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World Cup 2026 Australia thread

JS96 said:
I found it interesting how many mentions Kusini Yengi got in the press conference.

It was a long shot but Iredale has no chance based on the comment there's no point bringing in a 9 when we've got many others who can move around. Would that include Sapsford too?

The journalists need to do more homework to have a go at Popovic if things are hypocritical. The problem is most don't even understand the game.

Popovic was asked whether players will know his system perfectly by the first game and Popovic replied he can't see why they wouldn't.

That was the perfect chance for a studious journalist to say the system isn't recognisable and that the players still seem lost and it stifles their positive club play. Popovic said he wants players to bring their club style to the national team but that couldn't be further from the truth.
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This question where he was asked whether the players will know the system in time was literally the one and only time I can remember in his tenure where he has got prickly due to the question implying something with a negative perception towards his football.

The fact that he can just brush it off as if it's a non-question makes me fume. Remember when Ange used to get bombarded with questions about his formation and performance?? Do todays journalists have no backbone or are they simply happy with playing park the bus type football?

This comfortability he has in his role and his response to this speaks volumes and my main issue with Popa has always been the same - he thinks he is a far better football coach and manager than he actually is. He shows almost zero adaptability in his style both in the way he sets up and also during games. He stifles our best creative and attacking instincts and his football is representative of a person who is too scared to put his neck out due to fear of failure.

I'll say it again a failed World Cup in a few months time might be the best thing forward for Australian football so we can say bye bye to this archaic leadership style.
 
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If the Joey Lynch prediction on his likely squad is true I expect you will get your wish. I'm instead hoping that he is just trying different things in different windows and will package it all together come the World Cup. Naive I know - but I prefer to live in hope.
 
onedaywinners... said:
This question where he was asked whether the players will know the system in time was literally the one and only time I can remember in his tenure where he has got prickly due to the question implying something with a negative perception towards his football.

The fact that he can just brush it off as if it's a non-question makes me fume. Remember when Ange used to get bombarded with questions about his formation and performance?? Do todays journalists have no backbone or are they simply happy with playing park the bus type football?

This comfortability he has in his role and his response to this speaks volumes and my main issue with Popa has always been the same - he thinks he is a far better football coach and manager than he actually is. He shows almost zero adaptability in his style both in the way he sets up and also during games. He stifles our best creative and attacking instincts and his football is representative of a person who is too scared to put his neck out due to fear of failure.

I'll say it again a failed World Cup in a few months time might be the best thing forward for Australian football so we can say bye bye to this archaic leadership style.
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A pretty harsh assessment of Popa.

From when he took over, with the team struggling under Arnie, which he admitted, the results have been good under Popa.

He has also tried a lot of young players.

Moreover, many football journos are trained as journos. They don't know enough about football to ask questions displaying veritable insight. They revert to populist questions, which often annoy coaches.
 
Decentric said:
A pretty harsh assessment of Popa.

From when he took over, with the team struggling under Arnie, which he admitted, the results have been good under Popa.

He has also tried a lot of young players.

Moreover, many football journos are trained as journos. They don't know enough about football to ask questions displaying veritable insight. They revert to populist questions, which often annoy coaches.
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Young players that haven’t been good enough.
 
patjennings said:
If the Joey Lynch prediction on his likely squad is true I expect you will get your wish. I'm instead hoping that he is just trying different things in different windows and will package it all together come the World Cup. Naive I know - but I prefer to live in hope.
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What’s he predicting?
 
Decentric said:
A pretty harsh assessment of Popa.

From when he took over, with the team struggling under Arnie, which he admitted, the results have been good under Popa.

He has also tried a lot of young players.

Moreover, many football journos are trained as journos. They don't know enough about football to ask questions displaying veritable insight. They revert to populist questions, which often annoy coaches.
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To be fair Dec I care way more about Australian football and it's trajectory then I do about some bloke coming in to put most of the team behind the ball to keep himself in a job. Not saying Popa isn't 100% fully committed and truthful in his belief that this is the best way forward, but let's not pretend this is someone playing a certain way to get the job done of qualification.

He is a negative manager that lacks a positive and forward thinking approach to winning games of football and his entire coaching career speaks to this. All I ask is that our national teams demand to want the ball so they can express themselves with it. This football will not get the game to where it needs to be.

He's obviously not the one to nurture this incredibly exciting and talented crop of young players coming through as two of our most promising talents have managed to turn away from what the Popovic Socceroos set up offers.

I've said it many times it might come across like I hate the bloke but I'm honestly impartial to him. I just think he's not a very good football coach and he is in over his head with the depth and breadth of the role as one of if not the most important person in Australian football.
 
www.sbs.com.au

FIFA World Cup 2026™ | Stream Free on SBS On Demand

Watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ live and free with SBS On Demand, and watch full replays, mini-matches and highlights. Starts 12 June.
www.sbs.com.au www.sbs.com.au

Wow a lot of content on there already. A segment about each city. Full replays of most of our world cup games.

Works fine with VPN
 
JS96 said:
www.sbs.com.au

FIFA World Cup 2026™ | Stream Free on SBS On Demand

Watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ live and free with SBS On Demand, and watch full replays, mini-matches and highlights. Starts 12 June.
www.sbs.com.au www.sbs.com.au

Wow a lot of content on there already. A segment about each city. Full replays of most of our world cup games.

Works fine with VPN
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sbs On Demand has been advertising the WC a bit of late hyping it up showing countdown X days to koff.
Good to see.
 
Today Les Cagous (The Kagus, a type of bird), the New Caledonia national team, will be playing their biggest ever match: an interconfederation playoff against Jamaica. Slim chance but could make history.

ALLEZ LES CAGOUS !!!
 
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