Australia vs Korea

[Prestoz]

Very disappointing result - we only had to draw to come top but couldn't even manage that.
Not saying "I told you so" as I want us to succeed as much as the next person, but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature.
Makes it quite a bit more difficult to win now - have to beat China in the 1/4s and then Japan in the semis I think? - hard work!
AP did not manage this game well at all.

[Stuckey]

Very disappointing result - we only had to draw to come top but couldn't even manage that.
Not saying "I told you so" as I want us to succeed as much as the next person, but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature.
Makes it quite a bit more difficult to win now - have to beat China in the 1/4s and then Japan in the semis I think? - hard work!
AP did not manage this game well at all.

Oh please. If Kruse or Juric took their chances you'd be calling the man a genius.
Calm down.

[Stitch This]

....but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature....

Define 'hype', in this instance.

[Old Master]

Very disappointing result - we only had to draw to come top but couldn't even manage that.
Not saying "I told you so" as I want us to succeed as much as the next person, but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature.
Makes it quite a bit more difficult to win now - have to beat China in the 1/4s and then Japan in the semis I think? - hard work!
AP did not manage this game well at all.

What does it matter?

We still have to beat the best to win the Cup, so we might as well get it over and done with and have a stroll in the Final.

[manny]

We dominated the game but lacked the finish! Shame one of the many chances didn't fall to cahill!

[Old Master]

We dominated the game but lacked the finish! Shame one of the many chances didn't fall to cahill!

That's what makes Football such a beautifully frustrating game to watch - like life it ain't fair!

[Prestoz]

....but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature....

Define 'hype', in this instance.

I would define "hype" as the numerous media stories, comments and opinions that I saw, heard and read that championed those results and heralded the second coming.
You didn't manage to see/hear/read any of them?
Maybe broaden your scope beyond Footballnews.com?

[Prestoz]

Very disappointing result - we only had to draw to come top but couldn't even manage that.
Not saying "I told you so" as I want us to succeed as much as the next person, but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature.
Makes it quite a bit more difficult to win now - have to beat China in the 1/4s and then Japan in the semis I think? - hard work!
AP did not manage this game well at all.

Oh please. If Kruse or Juric took their chances you'd be calling the man a genius.
Calm down.

I am perfectly calm thank you.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda.
Mata should have scored a hat-trick in the lat 15 minutes last week against Southampton.
But he scored zip, United lost and LVG was hammered all week in the media.

So I am wrong to question AP's management of a game we only needed to draw to win - and lost?
So his team selection and tactics were perfect and beyond any kind of critical examination?
And we should all be perfectly happy with losing this game?
Really?

[Stuckey]

Very disappointing result - we only had to draw to come top but couldn't even manage that.
Not saying "I told you so" as I want us to succeed as much as the next person, but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature.
Makes it quite a bit more difficult to win now - have to beat China in the 1/4s and then Japan in the semis I think? - hard work!
AP did not manage this game well at all.

Oh please. If Kruse or Juric took their chances you'd be calling the man a genius.
Calm down.

I am perfectly calm thank you.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda.
Mata should have scored a hat-trick in the lat 15 minutes last week against Southampton.
But he scored zip, United lost and LVG was hammered all week in the media.

So I am wrong to question AP's management of a game we only needed to draw to win - and lost?
So his team selection and tactics were perfect and beyond any kind of critical examination?
And we should all be perfectly happy with losing this game?
Really?

Who's happy?

Please explain what you would have done differently and how that would have assured us a win?

[Prestoz]

[/quote]Please explain what you would have done differently and how that would have assured us a win?[/quote]

Firstly, questioning the tactics/selection of a professional coach does not therefore mean that I believe I could do a better job than him or that I could guarantee any result.
That is simply ludicrous logic and not what I am saying.
If that were the case all football journos would need FIFA badges.
However I do have an opinion.

It is a fact that AP started our three first choice forwards on the bench - did this work out? You have to say no.
He also opted for Behich over Davidson - or someone else.
He lives and dies by these selections and we lost.
The total switching off of 3 defenders for the Korea goal is at least partially attributable to preparation - each player must be completely aware of their roles at this level.
Failure to finish is also about adequate preparation - how much finishing work do they do under AP? - apparently very little from what I hear.
And if we are knocked out in either 1/4 or semi, it will become obvious that we should have allocated more importance to winning this game - perhaps by selecting stronger forwards from the start.

[Knight15]

Ange threw years of coaching ideology out of the window and made too many changes simple - I think he wanted to show he was a genius but it backfired

Having said that we were better than Korea and should beat China with 4 or so "big" inclusions

[Con M]

Yeah, I was hoping he started with his strongest line-up, hurried to an early lead to secure top spot, then rested the stars in the 2nd half & frozen the game.

I was hoping Kruse would use the outside of his right foot to hit the far side of the goal when he burst through their defence. I was hoping Juric would keep that ball that was cut back to him down, but all to no avail.

Oh well, our Nation is still rated well against China by the bookies, who nearly always seem to know best.

[BPBC]

Firstly, questioning the tactics/selection of a professional coach does not therefore mean that I believe I could do a better job than him or that I could guarantee any result.
That is simply ludicrous logic and not what I am saying.
If that were the case all football journos would need FIFA badges.
However I do have an opinion.

It is a fact that AP started our three first choice forwards on the bench - did this work out? You have to say no.
He also opted for Behich over Davidson - or someone else.
He lives and dies by these selections and we lost.
The total switching off of 3 defenders for the Korea goal is at least partially attributable to preparation - each player must be completely aware of their roles at this level.
Failure to finish is also about adequate preparation - how much finishing work do they do under AP? - apparently very little from what I hear.
And if we are knocked out in either 1/4 or semi, it will become obvious that we should have allocated more importance to winning this game - perhaps by selecting stronger forwards from the start.

Your entitled to your opinion. I'm happy that our 3 first choice forwards are available for this weeks must win game

I would consider your original comments as ridiculous and premature, the coach tinkered with the lineup as this was the 1 and only game for us in the whole comp which was not a must win.

End result is we are full strength for the next game (bar spiranovich) and still must beat the best teams in Asia to win the Cup

For me the main thing I took from last night was there are a couple of players who don't seem up to the required standard

[Stuckey]

Please explain what you would have done differently and how that would have assured us a win?[/quote]

Firstly, questioning the tactics/selection of a professional coach does not therefore mean that I believe I could do a better job than him or that I could guarantee any result.
That is simply ludicrous logic and not what I am saying.
If that were the case all football journos would need FIFA badges.
However I do have an opinion.

It is a fact that AP started our three first choice forwards on the bench - did this work out? You have to say no.
He also opted for Behich over Davidson - or someone else.
He lives and dies by these selections and we lost.
The total switching off of 3 defenders for the Korea goal is at least partially attributable to preparation - each player must be completely aware of their roles at this level.
Failure to finish is also about adequate preparation - how much finishing work do they do under AP? - apparently very little from what I hear.
And if we are knocked out in either 1/4 or semi, it will become obvious that we should have allocated more importance to winning this game - perhaps by selecting stronger forwards from the start.[/quote]
Failure to finish is also about timing and luck. On another day both Kruse and Juric's chances go in and people would be hailing Ange as a genius.
The side is creating plenty of great chances and doing so against a good side like Korea is a positive sign as well.
If as you say the side is not practising finishing much is true then that is obviously an area of improvement but I seriously doubt that, in the attacking drills the side would do finishing would obviously be an element of those drills.

[Stitch This]

....but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature....

Define 'hype', in this instance.

I would define "hype" as the numerous media stories, comments and opinions that I saw, heard and read that championed those results and heralded the second coming.
You didn't manage to see/hear/read any of them?
Maybe broaden your scope beyond Footballnews.com?

Why would I seek out more bollocks, when I have you to entertain me?

[wizard]

Despite the result, i was extremely happy with the way we played.

I can't remember the last time we totally dominated South Korea.

[Socca]

Very disappointing result - we only had to draw to come top but couldn't even manage that.
Not saying "I told you so" as I want us to succeed as much as the next person, but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature.
Makes it quite a bit more difficult to win now - have to beat China in the 1/4s and then Japan in the semis I think? - hard work!
AP did not manage this game well at all.

So BEFORE the tournament started, in your professional opinion, would you have preferred to play China or Uzbekistan in the QF's ?

[Prestoz]

Very disappointing result - we only had to draw to come top but couldn't even manage that.
Not saying "I told you so" as I want us to succeed as much as the next person, but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature.
Makes it quite a bit more difficult to win now - have to beat China in the 1/4s and then Japan in the semis I think? - hard work!
AP did not manage this game well at all.

So BEFORE the tournament started, in your professional opinion, would you have preferred to play China or Uzbekistan in the QF's ?

I don’t have a “professional opinion” as I am not employed in football in a professional capacity – unlike AP who is paid $1m p.a. to achieve the best possible outcome in the Asian Cup.
As for whether to face out of China or Uzbeks – presumably AP/Vidmar/Millicic extensively scouted the opposition and know the strengths and weaknesses of all opponents.
However, the point is to avoid playing the top team (whoever that turns out to be) in the opposite group as that team will generally be the strongest – which we only now happen to know is China.
If anyone is suggesting we would prefer China than the Uzbeks as a tactical move, that is nonsense as that group was finalised after Australia’s.
But it’s not only that – it’s avoiding the other side of the draw.
Anyone who looked at the draw beforehand could see that topping the group would avoid Japan before the final and was the optimal route.
There is nothing controversial about my comment that AP should have managed this better – I have seen numerous opinions to this effect by journos and posters on other websites – many stronger than mine.
Winning by 4 goals over mediocre opposition did absolute nothing to advance our position that a 1-0 wouldn’t.
The Korea game was the critical game – we didn’t even have to win but only draw – but we failed!
The fact that we played well and deserved better is irrelevant – it is only about results at this point.
Having said all that - I am not negative about this – I believe we can and will beat China.
But AP definitely did get it wrong by failing to get a point against Korea.

[BPBC]

The Korea game was the only non critical game of our whole Cup. The result changed nothing. Any point you are trying to make is premature

[Stuckey]

But AP definitely did get it wrong by failing to get a point against Korea.

Such insightful analysis.
You're still yet to make a point on how Ange should have done anything differently. Anyone could have looked at the result and came to the same conclusion you have they just wouldn't have take as long to say it.
Are you thinking Ange needs to take JD's tactics on board? Shoot>>>>goal.

[BPBC]

I wonder if the conditions played a part in Ange's selctions? I was there, it was like a sauna, all day and night. Would Prestoz be happy if we got the win then Timmy was sluggish in the QF because of it?

Lets be happy we made the QF's. 1st stage completed. Big game Thursday cant wait, looks like conditions might be a bit different, storms about the place next 4 days, wonder if that will suit us or them more

[Prestoz]

But AP definitely did get it wrong by failing to get a point against Korea.

Such insightful analysis.
You're still yet to make a point on how Ange should have done anything differently. Anyone could have looked at the result and came to the same conclusion you have they just wouldn't have take as long to say it.
Are you thinking Ange needs to take JD's tactics on board? Shoot>>>>goal.

I don't hold myself out as any kind of expert - just exercising my free speech - Je suis Charlie Prestoz.
You could say AP erred in not selecting Leckie, Kruse or Cahill to start against Korea.
You could say others should or shouldn't have started such as Behich, McKay?
You could say he failed to allocate enough importance to the Korea game, and wasted energy against Kuwait and Oman.
My point is that it is AP's job to get the job done properly - and he failed.
You can criticize me and be happy with our failure to get a point against Korea all you like.
Just be aware that many people aren't happy about it.
If we lose to China in the quarters it will be total FUBAR.

[BPBC]

wasted energy winning our 2 first games, what the hell?

What a load of crap he failed to do the job, he has got us to the next stage and we are still in with the same 1 out of 8 chance of winning it

[Knight15]

wasted energy winning our 2 first games, what the hell?

What a load of crap he failed to do the job, he has got us to the next stage and we are still in with the same 1 out of 8 chance of winning it

The more I think about it, the more I think your right

It doesn't make much difference if we played China or Uzbekistan - losing meant we stayed in Brisbane - less travelling, we have rested our better players - unless he is crazy (and I doubt he is) they would have known the risks, but no been too concerned (although they wanted to win)

We also did enough to at least be worthy of a draw

Brisbane only has single seats left so another full house - looking forward to this one

[BPBC]

8:30pm game on a Thursday night :? , a full house is a great effort considering it is only 5 days since the last game

[Juventino]

wasted energy winning our 2 first games, what the hell?

What a load of crap he failed to do the job, he has got us to the next stage and we are still in with the same 1 out of 8 chance of winning it

The more I think about it, the more I think your right

It doesn't make much difference if we played China or Uzbekistan - losing meant we stayed in Brisbane - less travelling, we have rested our better players - unless he is crazy (and I doubt he is) they would have known the risks, but no been too concerned (although they wanted to win)

We also did enough to at least be worthy of a draw

Brisbane only has single seats left so another full house - looking forward to this one

Vidmar did say the other day the preference was to return to Melbourne for the QF.

[gone]

Despite the result, i was extremely happy with the way we played.

I can't remember the last time we totally dominated South Korea.

Agree.

[Socca]

Very disappointing result - we only had to draw to come top but couldn't even manage that.
Not saying "I told you so" as I want us to succeed as much as the next person, but the hype after beating lowly Kuwait and Oman was ridiculous and premature.
Makes it quite a bit more difficult to win now - have to beat China in the 1/4s and then Japan in the semis I think? - hard work!
AP did not manage this game well at all.

So BEFORE the tournament started, in your professional opinion, would you have preferred to play China or Uzbekistan in the QF's ?

However, the point is to avoid playing the top team (whoever that turns out to be) in the opposite group as that team will generally be the strongest – which we only now happen to know is China.
If anyone is suggesting we would prefer China than the Uzbeks as a tactical move, that is nonsense as that group was finalised after Australia’s.
But it’s not only that – it’s avoiding the other side of the draw.
Anyone who looked at the draw beforehand could see that topping the group would avoid Japan before the final and was the optimal route.
There is nothing controversial about my comment that AP should have managed this better – I have seen numerous opinions to this effect by journos and posters on other websites – many stronger than mine.

3 of the 4 teams that topped their group are OUT

China - out
Iran - out
Japan - out

What was your 'point' again ?

[Stitch This]

3 of the 4 teams that topped their group are OUT

China - out
Iran - out
Japan - out

What was your 'point' again ?

[gone]

Damn that clueless Ange, now we're stuck playing Japan in the semi-final ..... ooooops