Importantly, puts us 4th in Asia (As predicted) so will need some results/upsets to go our way in qualifying (mostly against Korea because they're more in reach) to be seeded for the next (and hopefully final) round of qualifiers.

Reports of Canberra hosting the second Lebanon with Lebanon being designated the home team. Just odd they wouldn't try it in the UAE or Qatar. 

Lebanon probably decided they didn't want to travel back. Daresay they'd get decent support anywhere in Australia over the supporters they'd get a neutral middle-eastern country

Must admit, I'm not sure we deserve to be 4th in Asia ATM.

https://www.espn.com.au/football/story/_/id/39521920/predicting-socceroos-2026-world-cup-squad

Arnold needs to loosen the reins in attack. The balance of our structure has shifted too defensive since the world cup. Without Mooy to pull strings we're really struggling to create.  

When Hannover finished 4th in the Bundesliga, it was mostly down to the 10 second rule. When gaining possession you had 10 seconds to get going forward because after that the opponent was reorganised and we didn't have the skill to break that down.

The number of times I see Australia getting the ball and having spaces that could be exploited. We invariably go the other way. We 're trying to score in the most impossible areas while not using the moments that present themselves. Some moments in transition saw swift movements forward where our players looked a lot more at home. I'm tired of this slow concrete boot shackle style.

It seems very different to the WC where we pressed high and counter attacked quickly. I didn't mind that.

Sitting deep, inviting pressure and slow transition gets us nowhere and doesn't suit our sporting psyche. 

I wonder how much is personnel vs changed structure? Mooys a huge loss and instead of trying to replace him we doubled down on the hard working types.

I want to see Robertson, McGree and O'Neill as our midfield. See how we go transitioning the ball quicker. Hopefully Hrustic can get back his form and be a bench option. I would love to see Volpato too. Luongo's ret. hurts a lot. If Ipswich don't get promoted I wonder if he reconsiders. Also watching Nieuwenhofs progress with interest.

That group has some technical ability and may allow for a more progressive approach. 

loosing 2 playmakers in short succession as well as mcgree being underdone and hrustic without a club until recently did make things tricky

It did. I suspect Arnold didn't see Luongo's decision coming. He was going to be so important for us in the AC, then just gone. Strange to think given how long he'd been from the NT setup.

I'd have gambled on Hrustic for sub minutes at the AC just because we really lacked midfield creativity. His Heracles move is a good one so hopefully we can see him injury free, match fit and in form.

The Robertson omission in the AC still boggles me. Struck me as trying to be too clever re: the Olympics. Get him in, he's easily in our best squad and we needed to lock him away. 

When was the last time Hrustic did anything creative in both national team and club (def not at his club)?  All I remember was he always turned the ball over and everyone had to run back to chase the ball. His thinking is 2 second too slow and the opposition can read him easily.

His sub minutes at the world cup 2022 was a disaster.

Bit hard as he can only be in one squad at a time

Would play Hrustic at DM or not at all, too slow for the attacking third.

Pace and thinking.

This is where Hrustic has struggled most at DM. You can't afford mistakes in the position in the defensive half. Hrustic makes heaps of mistakes as he thinks too slowly.

He is most dangerous in attack where his skill on the ball is an asset. If he makes mistakes they aren't as costly. There is greater reward for his high quality technique on the ball.

As I'm watching Arzani play more games in the AL , he has to be in the next Socceroo squads IMO.

He has so much skill on the ball, ball carrying and dribbling. There is creative flair too. If a game plan  isn't working, throw  Arzani on as a sub.  He can be a game changer. 

Arzani would have  given opposition teams merry hell in the Asian Cup.

No clubs are playing during FIFA windows.

Note: I'm not intentionally forgetting anyone. Goodwin and Robertson are tops at each end of the age spectrum.

I think we want to see Bos playing at left back. We'd like to see better skilled players on the ball. There are annoying combination and position questions (McGree wing or 10?) I'd like to see something that includes a lot of this while not removing what Arnold wants to do. He clearly wants to hold the ball a lot and overwhelmingly hold out against every opponent in the fitness stakes. Trying something like: 

                         Ryan
      Strain  Souttar  Circati  Bos
                     O'Neill 
                 Nisbet  Kalik
            McGree   Hrustic
                      Yengi

 Bos and Strain can overlap while McGree and Hrustic drift central. Both are confident on the 10. Allowing them to drift and move as they desire. Both can shoot. Hrustic deadballs are good and he is too exposed as a 6. Nisbet and Kalik are able to cover a lot of ground. Nieuwenhof is another who would be fine next to Nisbet. The thing is, these players have a superior football brain and technical ability to Irvine and Baccus. This style won't really use the emerging wingers' speed but I'd like to think prioritising technical ability, which they have more over Leckie, Borrello and Boyle, will allow them to create chances and speed can be burned when space presents itself.

Some pundits have recently mentioned Devlin is another missing quantity. While unfit currently, I think his Ecuador game was poor in a game we lost but he shouldn't be discounted. His engine and he can have his day in the passing stakes, would fit nicely here to cover an advanced Strain and Bos. We'll sadly never see it but I also think Thurgate and Hollman would give the squad a big shake up.

Precisely what I had said

Just saw Arzani's 40 odd minutes when he came on as as a sub for Vic against Western U.

Vic dominated. In this scenario, Azani was simply dynamite. He is a better defensive payer now, but it was when he had the ball at his feet he terrorised WU.

Even if we only get 45 mins out of him, we desperately need him for the Socceroos. Those stacked deep defensive  blocks from India and Syria, would have been given merry hell from a resurgent Arzani!

The guy needs so little space to be effective if he receives with his right foot/right side of the body with his body shape facing forwards. He so often beats the first defender with consummate ease, the  opponents have to commit 1-2 more defenders, to negate him. This creates other attacking free players.

The two great evasion moves of the last 30 years for the Socceroos have been Kewell's body swerve/shoulder feint to the left, and Arzani's shoulder feint to the right. It is performed with the outside of the foot. 

Plus Arzani frequently beats two players in quick succession with the flashy and effective La  Croqueta move/technique. This is a quick  left right or right left, with the inside of the feet at a 45 degree angle.

Arzani also changes pace - fast, slow, fast, slow, fast slow - with such good  balance with the ball stuck to his feet. He has sufficient strength he doesn't get pushed of the ball easily - like Boyle. Plus he is putting in really good aerial crosses and well- weighted killer passes that split defences. His vision is really good too.

It  is no secret I love flashy players, but Arnie needs him in the Socceroos ASAP. He would also really lift the team cutting through some Asian deep defensive blocks like a knife through butter.

He sucks at both national team & club.  What is the problem with the comments?

He might be 1.60cms tall but Josh Nisbet might be the best midfield player in terms of Australian players in the whole country right now.

He's technically very strong but has excellent vision and capable of playing a decent killer ball which can cause any defence problems.

Surely a player worthy of a call up given some of our problems in midfield. 

If he was a foot or two taller he would be in Europe right now, but I hope that door isnt closed on him regardless.

6 assists, 10 in all competitions but only 1 goal. Im skeptical arzani and him can play in the same team.

I remember mckay and broich in the same team, two amazing creators who were poor finishers. We got found out in the acl because they can double mark our finishers.  If one of them becomes a good finisher then they could really be useful

Having one or the other in the team would be really useful tho

To be honest im more concerned about our chance creation than the finishing, our inability to create from deep block defences is a glaring weakness and we need players that could help us on that department.
Players like Nisbet, Arzani from the a-league would help.

We also got decent options from overseas that could help but alot depends on their game time and form too.

The more the better clear cut chances are created = Better chances to make up our poor finishing quality.

Yes, many nights at Suncorp... I remember. McKay butchered so many chances. You knew when he had a clear sight on goal he'd screw them pooch. Broich better but invisible in the ACL. That was a bucket of cold water, the point where they best team I had seen in Australian club football showed how lowly my beloved A League really was. It was one game at Suncorp - a 2-0 loss to Tokyo FC and we were outclassed. 
Off topic, I know... 

I remember when Hannover had little Pinto, Schmiedebach and Lala in midfield and finished 4th in the league. It basically forced us to play on the floor opponents tried the air but balls were often stray and the defence was solid.

Nisbet is excellent and needs a call up. 

it did make me realize that the top teams can double mark 3 players in the final 3rd and if no other players are good at scoring then you are screwed

add to that Paartalu struggled to handle their press and we had trouble getting out of our half. Was humbling

I'm impressed with Nisbet.

Was watching the CCM/WSW game last night to appraise Nisbet and Farrell, plus many of the young tyros in WSW. I thought the pitch was terrible in Gosford, compared to the slick surface in Hobart for the two successive Western U games a few weeks back.

From what I've seen so far, Nisbet's lower centre of gravity and short stature enable him to have  be very nimble on his feet. He also has good close ball control, fast feet and quick handling speed - time taken to receive the ball and pass it on. This is  an effective asset in tight spaces - particularly when teams encounter  opponents deploying deep defensive blocks.

I hope Nisbet and Arzani are selected too. We need players like this.

Still haven't seen Patrick Yazbek play. Not sure what he brings to the table?

We could also do with the likes of a Josh Kennedy - a big target man as central striker, who is a decent finisher to punish defences from quality attacking interplay.

The two diminutive midfielders the Socceroos need - FTBL | The home of football in Australia

I think they could certainly play in the same team. Nisbet's an 8 or a 10 whereas Arzani is a winger. They would wreak havoc together against a low block - speed of thought and foot, vision, intelligence - off the scale.

Just need some bigger blokes around them but a front five of Robertson, Nisbet, Arzani, Yengi, McGree would do some damage. Especially when you have the likes of Irankunda, Silvera, Goodwin, Irvine to throw in to help.

Does Arnie have the cojones to pick them both?