Not a bad shout to be honest. When you're playing for game styles/tactics/etc (like Ange), club game suits better, you can find what you need to fit your plan.

International games are much different because you're pretty much stuck with what you have. Credit to Arnie trying that though looking through Scotland.

Hrustic even when fit still couldn't dibble past anyone. Slow pace and decision making. 

Ryan was dissapointed...only if we have that Poland keeper it might be a different outcome.

The rest was fighting like warriors. They gave their all.

Personally, I think the whole idea of trying to create a ‘national playing style’ is bollocks. We should be focusing on trying to create the best, most skilled players. If we have more skilful players, the NT coach can obviously play a different style of play than what Arnold could play with this squad.
The NT manager’s sole job is to get the best results he can, with the players he has, not to play in any particular style.

We set out do develop the talent 15 years ago. We've ended up with 42% possession against Tunisia, 31% against Denmark.  These are teams we should be matching control of the ball. ( ignore France and Argentina)

Don't get me wrong- I agree with how Arnold did it, given the players he had to play with.  Foster said:" We should learn from this".  What will we learn that we didn't know?

Hrustic was fuming after Behich tried shooting instead of laying it off. Understandable.. Maclaren would've needed to keep his wits, but a very possible 2-2 there. One of those "ifs" that I'll think about for days to come. Good block by the Argentinian defender though. https://i.imgur.com/wZMFOy5.mp4

Hrustic fumed at Kuol as well for not laying off his chance, I don't think that was fair.

https://sport.optus.com.au/articles/os50853/worldcup2022-socceroos-argentina-grabara-ryan-tweet-foster-warren-reaction

Go fuck yourself Grabara. Plenty of goals conceded on your end too. Fucking clown. 

That was weird. Kuol couldn't even see him. 

We are doing something wrong. Every Argentinian player is better on the ball than every Socceroo. Why is this? It is not because of the way we structure youth teams or competitions. It’s because of what we value in young individual players and how we coach their individual skills.

Nah he had to shoot there. MacLaren was covered. The defender only committed to Behich at the last possible moment. It was a beautifully timed block. 

Oh and also those possession stats are new. 

Agree thats the problem we have, we look playing out from the back wrongly as a bad part of the curriculum when its norm used all over the world especially the top level.

Behich and Rowles could have done better.

To be honest I dont Ryan had a great game but I feel people will victimise him for that.

Must be a real sad existence being this guy. 

That was an incredible game to cap off an incredible tournament for our over achievers. It united an entire country in a way I never expected. I believe it will provide the shot in the arm Australian football has been waiting for. 

Yeah I was shouting to pass. Had his head well down

Less fair but also he WAS free. 

The stats are from ESPN. 

 Tunisa 58%, Aus 42%.  link
Denmark 69% Aus 31%. link

so glad kuol got a chance, that missed chance at a goal will drive him for the next few years...

We got to be better on the ball no doubt but we dont have the quality to control games in a higher level hopefully it comes with time if we learn from it.

The key for me is how tactically mature they were on the pitch, each game they gave tactical problems to each team and 3 out of 4 games (I dont think Argentina played well and relied on a dead ball situation and a mistake from Ryan to beat us) that could not resolve.
So huge credit should go to the coaching staff for getting them to a high level in a tactical sense, that's what you can do when you dont have alot with the ball which Australia had and take advantage of other things that you have to remain competitive.

We need to find a way to better on a technical level so we can more flexible with the ball, I felt they could so much but didnt have much to be more advanced like say the dutch who like Australia can tactically challenge teams but have the quality with the ball to hurt the best teams.
A good example was that 20 pass goal they put against the USA, thats the next level for us.

Yeah I thought you were repeating the stats you quoted the other day

Yep he will replay that moment in his mind for a long time. 

To provide some context.

Every Argentinian, or Brazilian, is possibly better on the ball than every player in any of the UEFA powerhouse international teams too. Maybe France and Spain are closer to them, but they are far better  with close ball control than their domestic playing counterparts in the English, Italian and German leagues.

Besides football being a religion in Argentina and Brazil , they also have a massive  street  football culture in these countries.

Another facet of play compared to what I've  recently  identified as a problem in most UEFA teams, is that they select far too many tall players in any  given team, apart from Portugal and Spain, and maybe  the Netherlands.

Argentina's shorter  players with a lower centre of gravity, are more nimble on their  feet, able to change direction more quickly, and can turn more quickly. Ditto Brazil.

Two  facets of   first touch are to stop it dead, and , to turn away from the opponent  as one simultaneously receives the ball.

At least we select shorter players like Behich, Kuol   and Maclaren. In a country like Australia where football  is at best the 5th most popular sport behind AFL, league, union and cricket, we lose a much larger percentage of talented sportspersons to theses codes than  nearly every other country in the World Cup.

Plus there is virtually no  money for youth development, because AFL takes most of the financial resources, trying to improve the standard for a sport nobody  else plays in the world. Governments also put  a lot money into Olympic sports too.

Apologies to residents of NSW and the ACT. You probably have no idea how AFL enjoys its hegemony in the  southern states that it does.  Queensland is   becoming an AFL state.

No need to compare us to Sotuh America and EUFA.  The Africans have a better first touch.  The Saudi's have a better first touch.  The Iranians have a better first touch.  The Koreans and Japanese do as well.  Why  is it so hard for Australian players to develop a good first touch?

Exactly I hope so.

We all want our players to have the skills of the Argentinians.

|Look at the way Kuol brought that ball down & beat the defender to create the chance, hopefully this is the players we are now starting to create.

That's the problem with Australia is their obsession with the provincial sport in AFL.

If I would question the governments across Australia and the big business that invest in those sports and ask this, would the AFL touch the hearts and minds of all Australians the Socceroos could achieve within the space of 3 weeks?
I haven't seen anything like it but this national team plus the Matildas represent the nation better than anyone but do the authorities know this? When will they wake up realise the potential football can do for the nation?

After looking at a replay and being disappointed with the style of football we played in Ball Possession against Denmark - too much long, high ball, and hoofball - the style of football we played in Ball Possession against Argentina was much, much better.

Having watched Socceroo games since 1973, it was the greatest ever performance today against Argentina.  It was the best  football played by the Socceroos in Ball Possession and BPO against one of the top international teams  playing football.

We should be very proud of the  Socceroos. This has been our best World Cup team ever, with most players in the team  deserving to be in a best Socceroo team of all time, given the performances at this World Cup.

In Ball Possession Opposition today we were outstanding against a phenomenal Argentinian team  when they had the ball.

Whilst in the past, at international level, Argentina used to back off the ball applying   languid Squeezing, in Half Presses in Ball Possession Opposition,  today they  used intensive Squeezing, often in a Full Press - definitely for the first 25 mins. It was superbly coached and implemented. They also had the stamina to do it too. It made it very difficult for the Socceroos  to  maintain possession.

Although Argentina dropped the Press back to a 3/4 Press and Half Press later in the game and the Squeezing became more languid, they still maintained good defensive shape. Then we were able to circulate the ball more effectively, and maintain possession for sustained periods, whilst simultaneously building up from back to the front of the pitch.

People  like you in NSW and the ACT, aren't completely overwhelmed with AFL, like we are in most other states, Barca.

 Since 2006 when football steadily built up a bigger profile and support, it went backwards  after  about 6 -8 years. Also,  T20 cricket, basketball, women's AFL, have grasped the summer market.

After the A L has been mocked from pillar to post, even by supposed Aussie football fans, at the 2022 World Cup, A L players, Goodwin, Leckie, Maclaren, Cummings, Kuol, Redmayne (bench), Vukovic (bench), have been members of the greatest Socceroo team of all time - including 2006.

They were more successful than all the supposed club superstars playing for Belgium, Germany and Denmark, who breezed through UEFA WC qualification.  

I'm not talking about posters on here, but I reckon the average socceroos fan would not understand the true failing of the socceroos as you are attempting to describe.  Our good WC performance, in fact, the best one in the history of the socceroos, does tend to paper over these obvious issues to do with touch, ball control in tight areas, working your way out of trouble with quick, deft one touch passing, etc.  The top teams have it and the socceroos don't.  In part, it's because we don't have players playing week in week out in the world's top leagues.   You can't get this high level of playing unless the players are subject to it day to day.

There are definitely those in the current government  that realise it.

They also embrace the multicultural aspect of football and its ability to unite the population.

Anika Wells, Sports Minister couldn't believe the  roar  of the crowd when Craig Goodwin scored the first goal against France. She had never heard anything like it at  a live sports event. She was gobsmacked and thrilled.

"France Republic of Africa" fuck off with this racist rubbish mate. Their team is full of proud Frenchmen, as our team is full of proud Australians from many backgrounds. Mods can you ban this sad old man 

Really impressed by Arnie, he's bounced back from a terrible performance at the Asian Cup to prove to be an excellent tournament coach. Admittedly I wanted him out well through the qualifying as it went on, but he deserves an extension now. While we played incredibly against stronger teams, I think it's fair to say he needs to improve our game against weaker teams who sit deep. The next Asian Cup and the lower pressure qualifying for 2026 will be a great litmus test. I'd like to see a refresh of our squad now.