2015 Asia Cup

[mightytiges]

I think if we started our best forwards we would have had more chances early and got on the board early. We flirted with danger and now we pay the price. Tough finals road from here.

Luongo has been an inspired selection but surely it's time to get serious and start Bresciano.

Agree, tbh I didn't mind Burns and juric starting but would've started leckie over Troisi who I think is wasteful. I think with jedinak out, Ange doesn't trust Milligan to play DM on his own so goes with Mckay as backup. Think if jedinak was playing would've started with Luongo and Bresc.. In hindsight seeing the Koreans park the bus, we should've started Bresc anyhow and played 2 number 10's(creative mids) instead of 1.

Apparently, Ange had to rest Timmy and Kruse as they physically couldn't play 3 games in 8 days. The Oman game was Kruse's first full game in about 12 months and of course Timmy is in the twilight of his great career.

[tony_montana]

I think if we started our best forwards we would have had more chances early and got on the board early. We flirted with danger and now we pay the price. Tough finals road from here.

Luongo has been an inspired selection but surely it's time to get serious and start Bresciano.

Agree, tbh I didn't mind Burns and juric starting but would've started leckie over Troisi who I think is wasteful. I think with jedinak out, Ange doesn't trust Milligan to play DM on his own so goes with Mckay as backup. Think if jedinak was playing would've started with Luongo and Bresc.. In hindsight seeing the Koreans park the bus, we should've started Bresc anyhow and played 2 number 10's(creative mids) instead of 1.

Apparently, Ange had to rest Timmy and Kruse as they physically couldn't play 3 games in 8 days. The Oman game was Kruse's first full game in about 12 months and of course Timmy is in the twilight of his great career.

Makes sense

[one-eyed]

The match-ups for the Quarter Finals have been decided:

22 January 2015 18:30 AEDT         South Korea vs Uzbekistan                   AAMI Park, Melbourne

22 January 2015 20:30 AEST               Australia vs China                          Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

23 January 2015 17:30 AEDT                      Iran vs Iraq                            Canberra Stadium

23 January 2015 20:30 AEDT                   Japan vs United Arab Emirates    Stadium Australia, Sydney


We play the winner of the Japan vs UAE game in the semis if we get past China.

[tigs2011]

Go UAE. 

[tony_montana]

Japan only got a 2 day turnaround? harsh! But hopefully that stuffs em 

Cant help but think we need an early goal tonight to settle the nerves and play some ball (or as much as is humanely possible on that cow paddock) 

[dwaino]

That 2nd goal by sth Korea was a dead set ripper.

[dwaino]

Referee pretty average so far

[dwaino]

No foul on Kruse again. As I said, average refereeing.

[tony_montana]

Ref is subpar. We need to lift.

Bresc terrible, mile terrible, just getting nothing from our midfield. Need to up the tempo and go a bit more direct against these guys, we're always playing the safe ball and no-one is looking to really turn and run right at them, they're too well drilled to break down with the way we're playing atm.

Take a chance and start overlapping, these guys will crumble

[tigs2011]

We will lose in a penalty shoot out. What are the betting odds on that? $1.10? 

[mightytiges]

A tale of two halves in a half. The first 20-25 mins we were very shakey. Coughed up ball in the midfield, too many old school long balls and we looked slow and exposed against their wingers on the counter. It also looked as though we had little trust in the pitch. After 25 mins, we dominated. We settled, controlled possession and kept the ball on the ground which allowed us to get deep to the byline. We look most threatening from our crosses and especially set pieces. Sainsbury should have buried that free header. Leckie, who has very good, also had a top chance. We need to take these chances in the 2nd half.

[tigs2011]

Leckie should have buried his chance.

[mightytiges]

TIMMY AGAIN 

[tigs2011]

That was amazing. 

[dwaino]

What. A. Goal.

On the replay lucky he sliced it a bit. Had it come off the centre of his foot it would have gone straight to the keeper.