Socceroos vs Paraguay 2026 World Cup match thread 🇦🇺🇵🇾

[rusty83]

We dont really relative to other nations.
We have Robertson who just played last season in League one, we have Luongo in the Champ whose 33 and was out all last season.

We have Volpato whose a good player dobt get me wrong but is a serie A bench player, and we have Hrustic who played all season in a team that got relegated from the eredivisie.

Thats it really as far as proper technicians go.

Our relative strengths are our keepers, huge yet mobile CBs, and fast forwards and wingbbacks.

Popa's system is very suited to our playing stocks, just the application of it was very wrong with the two 'outside' wingers he picked which blunted our wingbacks getting forward, left a huge chasm in the middle of the park making it easy to defend against, and left Toure totally isolated. Was like going into a fight with one arm tied

Not sure what you’re talking about.

Our current starting GK plays in the A league. One of our staring wingbacks plays in Austria. Two of our starting centre mids play in the Championship, and one just got relegated to League One, and isn’t even a regular starter. Our attacking fast forwards play in the Championship. How are these our strengths then?

I would argue our strengths are the guy playing off off the bench in the Serie A, and also the Bundesliga guys and the guy playing in the Eridivise. None of these really fit into Popa’s system of backs to the wall defending and lightning counter attack.

How is it a justification for being absolute trash when in possession? We all saw when Volpato and Metcalfe came on how the game changed, how suddenly we became better in possession and could string more than two passes together

You can play whatever BS system and tactics you want, but ultimately it’s the calibre of players on the field which determines how the game unfolds. Put a bunch of A league plodders on there, and they are going to be defending in their own half regardless of tactics and formation.

 

[Robbos]

Was Triantis there for Greece.

WHO?

 

[LFC]

WHOantis ?

 

[United82]

I think this has merit with slight modifications. Toure and Irankunda as dual strikers with Volpato as the 10 releasing the speedsters. Metcalfe at 8 and O'Neill at 6. 3-5-2 hopefully delivers more control in midfield.

We won't change formation so this is what I hope to see:

.........................................GK....
.......................Circati....Souttar...Herrington/Geria
Italiano/Geria..........................................................Bos
...............................Irvine......Metcalfe
.............Volpato.......................................Irankunda
......................................Toure

It gets all our most dangerous players on the park without changing formation (Popa won't) and I don't think we lose anything defensively here.

I feel like Nestory and Volpato will occupy the same position with one starting and one replacing though.

 

[HonestSpursFan]

Was Triantis there for Greece?

This was several months ago but yeah. Subbed on.

 

[Robbos]

Not sure what you’re talking about.

Our current starting GK plays in the A league. One of our staring wingbacks plays in Austria. Two of our starting centre mids play in the Championship, and one just got relegated to League One, and isn’t even a regular starter. Our attacking fast forwards play in the Championship. How are these our strengths then?

I would argue our strengths are the guy playing off off the bench in the Serie A, and also the Bundesliga guys and the guy playing in the Eridivise. None of these really fit into Popa’s system of backs to the wall defending and lightning counter attack.

How is it a justification for being absolute trash when in possession? We all saw when Volpato and Metcalfe came on how the game changed, how suddenly we became better in possession and could string more than two passes together

You can play whatever BS system and tactics you want, but ultimately it’s the calibre of players on the field which determines how the game unfolds. Put a bunch of A league plodders on there, and they are going to be defending in their own half regardless of tactics and formation.

Don't disagree with you.

However, in 2022 we had a couple of A-League 'plodders' Craig Goodwin (score against France & Argentina) and Matthew Leckie (score against Denmark).

We just watched a bunch of lower level plodders Capo Verde just Draw with Top 5 leagues players Uruguay.

 

[TimCahillsForehead]

We won't change formation so this is what I hope to see:

.........................................GK....
.......................Circati....Souttar...Herrington/Geria
Italiano/Geria..........................................................Bos
...............................Irvine......Metcalfe
.............Volpato.......................................Irankunda
......................................Toure

It gets all our most dangerous players on the park without changing formation (Popa won't) and I don't think we lose anything defensively here.

I feel like Nestory and Volpato will occupy the same position with one starting and one replacing though.

A midfield pairing of Irvine and Metcalfe seems a bit dire

 

[erogenouszone]

We just watched a bunch of lower level plodders Capo Verde just Draw with Top 5 leagues players Uruguay.

And they didn't sit back like a bunch of soft cocks either. I get tactics however in many ways people see that and wonder why Australia continues to play such a conservative playing style in World Cup after World Cup.

 

[LFC]

Don't disagree with you.

However, in 2022 we had a couple of A-League 'plodders' Craig Goodwin (score against France & Argentina) and Matthew Leckie (score against Denmark).

yer the impossible happens Duke's no idea flick header another.

We just watched a bunch of lower level plodders Capo Verde just Draw with Top 5 leagues players Uruguay.

I reckon we'd struggle against CV as well maybe even lose it, impressed.

 

[LFC]

welcome TC'sFH, get back on the bloody pitch !

 

[Robbos]

And they didn't sit back like a bunch of soft cocks either. I get tactics however in many ways people see that and wonder why Australia continues to play such a conservative playing style in World Cup after World Cup.

100% they gave it a right go.

 

[Robbos]

I reckon we'd struggle against CV as well maybe even lose it, impressed.

My point, CV is one of the teams that on paper, we have a better team. You can't just look on paper, eg A-League players.

CV plays with courage & heart, with Poppa, like against Turkiye, when we win Poppa style makes him a genius, when we lose like we did against US, Poppa style is like TURD, this is not the players, nor A-League.

 

[LFC]

My point, CV is one of the teams that on paper, we have a better team. You can't just look on paper, eg A-League players.

on paper isn't the equation but what occurs/occurred on the pitch.

CV plays with courage & heart, with Poppa, like against Turkiye, when we win Poppa style makes him a genius, when we lose like we did against US, Poppa style is like TURD, this is not the players, nor A-League.

Courage/heart is a given in your NT kit - Turk win was one for the ages that thankfully comes along for every team unexpectedly.
The genius that day was selection and the players going to task like CV whereas polar opposites the next as we saw and the selections had us behind the 8ball pre koff little did the fellas feel I expect.
The players in the end are the ones who didn't execute and for many the main culprits were the ones mentioned followed by the rest chasing their tails that 1st half.
Its over done dusted hope we apply the same attitude like the 1st v Paraguay with the line up we hope for.

 

[Barca4life]

And they didn't sit back like a bunch of soft cocks either. I get tactics however in many ways people see that and wonder why Australia continues to play such a conservative playing style in World Cup after World Cup.

Cape Verde have been quite impressive, their draw against Spain was no fluke.

 

[Barca4life]

Even New Zealand play better football than us, I dont see most of their players screaming of top 5 quality, again its the type of player and how we use them.

Most Australian coaches don't seem to have much interest in playing ball players when they prefer runners or physical types that can win tackles.

 

[Quicky]

Safe to say you’d take a coach somewhere in between Ange and Popa. The closest we’ve had was Arnie.

Muscat would be the closest if we could appoint him somehow.

 

[Quicky]

This, bang on.

Nothing wrong with using catenaccio with counter attack, especially when you have great defenders/keepers, fast attackers and poor ball players (like us!!). The issue is we took away our threats going forward, and in leckies case played an outside winger in a position that requires him to come inside to allow space up the line for the RWB. Completely nullified Italiano going foward, and was soooo far away from toure who was very isolated. Basically we were attacking with one less player than what we were against turkey, and our players were not connected.

The volpato sub changed this, not just because of his dribbling, but also as hes a left footer and looks to come inside. This allowed Italiano to overlap and volpato was a lot closer to the CF, creating an attacking triangle which worked well.

Nothing wrong with the system, it suits us well infact, but the application of it last game was very poor.

I get he was tryong to nullify the excellent US fullbacks, but he completely blunted us gling forward which inevitably allowed the US to put us under more pressure, undoing what he was tryingvto achieve in the first place

I don't mind Popovic's system with this team but Popovic get's the balance wrong sometimes. Even often. It needs a ball playing midfielder and attackers that are dangerous, earlier subs. Turkiye was the template. We've seen defense only wingers, CFs, CMs at times under Popovic and thats when it looks poor.

 

[Robbos]

Even New Zealand play better football than us, I dont see most of their players screaming of top 5 quality, again its the type of player and how we use them.

Most Australian coaches don't seem to have much interest in playing ball players when they prefer runners or physical types that can win tackles.

Exactly, we like our midfielders with huge engines Irvine with 84 caps as opposed to our best 3 midfielders since Bresc, in Mooy 57 caps, Rogic 53 caps & Luongo 45 caps.

 

[Barca4life]

Exactly, we like our midfielders with huge engines Irvine with 84 caps as opposed to our best 3 midfielders since Bresc, in Mooy 57 caps, Rogic 53 caps & Luongo 45 caps.

It feels embarrassing watching us play at times, given we play like cowards trying to park the bus from the start of the game.

Try and do when when we are leading the game, you control the opponent you control the game.

 

[Bunch_of_hacks]

He dreamt of it worked perfectly for us when it wasn't. The players he picked was the problem.

Exactly, we like our midfielders with huge engines Irvine with 84 caps as opposed to our best 3 midfielders since Bresc, in Mooy 57 caps, Rogic 53 caps & Luongo 45 caps

Tbf Mooy was a late bloomer, Terry Antonis was actually ahead of him in pecking order, who ange picked over mooy at 2015 AC. I think Luongo is close to the most underutilised australian player possibly ever. Should have close to 100 caps. Unfortunately came at the same time as Rogic amd Mooy. Ceiling was so high tho, didnt have a flaw in his game. Made a couple of bad moves at key points in his career, but still should have got more caps, especially after Rogic retired. Didnt get a single minute at WC18.