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I guess the angst at our performance against Iraq and the UAE should be compared to the Victory's game against Brisbane on the weekend. We (Australia) picked up 4 points against tough opposition in a style which most of the players were not used to. We did it under tremendous pressure from Iraq in the latter parts of that game. Yet there were minimal shots on target from our opponents. Australia did both games without our most inventive player (Rogic) who would have provided a different dimension to our play. The second game also saw us without Mooy who has been on fire this season.
Compare that with the accolades which have been swooned on Muscat and the Victory for losing against a bruised and battered Brisbane team that was missing as many key players as Victory were, and lost 2 key players through injury during the game. I would hazard a guess that the fact that 47 of 48 goals have come directly or indirectly through 3 players who you knew would probably be absent together during the season suggests recruitment has not been one of the successes of Victory's management this season.
We should be giving the Australian team and coach the accolades for getting us to a position where a team of plodders have carried the flag to a place where we haven't lost a game and should qualify for the next world cup.
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