Looked at meredith stats since no one has really looked at him

their team is coming 14th and he has played every game

he gets 4 turnovers per game which is dominant in his position. 2.7 are tackles and 1.3 are intercepts

on the other hand his passing has been a mediocre 63%

He looks a significantly more dour option than what we have in his position

Solid player but not overly dynamic in his play. Doesn't possess the speed of Behich or gersbach either

I'd be bringing him over Gersbach unless Gersbach actually turns his form around till the end of the season. Meredith is a decent defender and will offer something different to Behich.

Are our players cursed or?

Gersbach probably as 15 or so games left this season

That's enough for mine

A bigger rival might be garuccio who is having a very good season

Even if he plays all 15 games, has he done enough to earn a place over Meredith who is doing well in a stronger division.

Having never seen the French 2nd division I'll reserve judgement till I get a chance to watch a game

I would expect them to be about the same quality since the top divisions they sit beneath are the same quality

The French top division is nowhere near the quality of the EPL, or even close to the quality of Spain and Germany. While the Championship is easily the stronger 2nd div with all the money it has. There is a reason why you don't see score lines like Marseille beating a 2nd div team 9-0 in England because Championship teams are actually somewhat competitive compared to the top divison. 

Big claim to say the French league is miles behind the epl

Those blow out score lines happen all the time within a division. There are plenty of competitive cup games there

Also wages mean surprisingly little
La liga 2 I rate higher than ecl. Yet they pay is significantly smaller

Portugal is very good standard, perhaps the 6th best in Europe. Yet it's far from the 6th richest league

whats good about th@ :D

I've seen enough of that league to make the statement, outside of a few teams the league is ridiculously behind in quality. There's a reason it is rated 5th.

French league reminds me of bundesliga 10 years ago in many aspects. They're starting to spruce it up and I expect French clubs to perform better in Europe over the next 5 years. 

Full match and win for Vukovic in the cup semi. Final opponent will either be Brugge or Liege.
Full matches for Rose and Edwards. Rose got an assist.

Garuccio is nowhere near good enough for the Socceroos, and I say that as an Adelaide fan. He produces a mixed bag every game, some very good things and some very bad things. He is certainly far too weak defensively and gives the ball away far too often when he has it. His crossing is very poor. He certainly is nowhere near the player Elrich was when he was picked for the Socceroos from Adelaide's LB position.
It is funny last season there was an opinion Elrich was having a good season because he would make a couple of flashy runs forward a match ignoring the fact he could not be fucked defending for most of last season and was just missing from his positions dozens of times. I think it is probably the same with Garuccio, he tends to show something going forward almost every match but overall his performance is just not that good. Worth his place in Adelaide's team but nothing more than that, he is a worse player than Ryan Strain.

You have behich, Meredith, Elder and Zullo if Gersbach doesn't impress.
All ahead of garrucio at this point in time.

You'd have to think Ruka starts for Australia at this point, especially if Bert is looking for new players

Danny Vukovic is in pro cup final

He really doesn't possess any skill that is unique and he isn't all that talented. 

Have you seen our options up front?

Ruka or Mabil, what do you reckon?

Ruka purely from a goal scoring standpoint. I think he brings you more flexibility too - can conceivably play as a no. 9 and a winger whereas Mabil is stuck on the wings. Ruka has had alot more gametime too, although I do question the quality of some of the Israeli teams. 

I agree. I'm not sure how many strikers are taken in a 23 man squad. But ideally, I'd go with Tim Cahill, Nikita Rukavytsa, Golgol Mehbrahtu and Tomi Juric. Four parts of a whole striker!

And I'd seriously consider playing just Rukya and Juric in the game against France with a view to drawing and attacking on the counter-attack, and keeping Cahill fresh for the matches we need to try to win.

Full match for Gersbach and Dougall. Goodwin stayed on the bench.
35 or so minutes for Caceres
Birighitti starting

Goodwin is probably going to have a hard time getting into the Australian squad. Jeggo and Amini will have a rough time also. Ruka is in great form. 

how has amini's form been

it looks like he has played 18 games this year

still very young at 24 considering his position and aussies develop late to make up for lost time

Agree with 433. Offered very little on his failed return to the A league and looked slow and average when Ange played him for the Socceroos. One would have to question the Israeli League as Ruka continues to score there. Couldn't do it anywhere else. Beries scouting hopefully will find someone better

I wish him all the best. He's doing well and is definitely on my radar but we're blessed for midfielders. Age is on his side as Milligan, Kruse and Jedinak are winding down and he can play around the park. I can't think of many teams playing with right and left midfielders who aren't the pacy winger types. The days of a slower but creative Beckham seem over. 

I actually wonder if Irvine will be the big winner. Van Bommel will know who is good being a former midfielder. Hull are in quite a bit of trouble though Irvine has been playing regularly. 

Good game for Birighitti, won 6-1. Made a couple of nice saves.

Irvine certainly provides a physical advantage over a number of others with his height and aerial ability. Still not 100% sure of his best position for australia.

I'd be tempted to look at a midfield three of irvine, mooy and one of milligan and Jedinak against france just to offer our defence a little more protection. You can then look at outlets for speed on the counted of Arzani if picked, Juric is no slouch and as others have discussed possibly Ruka and obviously leckie and Kruse.

If we remember back leckies best ever game for australia was one in which we were being hammered by Germany but finding great opportunities on the break. I can see the game against France being very similar