we need to play this way to progress in the knockout rounds of the WC.” Look how that turned out. We still could’ve made the Rnd 32 playing positive football and might’ve even had a shot at going through. It’ll never get easier than facing Egypt in the knockouts of the WC.

Did you watch the games? We have a different setup in attack to defence. The amount of time that we spend in 5-4-1 is proportional to the amount of time the opponent holds the ball. We transition to a more forward oriented formation when we have the ball. Our attacking formation is more 3-2-2-3 (basically a 3-4-3 with a box midfield). He really only used the super defensive formation at home against Japan and that was because they were good at keeping the ball.

 

[Cunningstunt]

there is a point where it has to
Popovic has embarrassed the whole damned country

This is only in the bubble of football losers we exist in. And people here have been saying he has been embarrassing us since qualification. This isn't the real world. For normies he did a good job and it was an unlucky what could have been. We care way more about this than normal people.

Holy moly this is a pretty big take. I'm suspecting there's a lot behind the scenes that will be coming out in the coming years

The GK swap is probably the strangest decision of his tenure. I don't think it changes the outcome. Egypt have pretty extensive experience with pens, we had 4 guys who had ever taken a penalty as a professional (according to AI). Nonetheless, the Arnie way of doing it seems to be the way you try this type of thing.

It won't happen because Football Australia will always consider making it out of the group stage a pass mark but if we want to be taking the World Cup seriously then we need to adjust our expectations accordingly which would include winning knockout stage matches.

Sadly it will also be about finances and availability. It will almost certainly be an Australian due to the financial side. There is a pool of guys who will get considered (Muscat, Aloisi, Corica etc). But of these, will any of them line up in terms of contract availability and interest? Muscat seems like the one, his time in China might finish up after 4 or so years. Then again he might get a Euro offer. In which case the FA might just extend Popa further.

Did you watch the games? We have a different setup in attack to defence. The amount of time that we spend in 5-4-1 is proportional to the amount of time the opponent holds the ball. We transition to a more forward oriented formation when we have the ball. Our attacking formation is more 3-2-2-3 (basically a 3-4-3 with a box midfield). He really only used the super defensive formation at home against Japan and that was because they were good at keeping the ball.

Arnie and Popa are very similar in this respect. Both for the national team and in continental club football. When they are against average or weaker opposition, their style allows them to dictate a match. But there is no underlying philosophy to do this, like with Ange. And they revert back to not wanting to concede against better teams. I remember my disappointment watching SFC with Ninkovic and Mierzejewski get dominated in the ACL after being so impressive in Aliga.

 

[Alex M]

Arnie and Popa are very similar in this respect. Both for the national team and in continental club football. When they are against average or weaker opposition, their style allows them to dictate a match. But there is no underlying philosophy to do this, like with Ange. And they revert back to not wanting to concede against better teams. I remember my disappointment watching SFC with Ninkovic and Mierzejewski get dominated in the ACL after being so impressive in Aliga.

Ange may have had an underlying philosophy but don't forget that during much of his time were a bunch of toothless tigers in attack with goals either coming from Cahill or set pieces. We held the ball more but weren't really creative. In the end he left us in much the same position as he found us, albeit with a home Asian Cup title after he had two tournaments with his squad and some time. He is a much better club coach than National Team Coach IMO.

As for ACL games, all the ones I watch tell me that we have a very entertaining league here in Australia but the quality isn't that high compared to Japan and Saudi Arabia. We compete with teams from the other leagues but the teams from the two I've mentioned usually beat us. Chinese teams did as well pre covid when they spent a lot of money.

On another point I'm not sure why so many people who follow football think that we are some great attacking footballing country and coaches tend to stifle our desire to play freely. Anyone who has watched us play over the last half century will come to the conclusion that we play a solid defensive physical style of football and produce a good attacking player now and then. That's our football DNA. It's not free flowing all out attack. Never has been. It would be nice if we were, but we aren't that and never have been.

 

[Captain Haddock]

The irony is if we’d won in 2006 history would say we beat a 10- man, mediocre Italian side.

How can you win the World Cup, Socceroos, you only beat a 10-man Italian side hahahaha - oh *clutches chest* my heart - ohhhh!

 

[ClockworkOrange]

Australia finished the WC equal with Paraguay for goals and ahead of Paraguay for shots, shots on target and xG. This is despite Paraguay playing an extra game. Paraguay finished last of 48 teams for possession and finished behind us in our group. We had identical results during regular time and ET - one win, one loss and two draws.

 

[patjennings]

At least Egypt can be happy knowing that those who beat Australia in a knock out game win the tournament.

 

[Villa Dan]

Lucas Neill was better at his peak

Everyone talks about the new generation, but for me our best CB was Milan Ivanovic played in that famous Red Star Belgrade side then playing NSL coming against Maradona, Balboa , Batistuta etc what a player he was and that partnership with Tobin was a brick .

 

[Villa Dan]

He is better in the air and thats about it. Neill was technically better, bloke played almost 300 epl games.

Milan Ivanovic for me the best CB what a player had that European style and mentality coming from that famous Red Star Belgrade side. Your talking a guy who was playing NSL along Tobin coming against Argentina in that WC qualifying campaign when they had player at there peake Batistuta, Balboa not to mention Maradona.

 

[Villa Dan]

Have we got a technical director we're Poppa and Co answer to when questions asked ?

 

[southmelb]

Milan Ivanovic for me the best CB what a player had that European style and mentality coming from that famous Red Star Belgrade side. Your talking a guy who was playing NSL along Tobin coming against Argentina in that WC qualifying campaign when they had player at there peake Batistuta, Balboa not to mention Maradona.

I rate Ivanovic over Souttar. We would have gone to France 98 if he played.