What can Australia learn from the European Championships about style and tactics?

What are they doing right? What can they be doing better?

Could they do things differently to increase the chances of getting better results? But if they do that, does that harm Australian football in the long run?

Or is there a way of altering things slightly to increase Australia's chances without compromising the type of football we want the national team to be playing?

Seems to be a problem in world football in fairness. Amazing how many teams at both the euros and the copa who lacked that player up front with a killer instinct.

I believe Ange is on the right path.

Play to their strengths
Not try to copy another nation
Emphasis on passing the ball
Getting the basics right.....first to the ball etc
Understand and accept their limitations
Teamwork and unity

Wales are doing just that now and look how they're going for the first time in their history.

What can Australia learn from the European Championships about style and tactics?

What are they doing right? What can they be doing better?

Could they do things differently to increase the chances of getting better results? But if they do that, does that harm Australian football in the long run?

Or is there a way of altering things slightly to increase Australia's chances without compromising the type of football we want the national team to be playing?

What can Australia learn from the European Championships about style and tactics?

What are they doing right? What can they be doing better?

Could they do things differently to increase the chances of getting better results? But if they do that, does that harm Australian football in the long run?

Or is there a way of altering things slightly to increase Australia's chances without compromising the type of football we want the national team to be playing?

The only downside with Degenek is that he plays DM for his club. According to Transfermarkt he only played CB once last season. He looked pretty good, but playing out of position is generally not great.

Also hoping that Lyden might come into the picture at RB. Fingers crossed he gets lots of minutes there next season.

I think with Wright his Championship style served well against England with contested headers and 50/50's but against smaller Asian opponents who run at him he can get caught flat footed.

Jury is still out on Wright imo.

He's a club footballer. By that I mean his success is with his club over a sustained period of time. Probably this is due to being really familiar there. He may be able to replicate that form with the NT if he becomes familiar there.

Even in the England friendly, he seemed to have improved (for the NT) since the previous matches he played.

Moreover, if you have him in the central of defence, you can have Degenek at right-back. If, as I'm suggesting (at least for the short term), Degenek's role is to stay in line with the two central defenders, that all dovetails nicelyl

Obviously there are other players to be taken into consideration for both the right-back and central defender roles (including the possibility of deploying Smith or Gersbach on the right hand side, which might be a way to go)

Fair point. Friendlies are the place to experiment with the side.

I was including the matches at the World Cup in Brazil, in which we also always conceded between 2 and 3 goals. And, imo, in part due to the same weaknesses which we're seeing exploited now (albeit in friendlies).

Even for non-friendlies with competent fullbacks, although I can see the argument for having both fullbacks overlapping, I still have my doubts as to whether this is the best way to go. For mine, the jury is still out on that one.

Why does Spira play ahead of either Degenek or Wright? I know they are more mobile than he is, especially Degenek with his passing game too.

Finally found it. And worth a bump/update in view of the friendlies against England and Greece which have taken place and the upcoming second friendly against Greece.

So we now have Giannou and Degenek playing for the Socceroos and potentially alleviating real dilemmas upfront and and in defence, at least to a small extent.

Smith and Gersbach contesting the left-back role. Really good options there, thankfully.

Milligan has been as versatile as ever.

The right-back question is still a very problematic one. Risdon, Geria and Degenek have all been given a go (however briefly).

I reiterate my main conclusion from recent weeks (without having viewed the friendly against the Greeks)...

Angeball is fine but could perhaps be modified by only having the one fullback acting as a wingback (on the left hand side, where we're strong). Until we have a right-back who is capable of getting forward and providing quality play, getting back quick smart and defending like a boss, having both fullbacks rush forward is a luxury we can ill-afford.

At present, we have conceded between 2 and 3 goals each game against top notch opponents. As we cannot be counted upon to score between 3 and 4 goals each match (especially with a lack of quality options up front), it's time for Ange to have a rethink. He should just be a tad more conservative in one part of the park (right-back) and also reconsider what skills he prizes most in his goalkeepers. Do that right and I suspect we concede fewer goals against good opponents.

Finally found it. And worth a bump/update in view of the friendlies against England and Greece which have taken place and the upcoming second friendly against Greece.

So we now have Giannou and Degenek playing for the Socceroos and potentially alleviating real dilemmas upfront and and in defence, at least to a small extent.

Smith and Gersbach contesting the left-back role. Really good options there, thankfully.

Milligan has been as versatile as ever.

The right-back question is still a very problematic one. Risdon, Geria and Degenek have all been given a go (however briefly).

I reiterate my main conclusion from recent weeks (without having viewed the friendly against the Greeks)...

Angeball is fine but could perhaps be modified by only having the one fullback acting as a wingback (on the left hand side, where we're strong). Until we have a right-back who is capable of getting forward and providing quality play, getting back quick smart and defending like a boss, having both fullbacks rush forward is a luxury we can ill-afford.

At present, we have conceded between 2 and 3 goals each game against top notch opponents. As we cannot be counted upon to score between 3 and 4 goals each match (especially with a lack of quality options up front), it's time for Ange to have a rethink. He should just be a tad more conservative in one part of the park (right-back) and also reconsider what skills he prizes most in his goalkeepers. Do that right and I suspect we concede fewer goals against good opponents.

Italy would argue it was a failed idea. It is a formation that requires discipline in that rarely if ever do both wing backs go at the same time and even if you played the formation in a way that they would it is quite easy to transition a player like jedinak to become a central defender as cover for sainsbury who has played fullback previously covers leckie or wright who has also played left back covers for smith.

Under ange we tend to play a more possession based game which provides the wing backs with the opportunity to get forward at the right times as opposed to just kicking it into the corner for them to chase.

If you had read my initial post you would see that i wasnt advocating for kruse to be a central midfielder but to have a free role to move across the front line wing to wing.

It's not functional. A back 3 is a failed idea. It doesn't work. Any team with decent wingers and full backs would have an absolute field day and completely shred up out wide. Any 3 of those center backs in wide areas against a winger get shredded every time. No. What do you want leckie and smith to do, cover both the wingers and wing backs plus act as attacking wingers? Not going to happen. It's just a fail.

Also, Kruse is not a center midfielder or a central striker, never has been, again this is completely disfunctional. He is a winger.

It's not functional. A back 3 is a failed idea. It doesn't work. Any team with decent wingers and full backs would have an absolute field day and completely shred up out wide. Any 3 of those center backs in wide areas against a winger get shredded every time. No. What do you want leckie and smith to do, cover both the wingers and wing backs plus act as attacking wingers? Not going to happen. It's just a fail.

Also, Kruse is not a center midfielder or a central striker, never has been, again this is completely disfunctional. He is a winger.

My idea was to try and get our best players all on the park at the same time in a functional formation

My idea was to try and get our best players all on the park at the same time in a functional formation

Just a bit of food for thought:

While we know anges preferred formation in a 4231 or even 4141 depending on the opposition would it be worth consideration moving to a 532 defensively with transition to 352 in attack. Thinking about it, i believe this provides us with the best opportunity to get our best players on the park and make use of genuine speed of players like leckie and smith.

Just running ideas around in my head (quickflick will love this) i believe we could line up

----------------------------Ryan--------------------------------
------------Sains---------Spira--------Wright----------------
Leckie----------------------------------------------------Smith
-------------Mooy--------Jedinak------Rogic-----------------
-----------------------------Kruse--------------------------------
-----------------------------Cahill---------------------------------

Arguably this gets our three most creative players on the pitch in mooy and rogic with kruse having a free role to cause havoc wing to win.

Naturally smith and leckie have the pace and fitness to get up and back all match as required. At the back we have two players very comfortable on the ball.

Naturally depending on how things go jedinak could be sacrificed for better ball players and energy in luongo, antonis or milligan.

I also like this formation as i feel we have the depth to cover it. Wilkinson is capable of stepping straight into the back three and god forbid williams or good ever gain fitness again we look pretty sturdy. Replacing wright if required we have alex grant and lowry who have been doing really well this season.

I've no doubt risdon could play the role as deputy to leckie and on the left hand side a wing back role may suit players like smith, gersbach, behich and even zullo more than genuine fullback.

Thoughts?

It isn't that bad, If I was playing Football manager, I might try it, probably swap Kruse with Rogic and Luongo where Rogic was. I think leckie could work well in a formation like this, but it is a formation worked around him, rather than the team as a whole.

so much wrong with this.