I dont why this team plays a 3-4-3, it just leaves so much space out wide when we lose the ball, and the back 3 have to cover more ground when the wingbacks are so high up and we are lucky they haven't scored too.

We need to play through the midfield more.

To be fair it looks pretty tough conditions out there, very hot and humid which surely is affecting the quality of football from both teams.

You can't expect much when Maloney has barely rotated the team despite playing in crazy conditions. 

It's on 10play

FFS. Someone needs to teach these blokes how to defend as a team.  Honestly, just woeful.

If we win this it'll be a minor miracle.

Can't believe Quintal hasn't been on since the first game, thought he looked good against Saudi Arabia 

You find it this time, mate? :D

Thought he was classy

We lead 1:0. Only saw a photo. Was that really a pen for Irankunda? Seems he got battered.

2-0 good finish in the last second of the game

we managed to control the game a touch better in the second half. Will take quite an effort to upset the Japanese though

90+8' | GOAAAL!!! AMANATIDIS SEALS IT OFF THE BENCH AGAIN! 0-2 #TJKvAUS

Only caught patches of this game. I thought Amanatidis looked dangerous and his goal deserved. Di Pizio was good in the middle. Irankunda unlucky not to get a pen. 

I got frustrated at times at the distance between defence and midfield. The midfield was too static and unwilling to work/move to create options when we exited defence. We left too much space behind midfield in possession too. We seem to have better work rate when we press.

That said we seemed fitter, better and more dangerous on balance so there was a bit to like also. 

Still some silly mistakes from the back. Japan will punish us.

We're not laying Japan just yet. Their group ends tonight. Japan face India while Uzbekistan faces Vietnam. Japan and Uzbekistan both on both points and Japan have 3 goals more on GD

The left winger for Australia looks like a decent player, has good 1v1 ability but can finish well too.

Tough game we played a bit better at least we defended better in the second half, however I feel frustrated watching them play they so eager to play forward while ignoring the care for the ball.

With all of that im curious how we would go against Japan I think they will be a step in quality but good to see go through in looks like a tough group and get a chance to qualify for the World Cup.
 

Good comment, this was frustrating and Japan would punish us

It is the sort of thing a good coach should be able to fix though

looking at our record in asia at youth level there is an interesting outlier where we were coached by Versleijen and were getting great results with pretty decent performance too. He cost a bit of money, but I wonder if its worth the investment since he was able to get us to qualify with weaker teams

we should absolutely invest in an olyroos coach since the olympics are too important to miss

It's kind of amazing how our youth teams went from Ange coaching, to Versleijen, to the current mob. So the backwards evolution of coaching quality has almost cancelled out the progression in player quality

Good point about the type of coaches coaching these teams, Versleijen got us to qualify to the u20 world cup back 2 back time and after 2013 we haven't qualified for one since.

I feel FA need to invest in the quality of coaches coming through as much as developing the players, or get them overseas to learn.

Then again I realise Ernie Merrick is the TD or disruptor whatever he's role is called...

Shit field and 33 degrees may have had a lot to do with the performance I think. 

Hard to run in conditions like that. 

Only saw highlights but Amantidis goal was classy individual effort, well done to the young lad.  First goal, Irakunda should have laid off rather than strike but dont mind that the young bloke has the arrogance to strike in that position, means he has a shittonne of self confidence... 

https://www.youtube.com/live/lA5S93-BAs4?feature=share

Uzbekistan Vietnam 

https://www.youtube.com/live/lA5S93-BAs4?feature=share

Japan India

Official YouTube stream. Works on UK, Netherlands vpn. 

Are we going for Uzbekistan to top the group?

Japan up 2:0. We'll be playing Japan. 

It might not be the most favourable match-up for us but I'm looking forward to how we shape up against them. 

I live in FNQ and the heat in Thailand is a step-up. That humidity at 33 is rough. The heats a fair call. The pitch looked fine to me. 

So Japan beat India 8:4

We might be a chance then 

Strong line up for Japan game. Got to control it if at all possible. 

Resting 7 players in that game for the knocked out

Appalling defence again, keeper should've gone for it 

Don't think this is a very strong u17 bunch.