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The eight possible 'surprises' who could be in the Socceroos squad later this month - none of whom have ever been in a Socceroos squad before.
Will do for sure. I love him as a player, to be honest - and he has been doing brilliantly in Scotland. Just not sure him and Irvine would complement each other.
Report on Jackson Irvine's performance vs. Eintracht Frankfurt. Very interesting to observe the way he plays at club level compared to how he plays for the Socceroos.
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There are few Australian midfielders as effective across multiple lines of play at the moment. The only other players in this category are Connor Metcalfe and Alex Robertson.
This is really outstanding stuff from Patrick Yazbek (2002).
I didn't, but I now have Apple TV so will watch likely watch tomorrow. Did you?
He played as a left centre-back until (I think) about the 70th minute. He didn't have to do much there. As a midfielder, I thought he offered more on the ball than O'Neill. Tbh - I think his versatility takes him to the World Cup.
In the second instalment of my reports on Socceroos players ahead of the World Cup, I report on Aiden O'Neill's performance for New York City FC in their 5-0 win over Orlando City.
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Riley McGree is shaping up as one of Australia's key players ahead of the World Cup, after an exceptional run of form for promotion chasers Middlesbrough. I wrote a report of his performance in Boro's 3-1 win over Birmingham City.
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There’s a lot of talk about Australian players playing overseas, often without much reference to how they are actually performing. Thus, I’m planning to write a series of match reports on Australians abroad ahead of the World Cup.
Which players would you like to see reports on?
Thank you, I will
As it becomes a contentious issue yet again, I wrote an article explaining how I believe Australian should approach the recruitment of dual-national players.
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Selecting Australia's World Cup squad: 4 months out (a long read)
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Glad to be here! I'll be posting on here more often in coming months. I'm very well. I hope you are well too.
Lucas Herrington (2007) played 90 minutes for Colorado Rapids in their 2-0 defeat to Seattle Sounders on starting debut in the Rapids' MLS season-opener.
I wrote up a report on his performance - you can read it here: open.substack.com/pub/aussiesc...
He had his best game yet last night. Good player; tall, decent in air, problem solves on the ball, reads game well, shows courage.
Medin Memeti (2007) is also a standout. His 0.84 xG+xA per 90 is 55% of Melbourne City's average xG per 90.
Despite Perth's awful performances, Adam Taggart still is performing well. He is involved in 49% of Perth's chances - ranking him fourth in the league.
This chart measures A-League strikers' xG involvements (xG + xA) per 90 as a proportion of their team's total xG per 90.
Archie Goodwin (2004) is the standout. He is involved in a huge amount of chances (1.29 xG+xA per 90) which is 53% of Adelaide's total chance creation per 90.
Medin Memeti's (2007) shotmap in his first 345 minutes of pro football. This is extraordinary for a 17 year old. He is a box predator whose movement is intelligent and finishing is typically clinical.
He's averaging 0.81 xG per 90 in a team which is only creating 1.53 xG per 90.
Probably agree. But I think Goodwin has some levels to his game we haven't seen in senior football yet and I also think Jovanović can go a lot further as a second striker/10 than as a 9. Obviously his age factors into this, but Botić is the one who looks most comfortable in the A-L right now.
That is a quite sensational finish from Medin Memeti (2007). Memeti's movement in the box is electric and his finishing is outstanding.
He is an important prospect for Australian football.
Mix of a lot of factors.
This chart represents the U23 minutes per junior male participant in each Australian state/territory during the current A-League season.
South Australia is producing a disproportionately large number of elite players, while WA and Queensland are producing disproportionately few.
Thank you.
I really rate him. He's the best centre-back aerially in the A-League and very good on the ball. He needs to improve his defensive understanding/positioning sometimes but he has a lot of good attributes. It really surprised me when neither him nor Trewin were selected for the Olyroos in April.
Not included because I see him as a centre-back still. He's performed admirably as a left-back but I see him as far more suited to playing centrally. He's not quick and provides little 1v1 threat and is also a little bit vulnerable 1v1. These weaknesses would be less prominent at centre-back.
Borrello was good to start the season. He hasn't been as good since returning from Socceroos duty. Milanović's moments are excellent. Some of his decision-making and overall influence on the game can be improved.
Matthews has more upside. Trewin has performed better this year. Trewin should be in Europe already. He's the most underrated Australian player. Never misses a game and is usually one of the best players. Plays multiple positions and has no real weakness.
Team made up of young Australian players whose performances in this season's A-League should, in my opinion, be attracting interest from overseas clubs.
Standouts so far are Scicluna, Bos, Waddingham, Botić and Milanović. Big shame that Brad Tapp is injured.
Have they looked best with Mata on the field? I don't agree at all.
