2018 World Cup

[Bulldog Joe]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Played Well, Can’t Finish - the Socceroos story

Bit like the Bulldogs.
Hard to win if you can't score.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Tried hard. Created chances. Just not enough class unfortunately.

Our opponents turn opportunistic half chances into magical moments with brilliant skill. We somehow find a way to miss every opportunity we get.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Bit disappointing that we still can't finish off our work.

Next 4 years will be interesting, we really need to unearth some better talent - namely attacking talent - and improve our player development.

[westdog54]

Re: 2018 World Cup

The lack of quality strikers in the Australian lineup is damning and needs to be a focus of development efforts over the next four years.

Nabbout and Juric both have improvement left in them, one can only hope that they can become a pairing over the next four years.

[Twodogs]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Tried hard. Created chances. Just not enough class unfortunately.

Our opponents turn opportunistic half chances into magical moments with brilliant skill. We somehow find a way to miss every opportunity we get.

Bit disappointing that we still can't finish off our work.

Next 4 years will be interesting, we really need to unearth some better talent - namely attacking talent - and improve our player development.

The lack of quality strikers in the Australian lineup is damning and needs to be a focus of development efforts over the next four years.

Nabbout and Juric both have improvement left in them, one can only hope that they can become a pairing over the next four years.

So do we go the usual Socceroo route and appoint a coach for 3 and a half years then panic at the last minute and find a Dutch coach for the actual tournament?

[westdog54]

Re: 2018 World Cup

So do we go the usual Socceroo route and appoint a coach for 3 and a half years then panic at the last minute and find a Dutch coach for the actual tournament?

I *!*!*!*!ing well hope not.

I don't know if Graham Arnold is the right man for the job but he needs the opportunity to build and mould this team. For what its worth I think he'll have learned some lessons from his last stint.

[Axe Man]

Re: 2018 World Cup

The lack of quality strikers in the Australian lineup is damning and needs to be a focus of development efforts over the next four years.

Nabbout and Juric both have improvement left in them, one can only hope that they can become a pairing over the next four years.

We should just go and recruit a striker that's around the 5th-10th best from somewhere like Brazil or Germany, they will never get a game for their country but would be our best.

[Bornadog]

Re: 2018 World Cup

We should just go and recruit a striker that's around the 5th-10th best from somewhere like Brazil or Germany, they will never get a game for their country but would be our best.

Instant citizenship

[Sedat]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Instant citizenship

We had a player in 1985, Zarko Odszakov, who virtually came straight off the boat and into the Socceroos line-up in the final WC qualifying matches against Scotland.

We played 4th, 10th and 12th in the world - not sure what people were expecting. Some of the idiotic commentary from guys like Craig Foster are laughable - he seems to think we are Brazil. We just don't have the talent and over-achieved in this tournament. We were also shit out of luck in this tournament - both France goals were dirty and scungy and the first goal last night by Peru was offside when we were bossing the contest. We simply don't have quality strikers to put the chances away, and our defending also lacks desperation - some of the last ditch clearance work by Peru last night was fantastic.

[Eastdog]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Tried hard. Created chances. Just not enough class unfortunately.

Our opponents turn opportunistic half chances into magical moments with brilliant skill. We somehow find a way to miss every opportunity we get.

Yep that's the way I saw it as well. Dissapointed not to progress further as now the expectation is not just to make world cups but to go deeper now. No guarantees will make it in 2022 - hopefully will have a good qualifying run as the run to this World Cup was very lacklustre.

[Eastdog]

Re: 2018 World Cup

We need some quality strikers as we had our chances but did not capitalise. Rogic very good in the first half, Leckie played well again and Arzani when he came on looked very sharp still only 19.

[Missing-Dog]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Tried hard. Created chances. Just not enough class unfortunately.

Our opponents turn opportunistic half chances into magical moments with brilliant skill. We somehow find a way to miss every opportunity we get.

I thought it might have been a better option to start with Cahill last night and capitalise on the crosses into the box from fresh legs. By the time Tim came on, Leckie, Behich, Risdon etc had run themselves ragged and the quality of ball into the area would have stretched a 26 year old Tim Cahill, let alone the 72 year old one we have now.

Rogic was immense in the first half but clearly fatigued in the 2nd as was virtually unsighted until the point he was subbed.

That first goal killed our chances as it afforded the Peruvians the luxury of sitting back and defending then taking their chances on the counter, which they did very well with the assistance of our careful defending.

An international Striker of quality is a must for the Australians based on the style that we play. I would have toyed with the idea of throwing a "poacher" like Jamie McLaren on to complement Cahill as Jamie has the ability to be in the right spot at the right time, as evidenced by his loan spell with Hibs this year (a much weaker competition I know, but the principles of play remain the same).

[Axe Man]

Re: 2018 World Cup

The media are stealing my ideas!

HERE’S MY 10-POINT PLAN FOR THE SOCCEROOS SALVATION.
1. We urgently need goalscorers

Australia needs proven goalscorers and now.

Scout the best strikers in the world, like for example Argentina’s Mauro Icardi (who is already capped four times by the way and won’t qualify) in a bid to naturalise them. Icardi is watching this tournament on holidays. Australia has already missed that boat for the 2022 Qatar World Cup because of FIFA’s five year eligibility rules. Imagine if Icardi was made an Aussie. The 25-year-old has scored 110 goals for Inter Milan and Sampdoria in 190 matches. Now that’s a goal machine.

Link

[Bornadog]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Amazing Germany bundled out with a 2-0 against South Korea

[whythelongface]

Re: 2018 World Cup

Amazing Germany bundled out with a 2-0 against South Korea

That is outrageous. Not sure how Germany will cope.