North Korea cannot have a hosted game that they lose. It is not in their political landscape for anyone at home to see and know if they are not the best team in the world.

Remember they won the World Cup a few years back in a closely fought battle with Brazil.

They must play to a level almost equivalent to the total football Dutch teams of the 70's, such is the powerhouse of the Asian confederation.

Bos and McGree ruled out. Goodwin returns and Joel King has been called in. Surely Jones or Atkinson could just play on the left once. King getting minutes would be a bit of a farce. 

It really would. Unfortunate that Farrell is injured. 

Gee we need a league expansion to improve our depth

I guess behich, bos, jcp, mauragis and farrel all unavailable and gersbach just signed for a new club does that reallt leave king as our next best left back? After rowles i guess he is our 8th best?

I guess if king gets injured who do you select as our 9th best out of clisby, brown, vujica, garuccio and warland?

Just shows many of us have a passion for the Socceroos-yes opinions are often divisive and ill informed but it is a forum.I hope Arnold and his players take no notice of what is said here and on social media platforms.

Elder won't return as he doesn't fit into this group it seems. It was worth the risk to pick players in other positions. It's happened before that someone less ideal has come in more for training purposes. Davidson and Iredale could have been original cover options too. Absolutely no point flying anyone in and this normally wouldn't happen as the Olyroos don't often play in the same window. 

Davidson, Elder, Iredale if we could look overseas. 

Passion is good, but i feel like we have a good fan culture if we are facing a top 30 side, or a minnow like america samoa, but these in between teams confuse fans. Its probably more confusing because most teams in asia are weaker than we have been over the last 15 years while being more comfortable on the ball. So we consistently win ugly. But its been this way for 15 years and worse. I remember us counting the number of games it was between scoring goals from open play a few years ago. The count got near twenty if i recall correctly. Now most games we score from open play but still look uncoordinated. We are trying to change via new coaching methods, but we are a better team off the ball than on it

Thought iredale was a forward fkr bolton

Davidsln and elder are a fair call

Looks like its King. Makes sense from the local options with Farrell injured. 

Nah Jack Iredale is a left back for Bolton. I used to get him confused with John Iredale who is the striker, but they're easier to tell apart now that John is in the NT. 

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jack-iredale/profil/spieler/524537

Brad Smith should probably come back to Australia. Doesn't seem to be getting minutes in Houston. Not quite 30 yet so should still have a few years if he stays healthy.

One day, should be this June. Iredale cross to Iredale head. 

That's my biggest issue. Fewer open play goals. After the WC and Ecuador friendlies I was really starting to feel excited we were doing much better with the ball. We did it against Mexico and England too and then pulled the handbrake.

If  you watch plenty of internationals, so many goals come from lower opponents errors at the back or are the ugly types. Germany notorious needed a long time to break down far Eastern UEFA teams. A lot of teams go there and win 1:0.

I’m just trying to be rational on Arnie’s thinking but I guess is probably who is available right now.
Farrell is injured and maybe Arnie doesn’t want to bring in an outsider who is not familiar with the set up?

It’s not ideal when the Olyroos are in camp and would have been easier to bring someone from that team but they are not going to travel in short notice just to prepare for one game.

It's just for training and an absolute emergency. Most are injured or abroad currently. This would have opened up a chance to play a back 3 especially for the second half if we had a comfortable lead. 

Good news is Lebanon are under so much pressure as Palestine should win again and really pull ahead so Lebanon will have to go all out which plays into our style better.

Watched the replay. Some promising signs imo, tho baccus still had a bad game on rewatch

Would be curious to hear if any perceptions change on rewatch

Ryan Kitto still waiting for his chance!

Yes, really agree with this. At the same time I also feel the frustration due to our industrial style of play. The pass just a bit off, positioning just a bit out, touch too often sloppy. Bu there are games where the errors are fewer and the passes and combinations work. It seems to be mainly against stronger opponents that we play our best despite less possession. (Maybe because of less possession?). It was only a friendly, but no such thing as a friendly at Wembley from England's POV. Yeah they deservedly won 1-0 but watch the game (we were exciting despite only 33% possession. Stats: AUS 13 shots, ENG 9. Shots on target AUS 4 ENG 3. And other examples: Both games v ARG, 1st game v ECU, 1st half of MEX and of course DEN and TUN. 

Really hope Silvera gets a game Tuesday - he is actually a proper winger with attacking flair

Every dog  has his day. World Cup in England 1966 - North Korea were the toast of Middlesborough, playing all 3 group games there and knocking Italy out in the last group game - one of biggest upsets in WC history. Then in the QF at Goodison Park the North Koreans led Portugal 3-0 after 25 mins! Then the great Eusebio  scored 4 and final result 3-5. Interesting that the only 2 Asian teams to have mae it to WC QF or beyond are North Korea and South Korea.

yeah we definitely have a strategy to neutralize the counter attacks and nick a goal against bad teams while being competitive against good teams. Expectations are tempered against top teams so we tend to be appreciative, but we do indeed look ugly at times against poor teams. We unfortunately looked ugly when playing tikki takka against poor teams under ange. Hopefully the player pool improve

I hope so as Lebanon now have to really go all out because Palestine are going to finish second otherwise. Lebanon can win both remaining games and still make it but it becomes much tougher that way.

Allot of the frustration is down to the managers choices despite the FIFA ranking. 

We have a manager to seems to favour naturalizing and playing average lower league players over local players..... a manager who seems to favour physical defensive organisation and to retain ball possession (not always successfully) over quick ball movement.

As ugly as it is we may be punching above our weight for now but as a supporter the unknown next generation can at least offer potential upside, energy and hope for the future.

Maybe Metcalfe does well in a different system, admittedly I do not watch FC Sankt Pauli.

Any coach or Ange played twice better than Arnie especially at home. This is new to the fans getting outplayed at home by the minnows. Normally at home the Socceroos always dominated.  Arnie might get the results but not attracting fans.

https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/korea-dpr-japan-afc-update

Yep. Been Roos follower since 1997 but my interest/enthusiasm is at all time low - friends of mine in same boat. Can’t stand the uninspiring style of Arnie ball much longer. Boring as cardboard lately 📦

boring at times thats NT football for many games its just that we lack any "outliers" let alone who can inspire the game let alone that spark of incredible individual play that turns a game on its head.
I agree with some of the conservative comments last few pages though I maybe harsh in the defense of what the future may bring re up and comers.
Seen heard and read all this before the last 20yrs.
Oh wait till such and such gets maturity and gets their act together.
How many times I have seen and thought as well.
Oh we played better under Ange, well it looked better being he's more attack minded but where did it get us and what players of that time forged on to greater heights.
Now we have the conservative hold all stations Arnie purely to grind out results like his game plan has always been since Clubland.
Safe and lets just hold it together so we can qualify ie AC - mind you huge kudos the Qatar result/finish though to me we jagged it.

Our coaching and methodology is way better than the past I keep reading, well if that so its so uninspiring its not funny.
Our midfield is meh for what I expect a good balanced midfield should be hence one of our biggest issues to date in winning games.
Whilst Arnie plays safe and imo that is why not having a player of Mooys type of skillset we lack the creactivity in abounds let alone strikers then needed to finish depending how many good chances devloped.
Yengi has HOPE as long as someone knuckles him down to stop over doing it ?! think mate, look release you can't beat them all on your own.

Lebanon game, even though they are no Japan I was at both of these commbank games and find both we're similar, we're at home and we played ordinary, at home go figure.
Fundamental errors galore to me, no its not the playing surface - sure its had nrl games but players at this level are good enough to adapt pronto.
It wasn't that bad a surface, more so many times of mis judged passing by players slight bobbly surface or not, not accurate to feet isn't the surface thats the players technique.
We looked disjointed against Japan and the same applies to lowly Lebanon.

One wonders when I see the improvements I'm led to read.

I'm passionate hence why I'm a critic of my beloved NT, nothing worng with that.