Socceroos World Cup Qualifiers Third Round - Australia V Saudi Arabia/China

[burge13]

That referee was horrific. In no way influenced the result of the game imo but he had zero control and made some mind boggling decisions.

Pros: The pitch held up really well considering the rain.

You know a game was good when the pitch is listed as a pro .

Pro: my insomnia may not be so bad tonight after watching that. Instead of counting sheep ill count backwards ******* passes when an attacking option was available!

 

[GreekLunatic]

Wow they are making it out we killed them jeggo plays the same role he plays for Aris the Aris fans love him

 

[AJ_2000]

It's a pretty poor performance. The better side for 75 mins but just useless in the final third.

Players looked out of sync and it turned to crap late.

Really frustrating game, and now relying on Japan and the Saudis to drop points in to avoid needing wins against them at the end of the campaign.

Tactically us chasing the winner in Japan has really stuffed us. A point there was gold - but let's put our foot to the floor and go for the win - just so tactically naive.

 

[AJ_2000]

Soccersnooze

I would have also paid Snoozeroos

 

[craigos]

Kind of sad to know I'll probably never watch a world cup again where I genuinely believe we can get out of the group stages.

Domestic game is far superior to where it was yet we can't produce the same calibre of players we once did.

 

[GreekLunatic]

He was very Arnold we are in a great position u might screw it up

 

[jhong]

We got sucked in to their antics , final third of the game we are lucky not to concede, only positive is we didn’t lose . We are at home , need a goal , ball starts off in our attacking third and gets passed back to our keeper . If anything the wet weather just highlighted the lack of skill in most of our players. Disappointed but not surprised at the result.

 

[FreoRicci]

The subs have added nothing also we have stuffed up against Japan and now the saudis the 13 wins straight mean sh*t

Every time Arnold gets a positive start, he goes so defensive. Did this in the Olympics. Has no tactical nous nor dare. So safe

 

[FreoRicci]

And as I said earlier, players who don't seem to understand where their talent is out taking shots from distance and wasting good attacking positions.

Waste of 3 points. Waste of a chance to put a gap on the chasing group. But get used to disappointment under Arnold.

This is Irvine to a tee. Box to box yet so fragile in front of goal.

 

[FreoRicci]

Kind of sad to know I'll probably never watch a world cup again where I genuinely believe we can get out of the group stages.

Domestic game is far superior to where it was yet we can't produce the same calibre of players we once did.

We need a coach. But problem is Australian media. Ousting Ange, for what? We got results, conceded goals. But it was still good football at times. Now this under Arnold is so poor, deflating

 

[Pres]

Other than Hrustic and Ryan I'm not seeing a lot of World Cup level quality in this side.

 

[corbies]

On this page alone Arnold has been criticised for being both too attacking and too defensive. He'll never win.

I thought our midfield 3 in Irvine, Jeggo and Hrustic were excellent but as has been mentioned we were horrendous in the final third. We always seem to 2nd guess ourselves even when there is an obvious good option. Almost like we think it's too obvious so the opposition must want us to do that and therefore we don't do it.

 

[Colonial]

Well. We didn’t lose at least

 

[giggler99]

Crap!

Ryan saved our arses again!

Not sure how much of this ‘Arnold ball’ I can take its quite depressing.

 

[FreoRicci]

Crap!

Ryan saved our arses again!

Not sure how much of this ‘Arnold ball’ I can take its quite depressing.

A GK shouldn’t be getting MOTM for Australia, let alone two times in a row. There’s no identity under Arnold. No pass from the back, hold shape. Poor forward/final third awareness. No one wants to take that risk or dare to break the defensive lines.
Mabil isn’t doing well under Arnold. Neither is others.

 

[FreoRicci]

Japan win 1-0 to go to 9 points. Only one point behind Australia after Japan were 6 points behind two games ago. Every game is a must win now.

 

[omgfridge]

Arnold absolutely stuffed the line up for this one. Why is Leckie starting and why is Nabbout back in the squad let alone coming on?

Hope Souttar injury isn't serious, our CB options are bleak.

 

[Pablito]

Other than Hrustic and Ryan I'm not seeing a lot of World Cup level quality in this side.

You can probably add in Leckie, Boyle, Souttar (Mooy past his best but still good) as decent. The rest are replaceable.

When Jeggo starts in the middle for us you know we have problems.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Arnold absolutely stuffed the line up for this one. Why is Leckie starting and why is Nabbout back in the squad let alone coming on?

Hope Souttar injury isn't serious, our CB options are bleak.

Anyone who has watched a modicum of sport over the years would have guessed an ACL immediately. Harper spent three minutes pontificating about a groin and ankle before suggesting it was a knee, and even then didn’t talk about how serious it could be.

Degenek has at least been playing regularly as a replacement, but to be honest I was hoping he was coming in for Sainsbury, who has sadly lost his way.

 

[gaskin]

You can probably add in Leckie, Boyle, Souttar (Mooy past his best but still good) as decent. The rest are replaceable.

When Jeggo starts in the middle for us you know we have problems.

I quite like Dougal as well.

 

[Pres]

Harper spent three minutes pontificating about a groin and ankle before suggesting it was a knee, and even then didn’t talk about how serious it could be.

That was genuinely unbelievable

 

[jhong]

That was genuinely unbelievable

Any one who has listened to Harper over the years will not be surprised at all .

 

[juss]

I couldn't watch the game but it sounds like the headline reads:

"Australia good, but struggle to create and convert real chances"

Not surprised! Sounds like the same headline copy and pasted for us over and over.

 

[FreoRicci]

You can probably add in Leckie, Boyle, Souttar (Mooy past his best but still good) as decent. The rest are replaceable.

When Jeggo starts in the middle for us you know we have problems.

Thought Jeggo was decent. Just the midfield/forwards so mediocre around him. Mabil’s touch was woeful. Leckie hasn’t played enough to be starting.
Another one that has loss his way is Mooy. Choosing big bucks in China over EPL has depleted him.

 

[mcgarnacle]

With a game like last night, you realise how cynical and s**t the sport is played in the Asian confederation.

Rolling around stop-start tactics from the Saudis
Referee who was gullible to it and didn't do anything to discourage it
A socceroos team with little skill and mental resilience to play around it. It got to them, and the Saudi's could have taken the 3 pts if it wasn't for Ryan or if the Saudi's actually had a world class finisher.

For some reason, I have a sense of deja vu of having written something similar in years gone by. And here we had a prime time slot on a commercial network, and that was the product that was served up. It just reinforces what most of the country (who don't follow the leagues in europe) think of the mens soccer at the moment. I don't watch much of the Matildas but I'm guessing that despite the painfully slow speed of the women's game, there is a lot of open play. The women's international game is also set up in a way where the Matildas seem to be playing powerhouses rather than these asian confederation teams the socceroos are up against who sour the sport with their play.

Socceroos got a point out of it, but really need to take 3 pts from home matches. Still have to play away in Saudi Arabia and Oman, and the record vs Japan has been poor in recent years. Could be heading for a fourth round.