The lack of top level players discussion was just a distraction from the type of players that been developed and selected, and people have the assumption we would have been beaten Qatar in the final where we just sit behind the ball when the going gets tough?

I've seen mentions of it in the past but have never seen a thorough analysis or laying it bear.

Isn't there some massive issue with technically poor players being picked at critical youth levels due to financial standing and nepotism and the true talents just waste away and walk away? They get picked and make it pro and keep out the better ones who are still around and starting to really show it. It defies belief that so many club managers in the system would go with that as thy themselves can see who is the better player. It seemingly thins out around U23 level. Not to mention the abundance of better pros generally don't play for U17 or U20 national youth sides.

Congratulations to Qatar for winning the Asian Cup.

They were probably assisted by a draw, by  not having to play any of the Asian Big Five, but they still defeated the teams that caused the upsets. 

Can't get over how they struggled in the last 2022 WC held in Qatar.

Also, they struggled in their UEFA WCQ group, that they participated in to keep matchfit for Qatar.

They beat Iran in the semi. Iran is the 3rd favourite to win the whole thing.

They will meet either Japan or Korea in the quarter so the road is stopped there.  U23 Japan and Korea are another level to the rest of Asia.

maybe its the beauty of football coming into play......
Host nation riding off its huge supporter base.
Good draw.
I would say no one here can put a finger on it for no one much called them being a chance incl the media that I recall.
Their WC efforts we're pretty bad, if Barca is right their WC prep was lacking backs their failure but dame what a turn around good luck to them.
I see in their league they have up to 91 foreigners in their league that I expect help it being quite competitive and teaching the small number of true locals a thing or 3.
Got the likes of the little master Coutinho, Verrartti, Rafinha Rodrigo and a host of other quality imports.
I saw somewhere 10 odd players in their NT are naturalised citizens.
Below gives you an idea their league must be ok as mentioned regards to imports.
https://dohanews.co/summer-football-transfer-roundup-qatari-clubs-pull-in-global-talents/

As for us, well lets hope he's building up for the future.
Waiting as always watching from the cheap seats.

Strange ending to the tournament, but there you go Qatar win it back-to-back. 

With AFC getting 8 teams for the 2026 WC, Qatar qualifying is a sure bet. 

Yes and no.

We're constantly told that if we had players in the big 5 we'd be kicking arse. Clearly, although it would be better to have them there, you don't need to have them there to be successful. (Maybe not to win a WC but to win an Asian Cup no problem.).

There's something going on when developing and 3rd world countries without all of the things I've listed above can make our players look dead ordinary. (Yes I know Qatar is not 3rd world.)

10 of their squad weren't Qataris.

Can’t quite remember? 

Uzbekistan was the quarter final, yes.

Just remember, if the form-guide pre-tournament (or just the rankings and pots) was anything to go by, the quarter finals should have actually been
China v UAE
Australia v Saudi Arabia
Iran v Korea
Qatar v Uzbekistan

Qatar really had the path to the final they were always destined to have. It's not their fault that we, Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia all shat their pants through the tournament.

Yes mate. Now explain Iraq, Iran, Tajikistan, Jordan, Uzbekistan, UAE, Syria etc....

Your "afro man" got a penalty hat-trick in the final Muz... One was fair but the other two??? .... well draw your own conclusions.

Maybe the next AFC will be a lot more reasonably refereed,,, where is it again? .... OH oooppps maybe the one after that then. :)

I might actually have to check out some of this game (or the highlights at least) to check these out. 3 penalties in a cup final is a bit of an outlier.

I have a bit of a memory (could be remembering wrong though) of having an info session night where we were shown example clips (from AFC samples, obviously because that's where we fall under) and the assessor/instructor just straight up not agreeing with it and pointing out a UEFA example. Can't remember what it was though.

Goodwin made the official team of the tournament. A fan novelty and not much else.

First one he possibly played for by sticking his leg out to make sure he was hit but 2 and 3 were pens. (IMO.)

spot on from my perspective as well.
Like as if its a new thing having new naturalised players in your NT.
Just ask France and many others who have Nth Africans etc naturalised as they grew up or whatever other reason ending up playing football in X country.

There is always another excuse why we failed and worse some think in the big picture its ok how we finished up.

The last 20yrs has shown we are dropping behind yet people believe its coming, look at our youth look at our U20's.
Fark how many years have I heard this.
Our stats say this ?.
I don't know why some talked up our AC games, we looked not much to me overall.
I thought the so called small nations typically looked down by us because you know we Australia we're better than those nations, they supposedly way behind us in systems blahblah looked more attractive than us each game.
Thats what I like to see even though we lose.
They lacked park the bus good shape defense hence their downfalls little did it help us in the end.

People need to wake up we are not much but a hardenned outfit with experience lacking feck all flair and techinal ability let alone to kill a game.
I don't care making 5/6 WC's is the great badge of honour to use as an argument that sure is a bonus but......
We make up the numbers, show me we do something like Morrocco then I'll stand up and have alot more faith.

Bang on!!!!!

how could you not know this? 

Because he has a set of preconceived notions in his head and his brain filters out anything that doesn't confirm his bias's

You know the 'Scotland has shit pitches' thing he always waffles on about amongst many others. 

it's sometimes genuinely like he's never seen a football game, but read about it in a book somewhere

I thought the third one (or was it the second I forget now) was a little "soft" and overall maybe it was just the impression I got but the ref certainly did seem a little lenient on the Qataris.... 

Ill admit I didnt want them to win so maybe ALOT of bias on my behalf :P  Ill defer to your ref opinion no problem, statement retracted. 

:)

Japan v UAE (not China) 
If Japan is top of their group they would've taken Iraq's spot.

Japan is world number 17 , China is 82

The Asian Cup is becoming a bit too much for our resident "Expert".

Thank you, would have been a post work oversight haha. I was sure I put Japan in there, we'll put that down to a brain typo. Was mostly looking at China replacing Tajikistan in the round of 16 if teams held up their end of the bargain re: rankings.

Finally saw the highlights now:

1st penalty - Eh. Neither here nor there with me. Can see why it was given, can see why it's soft.
Jordan's goal, what a turn and volley! Sloppy defending though to leave him open, there's three defenders around him.
2nd penalty - The most penalty of the 3 penalties.
3rd penalty - Also a penalty, but ... this the player me speaking, not the referee me speaking.. I hate those fouls where the keeper rushes out, and the attacker pokes the ball away in a completely different direction, somewhere where it's going to go out of their own accord or go nowhere, and THEN there's contact. I would personally just play on if it was player me in charge of the rules..

Agree with you about the third. Rubbish. I mean it was a pen but the player was never going to get that ball that he toed away.

I wonder if down the track they'll look at that. I know in the EPL you can't initiate contact to draw a pen and the contact has to be significant enough, in the ref's eyes, to cause the trip, fall whatever.

That's a great little change because every man Jack was screaming before 'BUT THERE WAS CONTACT'. Now it's 'was there enough contact to warrant that 'foul' '.

Hmmm.... post not updating.

Wanted to say this as well when it comes to strikers. 

Hate them taking a half step or dragging the leg to ensure they're tripped when the keeper flies out. Should be a 50 match ban!!!

AFC got Craig Goodwin in team of the tournament.

Another one ESPN team of the tournament got Souttar in there. But no Goodwin.