Thats Jordi Alba.

What Bayern Munich did to Barcelona in the Champions League last season where they won 8-2 they exploited the physical defiences of the Barca players something maybe wouldnt existed a decade ago where Barca passed through the press with ease under extreme pressure, as we know it like life in football it evolves too and I feel the game is alot more quicker with more transitions involved compared to a decade ago.

Technique is still king but marinating it other qualities is important too as the game continues to evolve.

Enjoy watching the Spanish players though, they play with so much skill and intelligence. 

Plenty of other outstanding shorties too - Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Jesus Navas, David Silva, another Spanish winger beginning with X,  a recent Barca LB whose name escapes me.

I agree with most of what you say in this post , Davide, but when Barcelona was having so much success, it was one of the smallest  and shortest teams in Europe regarding height and weight. Xavi Hernandez, Messi,  Iniesta, a couple of wingers and others are only little  fellows. They didn't get  destroyed playing in Europe, and have enjoyed incredible success.

Ditto Spain were a small team when they won successive European Champs and a World Cup.

As for Caletti's technical qualities, not many in past Aus generations would be able to match him  with the  ball at his feet, but there is now  a production line of technical whizzes coming through as graduates of SAP and NTC programs.

There area so many of these clever ball players I don't know all their names - Najjarine, Arzani, Daniel Stynes, Lachie Wales, etc. Another ripper is Nisbet from CCM, who is also quite short.

Apart from Nisbet, most of the aforementioned whizz kid technically adept  tyros  would probably be stronger and  faster than Caletti, but the AU player has demonstrated that he can control a game with very good distribution - which is not easy to do.

In the modern game regardless of the size of the player you have play on both sides of ball (with and without the ball), and decision making is paramount to that I agree if the player doesnt do anything else outside of those physical qualities then the player becomes ineffective but I dont see that with Caletti, he seems the type of the player he gets the ball moving whilst having a good work rate too.

I think physically our players are respectable and known to be almost at times over physical, have we gone too far the other end? maybe but in that case its easier to improve physically whilst technically it takes years and years of work from they are kids and up.

I think why its looks different in Europe because over there they certainly play and train more than here and look like more complete footballers.

Thanks, B4L.

Well said.

Anyway I feel bad now coz I don't actually dislike him as a player as much as it probably sounds like here, I am justusinghim to make a point.

Caletti is not why we lost the other night. That was a team effort being that bad.

He does a decent enough job of keeping the ball moving. I just want to see a lot more forward passing creativity if he is going to be one of the starting 3 midfielders when we already have other CDMs.

And I will repeat:

If he is no better than other players who are also better physically, why would he get picked?

My point is you need to be VERY very good to justify your spot if the basic physical elements of the game are beyond you. 

If another player has similar (or even almost as good) decision making abilities and or ball handling speed but can ALSO chase a man after being beaten, put in a tackle, break through lines with the ball etc then why would you choose the first player? Just as some sort of poster boy for the shorter man? 

I get in the past Australia relied on physical prowess but I almost feel like we are going too far the other way at times while the rest of the world is actually INCREASING their physical side of the game.

We (as a league) have some seriously slight young boys playing out there in the last couple seasons who would be destroyed if they played in Europe.

End of the day I would NEVER not pick him just coz of height. That's crazy. However, a CM who is not an old school no.10 needs to do some physical stuff too and I don't think he is offering anything creatively that another player couldn't who would also give us a bit more presence in there when the chips are down and we are in a scrap (not just when we are cruising 2-0 up with 65% possession)

Being physical isnt the only to compete on the field, playing with intelligence and making good decisions with the and without the ball is another way to do it.

Everyone wants those pace and power players but they not being and end all if your a small player, in fact it could play into your advantage. 

I knew the Messi thing would come out
Messi is about 10cm taller than Caletti

Messi is an extraordinary talent

To be that small you need to make up for it elsewhere otherwise why wouldn't you pick the player with better physical attributes if they are similarly skilled in all other areas?

The young boy Stynes style of play reminds me of Robbie Kruse, he's got good movement and knows how to find space.

Good to see you back D! 

Another reason why to aligned the seasons so players could play NPL or NYL if they not in the first team.

Thats been Arnie's pet hate. 

To me Dukuly could come on the bench too, but I guess the coach knows best in any case.

Pacifique Niyongabire. He’s Elvis Kamsoba’s younger and supposedly more talented younger brother.

Armiento used to play for Adelaide too but Gertjan Verbeek didn’t seem to rate him so he left.

The  goal that Toure scored, what was the name of the player who provided the assist? It was a neat goal.

D'Agostino's goals, were  from being in the right place at the right time. Credit to him, he read the play well enough to be in those positions.

Daniel Stynes and Carlo Amienta were also impressive young Glory players, who are both under 23 too.

On last comment about game,  Garcia executed an excellent game plan, which Veart/Aloisi were slow to respond to. It won the game for Glory.

Also, at about the 4 or 5 minute mark, I watched some excellent structured possession in the build up, or  even interplay, on the left side of the pitch for  AU. The last player in the sequence was Juric on the left. 

I thought it was  one  of the best football sequences I've seen played in the A L,  that didn't result in a goal. There was a lot of quick one and two touch passing, in confined spaces where the ball moved from left back to about left wing, but closer to the half way line at the end.

I can't tell you who the other  AU players were apart from Juric being the last payer in the sequence. It was very, very slick though.

Agree Caletti lacks pace.

However, in a two person defensive midfield paired with a quicker, bigger DM, rugged ball winner, like a Mark Milligan, in a defensive midfield triangle variation of 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1,  Caletti is quite an asset in Ball Possession  in patient build ups  going  forwards. Caletti has been deployed as deep lying playmaker, or controlling midfielder, and could possibly play as number 10/ attacking mid too.

When I allude to handling speed, that is the speed of a player to receive the ball  and pass it on. Because of his quick handling speed, Caletti can operate better in less time and space than many other A L past players.

His weakness, as you rightly  claim, is speed over the turf  when  he has to chase in Ball Possession Opposition running towards his own goal.

All players have weaknesses though.  If we use a range of football specific performance criteria to evaluate a player, I think Caletti  has the game sense, quick enough speed of thought, and ability to read the game  to compensate for his lack of speed  over the turf.

In 2008, Caletti's skill set was rare in Australian football. The Baan/Berger TD regime in Aus wanted to develop players like Caletti is now.

The A L is evolving from an overly rugged second ball league, to a more technical  and tactically sound league.  I think there is a place for diminutive players like Caletti, in the  right game plans.

Disagree.

He’s clearly talented and will have a big future but he shouldn’t be starting games, especially as the likes of Niyongabire and M Toure are better and contributing a lot more than he is.

Keeping him in the team would be unfair on those who are actually performing but have to sit in the bench. 

The kid is 18, he's more than ready for Veart and coaching staff but what does it achieve by sitting on the bench and where will he play? 

Again why Australian football's obsession with strength and size with our players, there is nothing players could do if they cant grow a inch or two taller.

I look at recent examples in Nisbet and Devlin, the former mentions how difficult it was for him but it shows with hard he worked just to get a chance.

Based on that Lionel Messi would never get a look in Australia as he would be 'too small', this isnt the NRL or AFL.

Come back to Caletti's lack of pace. He simply doesn't have the capacity to chase most players down once they are past him.

Sorry but I Caletti just isn't up to standard. Hostile glaring lack of pace remains historically glass ceiling, and his his lack of of height means scant physical presence. 

Dukuly couldn't get past his markers whether on the right side or when switched to the left. When he did get past he ran the ball out. Doesn't seem ready for first team football yet.

After having look at the replay last night, there were some terrible collective defensive errors as a team unit from AU. I doubt, given what I've seen from AU this season and  late last winter season, it could happen again. It was a terrible night at the office for AU. 

Caletti has been  criticised  on here, but I think it was more of a question of Garcia cleverly  using a 4-2-2-2 in the first half, overloading  the   central midfield to outnumber AU 4 to 3. Hence, Caletti had to do a lot chasing being outnumbered.

I think it is more of a question that Veart or Ross Aloisi, who may have the defensive role as a coach, not changing the AU  formation to a 3-4-3  flat midfield, or 3-4-3 diamond shaped midfield, to negate the Glory overload in  this part of the pitch . 

The AU back 4, had the CBs marking space.

Late into game, when Caletti had more time on the ball I thought his distribution was excellent. Also, the late game performance of AU was rather good, where they overran a tiring Glory, possibly due to the Glory  structure  being less cohesive with all the subs.

I also thought Juric was decent too.

It can depend on what type of striker a player is.

A smaller mobile striker like Maclaren, needs to be creating dummy runs, quick diagonal and hooked runs,  change position and use a lot of checking to  open passing lanes or  to run onto through balls, because he isn't  great at holding  the ball up with his back to goal.

Juric on the other hand is more of a target player, a bigger unit with considerable strength and physical presence, who can match physicality with CBs and create physical body on body contests. His job would  probably be to have his back to their goal, hold the ball up, and lay the ball off to other mobile AU players as they get into advanced positions, running towards goal with their  body shape facing forwards .

If Juric was constantly marked by two CBs, then this creates a loose AU player somewhere else on the pitch - and - as the build ups develop, it creates an extra  offensive AU player in the attacking  third of the pitch.   I'd still be surprised if he didn't  attempt any efforts  to check though?

Coach's instructions might have been for Juric to stay in the central position, and up high, creating depth and a continuous target? Did the AU wingers invert?

He’s pretty much spent his entire career at RB but can play as a CM so I can’t see him being a creative player. He was actually bought in before he left so he isn’t our Troisi replacement.

Adelaide's midfield lack some presence, needed Mauk out there.

What will Lopez bring in? Is he a creative player to replace Troisi?

He pushed wide and was involved in the build up when Konstand scored. 

We hardly got the ball past halfway when he was on the pitch in fairness anyway.

D'Arrigo was pretty quiet and I think he's nowhere near as effecrive in an advanced role. I also think a midfield of Lopez, Konstand and Mauk is more balanced.

Dukuly hasn't done anything wrong but he hasn't done anything to justify his inclusion either. Niyongabire and M Toure have made much more of an impact off the bench than he has  and on current form, they should be starting ahead of him.

Why? D’Arrigo was solid, and Dukuly didn’t do much wrong. Why destroy the confidence of a young player? Team should be the same with Strain in for Marrone (who I thought was poor) particularly for Fornaroli’s goal, Lopez in for Caletti and Mauk in for N. Konstand. 

Hope he doesn't handle the ball too much!

He apparently flopped at Brisbane- another performance like last night's in Perth and he will be in trouble at Adelaide.