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Subject: National Team
Been a busy week, as I'm sure it has for most of you.
Today is probably the most inconvenient time for a sokker NT WCQ match (that being Christmas day) we take on Hong Kong who have performed reasonably well to date, beating Jamaica 4-1, narrowly losing to Slovensko 1-0 and then last round losing to Poland 5-0 (although it wasn't the strongest Poland XI out there like with their 6-0 demolishion of us).
They appear to like to favour the 5-3-2 approach and it wouldn't surprise me if they stuck with the same formation again this week as they've used the tactic every match this season. I'm still considering how I'm going to approach this game but a win is crucial to take into next week.
I'll try to get around to posting some statistics between the two teams, but there is a player likely to start for Hong Kong that has played in the Australian leagues, namely Shang Wai Kwok. Fortunately, he appears to be in tragic form so if he is selected again it should make it easier to keep him quiet.
I don't expect a lot of you to see or read these today but I hope everyone has a great Christmas for those who celebrate it.
The more goals we can put past Hong Kong, the greater the chance of having a goal differential lead on Slovensko coming in to a double header over the next 3 weeks.
Enjoy the game, whether that's live or sometime in the next few days.
Today is probably the most inconvenient time for a sokker NT WCQ match (that being Christmas day) we take on Hong Kong who have performed reasonably well to date, beating Jamaica 4-1, narrowly losing to Slovensko 1-0 and then last round losing to Poland 5-0 (although it wasn't the strongest Poland XI out there like with their 6-0 demolishion of us).
They appear to like to favour the 5-3-2 approach and it wouldn't surprise me if they stuck with the same formation again this week as they've used the tactic every match this season. I'm still considering how I'm going to approach this game but a win is crucial to take into next week.
I'll try to get around to posting some statistics between the two teams, but there is a player likely to start for Hong Kong that has played in the Australian leagues, namely Shang Wai Kwok. Fortunately, he appears to be in tragic form so if he is selected again it should make it easier to keep him quiet.
I don't expect a lot of you to see or read these today but I hope everyone has a great Christmas for those who celebrate it.
The more goals we can put past Hong Kong, the greater the chance of having a goal differential lead on Slovensko coming in to a double header over the next 3 weeks.
Enjoy the game, whether that's live or sometime in the next few days.
We're set for the match. Hopefully we're able to come away with another win.
Well we came away with the 3 points after Sharpley and Stephenson scrapped away at the defense and it ended in the back of the net to regain the lead. I thought for large chunks of that game we controlled the play and were perhaps a little unlucky not to have been further ahead. Then a costly foul given away from Bowyer followed by a horrible keeper blunder led to an equaliser to Hong Kong. Fortunately we were able to find a way to goal to regain the lead but it wasn't as convincing as I had hoped. I made a few adjustments to the tactic we have been using to try and counter Hong Kong's back 5 and see if we could prevent their midfielders from hitting us on the rebound. Shifted a few throw setups (obviously not enough there were a couple of defensive throws I didn't modify that I should have in hindsight) and the offensive ones never eventuated as they didn't kick it out. Striker positions were also changed somewhat to give us more avenues to goal.
Otherwise given they don't tend to stretch wide I thought we could keep their shots to a minimum (which we did, a few free kicks and a goalkeeper fumble). Most of our chances came from long distance headers so the shot count is perhaps a little exaggerated towards us but even so I'm relieved we won as we were the better team overall.
Next week, Slovensko :).
Otherwise given they don't tend to stretch wide I thought we could keep their shots to a minimum (which we did, a few free kicks and a goalkeeper fumble). Most of our chances came from long distance headers so the shot count is perhaps a little exaggerated towards us but even so I'm relieved we won as we were the better team overall.
Next week, Slovensko :).
Quite possibly our most important game this season is approaching this week against Slovensko (Slovakia). We haven't really set the world on fire so far this campaign but we have been winning games. As a result of Slovensko's 15-0 win over Jamaica and our ordinary performances in the previous 2 weeks, we currently sit 7 goals behind. That should mean that we're now in the position of having to take at least 4 points against Slovensko to qualify in 2nd place.
I'm hopeful of achieving this and then going on to qualify but it's going to be a difficult ask. Should anyone know of any quick form fix on our players, please let me know :p.
I'll know more about our chances come tomorrow evening when the majority of Australia's friendlies have been run. Whilst having no injuries would be a huge benefit, the odds are that won't happen and this will have to be factored into the game.
I'm hopeful of achieving this and then going on to qualify but it's going to be a difficult ask. Should anyone know of any quick form fix on our players, please let me know :p.
I'll know more about our chances come tomorrow evening when the majority of Australia's friendlies have been run. Whilst having no injuries would be a huge benefit, the odds are that won't happen and this will have to be factored into the game.
As previously mentioned, we take on Slovensko on Saturday. Unfortunately I'm actually not going to be around come kickoff as I'll be heading interstate for a few days. However, I will be back on Sunday so hopefully everything goes to plan.
The match is an important one and Slovensko are beatable with a bit of luck and so far the tactic we've been using hasn't let us down. We've beaten Hayastan,Jamaica and Hong Kong with it. The only time it's failed was when we took on Ukraine's 1st XI with our 2nd/3rd XI and even then we had chances of winning and kept the score down. The tactic has also worked very successfully at club level so it's certainly one worth using. All we really need to do is to convert a bit better in front of goal and that tactic makes it difficult for opposition to break us down. I can't see why it wouldn't work here against Slovensko.
So yeah, I've set the lineup ready for the weekend. I hope most of you that take any interest at all in the NT watch it and at the same time find the game entertaining. Should we lose, it's not all over but it's a really big ask to come back.
So apologies for not being around for the weekend, but I'll guarantee there will be a match to watch :).
The match is an important one and Slovensko are beatable with a bit of luck and so far the tactic we've been using hasn't let us down. We've beaten Hayastan,Jamaica and Hong Kong with it. The only time it's failed was when we took on Ukraine's 1st XI with our 2nd/3rd XI and even then we had chances of winning and kept the score down. The tactic has also worked very successfully at club level so it's certainly one worth using. All we really need to do is to convert a bit better in front of goal and that tactic makes it difficult for opposition to break us down. I can't see why it wouldn't work here against Slovensko.
So yeah, I've set the lineup ready for the weekend. I hope most of you that take any interest at all in the NT watch it and at the same time find the game entertaining. Should we lose, it's not all over but it's a really big ask to come back.
So apologies for not being around for the weekend, but I'll guarantee there will be a match to watch :).
The number of back passes from our midfielders was frustrating. I think that's as much a match engine thing when a team plays an offside trap that far off the field. Without an ultra-wide winger, or ultra-wide mids yourself, it leaves the wingback the open man far too often. Our WB's aren't classy enough (and the ME isn't kind to players with defensive orders as far as playmaking goes).
The score was probably fair on the weight of chances. Frustrating all the same.
The score was probably fair on the weight of chances. Frustrating all the same.
Fair points. The intention was to pass crossfield until holes opened up and then punch straight through the centre as there had been noticeable cracks in their line over the past month or so from exactly that. It worked early on and we capitalised and scored and it should have worked again but we hit the crossbar which was frustrating as with that 2nd goal it may have been 2-1 win to us. The result can be debateable as to whether they deserved all 3 points or not. They did get a few as a direct result of some soft fouls.
The problem with sides who press who have the superior players in key positions is there really isn't any way to break it down often enough. We don't have a winger of the same class as Kitka in todays standards and playing Thompson would have been a bit of a liability as it would have taken away a striker from that formation or run the risk of getting cleaned up by Kitka.
I thought tactically it was just about the right choice with a few exceptions. I gambled with the idea of using Parker who has much higher form but decided to stick with Pottier to cover cases where they broke the defense and I needed a quicker keeper to prevent chances. As it turns out Parker probably would have been a better choice. On another day we could well have controlled much more of that as there is a significant difference between a player of Stewart's class and Slater/Bowyer. An in form Stewart would have given scope to tackling them on that side to prevent the crossball to their winger on the opposite side. As a result I tried to use Villafane and Libbesson to cut out as much angle as I could from their midfielders if they used them on that side and I used Slater and Libbesson from the other side.
Defensively I thought the tactic went alright. We conceded 1 goal from a freekick where our defenders decided to drop back against instructions (still have no idea how some sides manage to keep the defense on the edge of the box). The other came as Kitka was able to get around Kohler and follow it up with a cross that hit their striker on the head who nailed home (could have easily gone over the crossbar or had Hunter played, we could have won the header due to Hunter's height).
Offensively we struggled as we lost momentum by passing it back too often instead of using playmaking to punch it downfield.
Disappointing scoreline as it could well have been 2-2 or 2-1 our way. The key difference today was that Slovensko have 2 key players (their winger) and their striker that we lack at the moment and a bit of luck.
Were we to have Papaluca in form and Stewart in form, I'd back it in we'd have won that game but it wasn't to be. We'll need to get all 3 points next round against them on the return to keep our chances alive.
No disgrace in going down by a single goal though, just need to create a few more chances.
The problem with sides who press who have the superior players in key positions is there really isn't any way to break it down often enough. We don't have a winger of the same class as Kitka in todays standards and playing Thompson would have been a bit of a liability as it would have taken away a striker from that formation or run the risk of getting cleaned up by Kitka.
I thought tactically it was just about the right choice with a few exceptions. I gambled with the idea of using Parker who has much higher form but decided to stick with Pottier to cover cases where they broke the defense and I needed a quicker keeper to prevent chances. As it turns out Parker probably would have been a better choice. On another day we could well have controlled much more of that as there is a significant difference between a player of Stewart's class and Slater/Bowyer. An in form Stewart would have given scope to tackling them on that side to prevent the crossball to their winger on the opposite side. As a result I tried to use Villafane and Libbesson to cut out as much angle as I could from their midfielders if they used them on that side and I used Slater and Libbesson from the other side.
Defensively I thought the tactic went alright. We conceded 1 goal from a freekick where our defenders decided to drop back against instructions (still have no idea how some sides manage to keep the defense on the edge of the box). The other came as Kitka was able to get around Kohler and follow it up with a cross that hit their striker on the head who nailed home (could have easily gone over the crossbar or had Hunter played, we could have won the header due to Hunter's height).
Offensively we struggled as we lost momentum by passing it back too often instead of using playmaking to punch it downfield.
Disappointing scoreline as it could well have been 2-2 or 2-1 our way. The key difference today was that Slovensko have 2 key players (their winger) and their striker that we lack at the moment and a bit of luck.
Were we to have Papaluca in form and Stewart in form, I'd back it in we'd have won that game but it wasn't to be. We'll need to get all 3 points next round against them on the return to keep our chances alive.
No disgrace in going down by a single goal though, just need to create a few more chances.
Have scheduled a match against the Philippines this weekend. I'm not sure of the format yet but we might end up going in with U24's. I'll keep you posted on the format.
The loss against Slovensko makes things difficult but not impossible. We need to win next time around otherwise we're as good as finished for this campaign. On another day we could well have been 4 or more points ahead of them instead of being 3 behind. I'll look into why we didn't create as many chances as I'd have liked and try to learn from it but it did look like we just didn't have enough fire power up front.
The loss against Slovensko makes things difficult but not impossible. We need to win next time around otherwise we're as good as finished for this campaign. On another day we could well have been 4 or more points ahead of them instead of being 3 behind. I'll look into why we didn't create as many chances as I'd have liked and try to learn from it but it did look like we just didn't have enough fire power up front.
This should be a pretty comfortable victory today. Due to the massive mismatch between the two teams (Philippines struggle to get 50 avg ratings with their 1st XI) I've decided to go in with an U24 side as previously stated. I'm in the process of finalising our tactic and hopefully we end up with a boost in ranking points (albeit a small gain).
Not a lot more to say as it's the first time we've ever taken on Philippines, it probably doesn't matter what tactic or squad I use as there's a distinct difference in strength and it gives some other players a chance which might spark interest from other managers.
Enjoy the game, I've got a lot of thinking to do for next week against Slovensko.
Not a lot more to say as it's the first time we've ever taken on Philippines, it probably doesn't matter what tactic or squad I use as there's a distinct difference in strength and it gives some other players a chance which might spark interest from other managers.
Enjoy the game, I've got a lot of thinking to do for next week against Slovensko.
Tactic and lineup finalised and we're ready to go. More details can be found in the Australian Association for those interested.
The following players have been removed from the NT squad of 40 to allow for the U24 players coming in.
Mark Gulessarian
Stacy Nesic
Perry Pottier
Andrew Plesa
Gareth Tarka
Allan Woodenberg
Emil Adkins
Glen Gardiner
Paul Haereiti
Anthony Parker
Nahuel Sharpley
Luke Neill
Josh Bowyer
Jose Maras
Shane Thompson
Richie Sterjovski
The majority will be put back into the NT side at the completion of this match.
The following players have been removed from the NT squad of 40 to allow for the U24 players coming in.
Mark Gulessarian
Stacy Nesic
Perry Pottier
Andrew Plesa
Gareth Tarka
Allan Woodenberg
Emil Adkins
Glen Gardiner
Paul Haereiti
Anthony Parker
Nahuel Sharpley
Luke Neill
Josh Bowyer
Jose Maras
Shane Thompson
Richie Sterjovski
The majority will be put back into the NT side at the completion of this match.
Poor conversion rate there. 4/26 is a disappointing return. Was hoping for somewhere around the 10-12 goal range. I think with a 6 goal win that will send our ranking points downwards a little. Overall I thought we controlled the game (as we always should have) and we created a number of good scoring chances. Shame we didn't put more of them away. It's the same problem no matter what striker we select these days :(.
Well after a narrow loss 2 weeks ago against Slovensko this game today is an absolute MUST win. Slovensko have a pretty strong side so it's not going to be easy to beat them. I'm not confident we'll grab the 3 points as I believe they'll use a back 5 and they'll flip Kitka to the opposite side (i.e the right). A loss today will end our hope of qualifying for the world cup next season. A win puts us back level and we can then hope either they drop points against Hayastan or Hong Kong or else we pick up points against Polska.
Stats coming soon :).
Stats coming soon :).
Australia vs Slovensko
# Users 70 - 925
National team rank 42 - 23
Rank points 1933.61 - 2551.63
Previous encounters
2011-01-01 Australia - Slovensko 1-2
2009-07-25 Australia - Slovensko 3-4
2007-08-04 Australia - Slovensko 0-4
2006-09-30 Australia - Slovensko 5-1
2006-09-16 Australia - Slovensko 1-2
2006-08-05 Australia - Slovensko 0-1
Major Australian Goalscorers during past encounters
Esala Hrehoresin - 3
Scott Stephenson - 2
Stan Amien - 2
William Newhill - 1
Jose Maras - 1
Andrew Plesa - 1
Interestingly, the last time we played Slovensko in a WCQ we lost 2-1 the first week, then two weeks later came out and spanked them 5-1. Wonder if history repeats. Whilst I don't expect to repeat that performance from I believe borkos at the time I'd settle for any kind of win :).
(edited)
# Users 70 - 925
National team rank 42 - 23
Rank points 1933.61 - 2551.63
Previous encounters
2011-01-01 Australia - Slovensko 1-2
2009-07-25 Australia - Slovensko 3-4
2007-08-04 Australia - Slovensko 0-4
2006-09-30 Australia - Slovensko 5-1
2006-09-16 Australia - Slovensko 1-2
2006-08-05 Australia - Slovensko 0-1
Major Australian Goalscorers during past encounters
Esala Hrehoresin - 3
Scott Stephenson - 2
Stan Amien - 2
William Newhill - 1
Jose Maras - 1
Andrew Plesa - 1
Interestingly, the last time we played Slovensko in a WCQ we lost 2-1 the first week, then two weeks later came out and spanked them 5-1. Wonder if history repeats. Whilst I don't expect to repeat that performance from I believe borkos at the time I'd settle for any kind of win :).
(edited)