Group F Discussion/Predictions

[OwlsFan]

What a fantastic game. Not one for the "purists" like Giles and NeillMc but a great entertainment and had me on the edge of my seat. I knew Australia would equalise when the Croats started taking forwards off and bringing on extra midfielders. Nearly every coach does it and invites the opposition on to them and the constant pressure 3 times out of 4 results in a goal for the opposition - memories of Ireland vs Portugal.

I have really taken to the Australian team and their great spirit and no little skill. I also felt for the Croat supporters (especially the good looking one with the tight top) - been there, suffered the agony.

Best match of the tournament so far for me for the drama and incident.

[geysir]

I thought Lineker, Hansen & O'Neill were patronising in the extreme last night.

It's exactly the same when we do well. "Plucky", "Great spirit" blah blah blah.
I thought Australia played really well & actually got less than they deserved from the game, my only criticism being that they defended too deep since Kewell's equaliser, but that's natural.
If England gets a result it's because of their quality. If Australia (& Ireland) gets a result it's spirit.
It was a gripping stuff.
Even if Australia did defend too deep in the dying minutes they still kept 2 players on the half way line and still kept throwing players forward to get a winner.

[eirebhoy]

Keep writing them off why don't ya.

I will. :) They will not get past Italy. :)

[ramondo]

I will. They will not get past Italy. :)

Okay, they did well to get that far and looked like they'd still be playing if there was to be a golden goal.

Going out to that penalty was a bit of a sickener though.:eek:

Ho-hum, who to follow now?:) Spain, I think.

[Snoop Drog]

Okay, they did well to get that far and looked like they'd still be playing if there was to be a golden goal.

Going out to that penalty was a bit of a sickener though.:eek:

Ho-hum, who to follow now?:) Spain, I think.


Gutted :(

[shakermaker1982]

Gutted for the Aussie's, their style of play was refreshing to see. A high tempo team but plenty of skill on show. Lucas Neil must be as sick as a parrot.

[ramondo]

Ho-hum, who to follow now?:) Spain, I think.

Okay, I'm on a run - now I'm going for England. :)

[Stuttgart88]

My take on the game was that the Aussies played well but ultimately didn't threaten enough to say they deserved to win. They looked a well drilled unit and they passed the ball better & with more intent in the first 2 minutes alone than England has done all tournament.

From we were sitting it looked a nailed on penalty. An Aussie midfielder, Bresciano (?) failed to cut out a straightforward pass and Grosso collected the ball and ran with intent into the box. Having beaten one guy he ran towards the 6 yard box and Neill just slid across him, missing the ball & apparently tripping Grosso up. I had no doubt at the time but I read afterwards that Grosso made sure he ran into Neill but I always maintain that if a defender goes to ground, across the attacker's path, if he fails to get the ball it's a foul, especially if it breaks the attacker's run. I suspect it was a bit like Duff in Suwon: Grosso could have avoided the tackle but it was easy to make sure there was contact.

Either way, it was stupid of Neill to commit and he was asking for trouble. They deserved the chance to have another go in extra time but that's how it works against the big teams.

Our seats were fantastic (thanks Mrs Stuttgart). 4 rows back from the Italian dugout, 3 seats from the tunnel. We could lean on the glass roof of the tunnel as the players came in & out. At one stage I said to the missus "that's Filippo Inzaghi just there" and he looked up to see who was talking about him!

Of the Aussies, Cahill & Grella really impressed and each of their back three looked solid & mature. Cahill covered a lot of ground. He supported Viduka as an outright forward, played as an advanced midfielder and came deep to collect the ball. I thought he was the best player on the pitch. Viduka was too slow to cause the Italians any trouble. It was his lack of penetration that ultimately cost the Aussies. Also, I don't think they had enough guile out wide. The wide midfielders were functional rather than anything else.

Grella sat in front of the back 3 all day. I looked at what qualities he has that, say, O'Shea would need to do a job for us. One obvious difference stood out: he's tough, both mentally & physically. He was never afraid to take the ball of his defenders and was committed fully to every tackle. You could say the same about them all actually. No shortage of leadership out there.

Hiddink has to take credit for shaping the team & playing to their strengths. Man for man, how do you think the Aussies would compare to the Irish first XI? I think a "best of" Australia & Ireland selection would be pretty good.

[Snoop Drog]

Grella had a great WC. Culina was disappointing though. Cahill looked sharp and I thought Aloisi did ok too. For me Neill was the standout Aussie player, although I agree with Stuttgart that he shouldn't have wne tto ground.

Australia will shoot up the world rankings and prob pass Ireland on the way down. Probably deserved at the moment although the Euro qualifying will ultimately determine if the current Irish side is any good (I have my doubts :( )