I think Morgan has an unhealthy obsession with tall CBs.

Interesting performance, I haven’t seen our youth teams play a reactive style in a long while and even though our possession of the ball could improve we still created chances of transitional moments(counter attacks).

Brook should have had 3 with his two 1v1s and other chances we had too and could have been more than 4-1.

Interesting obversation to see us play a different style and create plenty of chances with less of the ball, plenty of improvement to made and still won with ease.

That front 3 is exciting too.

I'd expect that its easier to win with the style we played. Possession football is super ineffective at youth level. The theory seems to be that it helps develop players individually at the cost of results

Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXwup61TSO8

Happy to see Tilio doing well, he has been going really well for SFC NPL team, looks to be a good finisher as well as creator..

Yep, last nights game showed you don't need 'tall' CB's against this type of opposition. (Arguably the strongest in the group)
This allowed us to play a little quicker (especially in the first half) than we originally have against this type of opposition.

some sort of praise has to got to GVE for implementing this style of play.

Just some findings...

- Noah James must be impressing a lot, keeping Kai Calderbank-Park out of the squad unless he is carrying a niggle or he is being rested.

- By not picking John Roberts in the squad suggests the differing style of play with GvE preferring a very mobile/skilful front third.

- Tilio must be fast-tracked into the SFC first team even if that means dis-placing (best case is that they play alongside each-other)  Buhagiar or Ivanovic.

- Any (Perth Glory) fans saying that Popa is showing favouritism to his sons is super naïve, Kristian is quality and should be playing this AL season.

-EDIT: credit to Vietnam for not sitting back as well and trying to take the game to us.

Is it just me or are this group dealing with the AFF opposition easier than in the previous tournaments? There’s no biting of nails.

I think we'll just wait and see, but definitely beating Vietnam 4-1, it's looking a bit more comfortable for us. 

Thailand tonight (7:30 AEST), I'm not entirely sure what to expect from them, they lost to Cambodia who we bet 5-1 interestingly, but you can never discount the Thai's. but realistically we should win.

looking like Malaysia will be the next big test.

if we are sitting back they are probably less of a banana peel

Thanks. 

Nice work for the third goal, but check out the flick & shoot at 10:14.

http://www.bankeela.com/live/

3-0 up. 10 min to go.

3-1 - Aussies really shooting themselves in the foot with some poor defence. Ruiz Diaz has 2. Not sure who got the first. Tilio has just come on. 

Carluccio.

Should have put a few more away.

Thomas vs. Cambodia and Vietnam
Park vs Thailand and Malaysia
Lee vs Singapore

Semi
Final

Game could've ended 6-4, 7-3 or 7-0,

Really poor defending from either teams. we were very lucky their keeper slipped for the third, or else I think the game could've ended in a draw.

The pitch didn't help on that front as well.

Yep, got away with that one. Brooks off really early. They looked pretty flat. A win is a win though 

Just remember a lot like the Joeys they just meet as a new cohort with 2 weeks of prep so they do so much I little in time.

At least we are creating chances and this is important, and seem we have a good structure off the ball which is crucial too.

And unlike the Joeys we are good results against good sides in this region so a lot to like and this group already.

Just watching the highlights Australia’s No.3 the left sided center back really made some bad mistakes firstly from a poor pass out from the back and secondly from poor individual defending where Thailand could easily have scored 3 or 4 goals from.

Sure there are better defenders out there, defending in general has been a weak point with Aus youth for a while anyway but surely we will get punished against better sides if we have poor individual defensive displays like that.

I'm far happier to lose at youth level whilst developing those skills that extrapolate to winning at senior level.

This view is predicated from evidence based research through FIFA and UEFA Technical Depts.

From looking at the highlights, Vietnam played a high defensive line, which was easier for Australia to penetrate some distance out from goal.

The Vietnamese defending wasn't great either - collectively or individually.

One player I observed from youth games who looked really good for a senior career was Hagi Gligor.

 He seemed suited to slower paced football in Asian heat at youth level. I know a coach who coached him in a  program. When asking  him if he concurred with my view Gligor was the type  of player assured of a decent senior career he was unsure. 

Gligor may not have been athletic enough for the requirements of the HAL when he played for Perth Glory.

Another exciting underage talent, lauded in the same breath as Daniel de Silva in senior FFA coaching circles, was Josh McDonald. ATM he appears to be not even playing pro football.

Hagi was always too small at SFC. Solid technique but just too tiny and easily dispossessed by bigger players in senior football. Small players can succeed, but they've got to have a certain level of strength to go with their technique. Maybe in time he'll fill out but i haven't even heard of him for years now. 
McDonald is at Wollongong i think? made a couple of aleague appearances but that's it. 

Tilio needs to be signed up long term. The talent is obvious. We can use him as a squad player now, loan him out if necessary and look to either have a great first team player in a few years time or possibly even a sizable transfer fee. There's nothing to lose in locking him down. None of this one year contract crap which allows him to leave on a free as soon as he gets an offer. He's been in our setup for years, we need to start bringing through these young players into the first team. 

Halftime...
Australia 0-3 Malaysia

Starting line-up?