Subject: National Team

Happy new year!!!

Coach well and prosper!

I was shocked watching the match. Our best winger couldn't play today, and we also have problems with our midfielders. But that doesn't explain why we only had two shots. Our defense didn't look bad, yet our opponent had 19 shots. I don't know if it was a handicap or if the cause of the defeat should be looked for elsewhere. I'll analyze the match again tomorrow, and I apologize for the loss.

Australia 2-2 Hungary. It's a very good result, and considering we were leading 2-0 and received a red card in the 40th minute, it's still disappointing. I'm pleased with myself because I positioned myself better than last time, learned my lesson, and we took a point from the favorites.

Draw v 11th ranked team not too shabby in the end, but red card hurts when it takes a skinny midfield down to just the one player.
Almost got it back right at the end. :)

Great result, now let's hope for the same result with Uruguay and our group will look very interesting :)

Hi coaches! Yesterday we won 2-0 against South Africa. We controlled the match, which I'm happy about, and the result could have been better. Anything can happen in our table right now, but El Salvador, Uruguay, and Hungary are very strong opponents. In my opinion, we'll be fighting with Hungary and El Salvador for second place, with Uruguay being the favorite. Thank you for your support.

Good to get points on the board. Let's keep it rolling this weekend.

Looking at this seasons results compared to my initial post about the group, I must say, it has been a bit disappointing.
Teams like El Salvador and Dominican Republic shouldn't really be getting over us.

Not sure if we had some key oldies lose skills or if there have been big form drops, or the tactics aren't being tailored to the opposition (ie just set and forget), but our numbers from my initial check seem to be down, and we are letting the opposition get a lot of shots in.

With a very brief look, I would recommend not having our defensive line to far back, especially with the quality of defenders we do have. They should be up helping the midfielders more, and reducing that gap with strikers.

Next week we are up against tough opposition, so a loss may be inevitable, but I think a tactic change is necessary. May be a good week to improve the tactic, seeing the mistakes we all make when making a new one, and fix it before the second half of the season

Yup, looking at the 4 tactics used this world cup, it is the same tactic for each match. Not only is this not being changed to suit the opposition, but it is allowing the opposition to pick at our weaknesses.

As part of the election, I asked about the most important things and part of the reply was

" To achieve this, I will carefully analyze every opponent. I know how to win against teams of a similar level because I study their play. Many opponents rely on one or two main tactics. If I know our team has the potential, and with the amount of free time I have, I will dedicate a lot of time to tactics" "Against stronger opponents, I am willing to take more risks. This may result in a 1:0 win for us or a 0:5 loss, but I believe this approach increases the chance of a positive surprise"

Sure we got the draw against Hungary which was great, but against teams we should have beaten, or at least beaten on the field (even if the score didn't equate to a win), we have been dominated.

For me, this is what I want to see from any NT manager. Not just a set and forget tactic. Even if there were minor throw in changes (which I don't know if there were), they werent big enough to change the tactic picture. And the wing has been used on the same side every match, again allowing the opposition to either make a tactic to cut this off, or to put their preferred defender on that player.

Thank you for the detailed analysis and constructive criticism. I agree that our results are not optimal compared to previous expectations, and I acknowledge that.

However, I would like to clarify a few points:

Tactics – I did indeed use a similar basic tactic, perhaps my overconfidence was a mistake. I see potential in it, but I may need to change it due to the quality of the midfielders. Of course, it's clear that some changes may have been insufficient, and this is an area I will work on.

Player Form – Some key players are indeed not performing as expected this season. I am working on rotation and training to restore optimal levels.

Defense – I agree that the defense may have been too far away from the attackers. This is probably my biggest mistake. I will make adjustments to the formation to reduce the gap and improve support for the midfielders.

Results against teams we should beat also signal to me that we need to introduce greater flexibility in our tactics and more precise analysis of our opponents. However, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador have shown that they can achieve truly excellent results.

I'm glad you appreciate our achievements against stronger teams. I agree that in the coming week we need to focus on correcting mistakes and fine-tuning our tactical setups ahead of the second half of the season.

In conclusion, I take your comments seriously and use them as a starting point for making changes to the team's play. Our goal is to improve results in future matches, especially in matches where we should dominate.

Good to hear you have taken the comments as they were meant.

Let's get a better back end to the season, and aim for that third place. The first season with any team is difficult. Good luck for the rest of the matches

Doesn't look good so far. But there's still plenty of time this season to make the Australian machine work again like it did before. Needs lots of effort tho. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for your interest and support. Today I changed the defensive line, adjusted the formation, but it wasn't enough. Uruguay were too strong today and we lost 2-0 to them. The experience of coaching the Australian national team has given me a lot of knowledge and tactical awareness.

Sutton remained fit for less than a week. I eased him back into it after returning to fitness. Still only lasted 2 matches before injuring himself, for another 18 days on the sidelines.

Nail in the coffin for any hope of top 2.
Not that Uruguay is an expected win or draw… it’s the the likes of Dom Rep where results can be turned around & a possible move up from 5th.
So there is the challenge, defeat DR & El Salvador in the return legs. :)
Bon chance!