Alex M said:

Having players good on the ball is a quality of player thing. Our progress isn't being limited by the National Team Coach (whoever we may appoint). We can't match the success of Spain and Argentina because we don't have players of their quality (at least not in any huge number). Lets be honest, we are a top 30 team with top 50 quality players. It's our physicality, fighting spirit and solid structure that allows us to compete with other top 30 teams.

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It seems to me that everyone seems to think we have better players than we had fours years ago. That team which was ranked #38 before the World Cup lost to the #4 in the world, beat the #10 and then beat the #30 in the world before losing the knockout to the #2 in the world.

This time we had our easiest group ever and the easiest knockout ever - see below.

Year	Group	Group	Group	KO	Total	AVG	Aust
2022	4	10	30	2	46	11.5	38
2026	27	15	34	29	105	26.25	28

Our progress is absolutely being limited by the National Team Coach. Yes it is unlikely that we win against Spain or Argentina as a matter of course. However, we can hope to win occasionally however unlikely. But we didn't play anyone like that this time though.

We have players that are are good on the ball, we have players that are incredibly destructive defenders, we have metronome like players, we have good defenders and we have good keepers.

The problem is you need to pick a swiss army knife kind of squad that is tactically adaptable depending on the opponent. You can't into a game just to defend, you also need a route to goal. We had that in the first game, for some reason we decided that winning was unacceptable and we needed to set up to just defend after that.

So yes, the national manager picks the 26 man squad. It is fine if he has a particular way of playing, but it is not fine to go into a tournament with a squad that can only play that way or do very slight variations and if you don't have a route to goal you are saying we expect to lose.

I didn't like Ange in the 2014 World Cup, basically he expected to outplay high quality teams at their own game. Guess what - they were better at it. But if were tactically adaptable and didn't try to match them at their own game we probably wouldn't have ended on 0 points.

Roger Schmidt sounds good, but he's got a job with the JLeague as Global Sports Director. Also if he's managed PSV and Benfica I wonder how much he would cost? Could we afford him?

Who actually makes the decision about the national team manager? I assume Kugeler makes the decision with the footballing executives (Garriock in particular), which is then ratified by the board?

If that's right, interesting that we have our first non-Australian at the helm (though he's been in Australia for a while).

Toebash said:

Who actually makes the decision about the national team manager? I assume Kugeler makes the decision with the footballing executives (Garriock in particular), which is then ratified by the board?

If that's right, interesting that we have our first non-Australian at the helm (though he's been in Australia for a while).

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You would think the Technical Director would recommend someone to the board. for that to happen you need to have a Technical Director.

patjennings said:

You would think the Technical Director would recommend someone to the board. for that to happen you need to have a Technical Director.

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A TD is an absolute must. Especially if we keep Popovic as coach.

Am I reading too much into Christian's comments on Popa here? Around the 5 minute mark.

Keep it Simple.... Risk adverse ball retention is Popa's priority in our half, ala slow ball movement pretty much counter productive to catching opposition on a counter attack.

Freedom around the box (Free to take risks but perhaps individual brilliance the main avenue to goal)

I wonder how many countries without a TD made it to the round of 16?

A few really seriuos issues not just in the last game but over all.
Against Turkey we had an out ball that kept Turkey from pushing too high and and squeezing the mid(not to be seen again)
Out free kicks and corners = horrific
Fitness? How after 6 day turnarounds can players not be ready.
No patterns of play going forward or any visible identity going forward.
Our press was uncoordinated and there didnt appear to be any triggers that the players had understood.
The Irakunda experiment at 9 didnt work pre world cup but he kept persisting with it.
Listening to the English after this morning makes me feel more pissed off at Poppa

Am I the only one who sees the similarities between our World Cup exit where we retreated into this defensive creatively stunted football mode in a high pressure moment, and the mind bending football that England displayed after they scored this morning?

They are after all the 'mother land' and we are their convict colony...something inherited in football perhaps??

McZero said:

I wonder how many countries without a TD made it to the round of 16?

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I don’t think there’s one without one from my count. Only serious football countries win knockout games.

onedaywinners... said:

Am I the only one who sees the similarities between our World Cup exit where we retreated into this defensive creatively stunted football mode in a high pressure moment, and the mind bending football that England displayed after they scored this morning?

They are after all the 'mother land' and we are their convict colony...something inherited in football perhaps??

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I don’t think it’s cultural appropriation or inheritance.

I think Poppa and Tuchel sing from the same hymn sheet in coaching philosophy.

There’s nothing wrong with different styles, just how you read game state matters. Tuchel was a genius at the Azteca and a dunce in Atlanta.

onedaywinners... said:

Am I the only one who sees the similarities between our World Cup exit where we retreated into this defensive creatively stunted football mode in a high pressure moment, and the mind bending football that England displayed after they scored this morning?

They are after all the 'mother land' and we are their convict colony...something inherited in football perhaps??

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As a nation we’ve too many other cultural-️ing influences besides England/the wider UK for that theory to hold water in this specific instance.

patjennings said:

About $8m at a guess. Could be wrong. But that's 4 or 5 times Poppa

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If money is the big issue which we know it is then there’s very limited choice.

Lee Carsley would be one out of left field. Probably wouldn’t cost a bomb and has worked extensively at both youth and National Team level with the English FA.

Kasper Hjulmand might be gettable at similar money to Poppa, might have to nudge the boat out a touch. Crashed out of the 2022 WC but had 4 decent years with Denmark. Not a super exciting appointment though.

Kevin Muscat is the natural homegrown choice, but he’s getting paid well one would think.

riquelmes_laces said:

If money is the big issue which we know it is then there’s very limited choice.

Lee Carsley would be one out of left field. Probably wouldn’t cost a bomb and has worked extensively at both youth and National Team level with the English FA.

Kasper Hjulmand might be gettable at similar money to Poppa, might have to nudge the boat out a touch. Crashed out of the 2022 WC but had 4 decent years with Denmark. Not a super exciting appointment though.

Kevin Muscat is the natural homegrown choice, but he’s getting paid well one would think.

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Muscat close to $4million in China

Barca4life said:

You cant win on physically and fighting spirit alone, what the world cup has shown you need to be good in the ball and have players that value the ball in playing in a way that can be functional and ultimately successful.

Look at Argentina and Spain look how they value the ball and players with it if Australia wants to take the next step then it needs an evolution in how an Australian team can effective on the international stage so we can go into uncharted territory as a result.

Australia has done well to this far but it also shows they got severe limitations on how they play and view their football when competing against stronger nations.

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And this all coincides with our development ethos and outlook I wish for.
We will struggle get amongst it whilst having a closed comp with limited players for starters.
We need
Competition top to bottom more so 1 level below for starters professionally.
Have comps that have the risk of losing your position- your salary !!!

35 + games.
No feckin way are we going to build a core for 18+ global standards what we currently have for we have putting aside what a NT coach could and should be even before playing ethos.
That’s another argument then we have our FA short sighted outlook.

Barca4life said:

Its not so necessarily a player quality thing its also can be a player profile thing, we don't value technical players compared to other nations and if we have them the coaches prefer not to use them for various reasons.

Will make it us a top 30 nation by staying the same? Depends but should try not to put a limitation on how we go because we don't believe we cant develop a player or football in a certain way, this is the challenge Aus football faces if they want to take the next step.

Revolution rather than evolution?

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Why do you make so much sense mate !

I’m so sick of the many talking up what we have - we are way off when competing Cup standards ! Way off and that even before having a coach that can guide the ready squad to battle !!!