Popovic Got It Wrong 😬 | USA Expose The Socceroos’ Biggest Problem | LET EM SHOOT TV

A tough watch for the Socceroos 😬🇦🇺

In this episode we break down Australia's World Cup defeat to the USA and discuss:

🇺🇸 Why the United States were simply too strong
🧠 Popovic's team selection and whether he got it wrong
📉 Australia falling back into some familiar old habits
⚽ What this means for the Socceroos moving forward
🌍 The bigger picture for Australia's World Cup campaign

One result doesn't define a tournament.

But it definitely raises some questions.

👇 Was the team selection the biggest issue?

#Socceroos #Australia
#USMNT #WorldCup
#TonyPopovic #FootballPodcast
#AustralianFootball #WorldCup2026
#LetEmShoot #footballdebate 

—

LET EM SHOOT.TV
Football x Culture 🇦🇺⚽️

Follow the crew:

@badreldinabbas
@juju_jereminho
@blame_samuel
@karanikaranikaranikarani
@danaigapare
@wagwanmj

📲 TikTok & Instagram → @letemshoot.tv
📧 letemshoot.tv@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:03

Good morning, good afternoon, good night. We're back. Let him shoot his back.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Bottom left. Oh, whoa, that's me, innit? Uh Missy Boy Denai. Government name coming to life and directed directing in effect. Off the back of watching Karani doing his thing in front of 20 Tau. Congratulations to you. You um 20 Thou. 20. Ah people, people, people. Yeah, relax, relax, relax. You know, so it's been a good day. Did he go? Did he go to the show? This is my intro, brosky. It's my intro, broski. Don't make me start ringing to find that you got no emotion, bro. Alright, first and foremost, when I talk you be quiet, alright? That's what you need to do. Alright, so you'd be quiet over there. Yeah, I'm looking at you. Who are you talking to? You look at your dumb ass. Interrupting my intro, like you someone.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

What's wrong with you? Bring her, bring her first, and then I'll start listening to what you have to say. Bring her first.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Bring her online first. Concentrate. You don't want me to do that. You don't want me to make that phone call. You don't want me to make that phone call.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

We've been waiting since last ep. Don't want me to make that phone phone. Don't act like we didn't see you put the phone down after you spoke for two seconds.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

You don't want me to make that phone call, Broski. You do not want me to make that phone call. Bring nothing up. All I'm saying is it's your boy Denai coming to life in direct, directing in effect live from Sydney, Australia. Good move. Let's go. Lock in. Perfect. Lock and get locked in.

SPEAKER_04 1:26

Yeah. Samuel, tough act to follow, bottom right. Yeah, nappy boy radio live. It's your boy. Blame Samuel. Damn. I'm back. Have a missed beat. Let's go. Send me the airdrop me the edit that you found and I'll run it on the episode. Oh, low-key, yeah. I'll I'll airdrop you that shit, bro. Hashtag, hashtag, yeah, nah, don't even worry. K Adams, whatever. Don't worry. Don't worry. Alright, cool. This shit ain't no fucking problem.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Top right. Support MJ Born Africa Gang. Blessed to be here. Life's good. As always. Thanks for tuning in.

SPEAKER_04 1:57

MJ, you're the only one who stayed true to yourself. You have to, man. He hasn't changed his intro, man. He hasn't. He really hasn't. To middle, middle, middle.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

PBB in 1080p. Fuck, that's got a good ring to it. Yep. Ring a ding ding. Who you with? Calling the king.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

Um, my name's Karani. Mitch, you're gonna have to talk louder, bro. My name's Karani. Better. Um, and I'm very happy to be here. See. Good to have you back, man. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 2:29

41 Tava Street's currently sharing equipment. Hey, but oh sorry. It's not even your current address.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Sword it. Drop the location. Sworded. Swatted the side. Yo, chat. Go. How are we doing, yeah? Attack, attack, attack, attack, attack.

SPEAKER_04 2:44

Come on, I'm alright at the SP Hotel. No, everyone already knows where we live, don't worry. Yeah, it's right next to the SP.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

Attack, attack, attack, attack, attack. Two doors.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Yeah, pick the side. You pick the side. You pick the side. Sorry, man. Melbourne's changed these guys. Spain has changed these guys.

SPEAKER_04 2:58

Yeah, they're acting different now. Um, we're back, guys. Thank you for watching Last App. Shout out everyone. Match day, but here we are again. Samuel, what do they need to do before we start? Guys, like, share, subscribe, hype, follow us so we can keep fucking making these videos for you because we are consistent at the moment. We are consistent. Views are alright. You guys are looking like you're enjoying it a little bit. Yeah. So just you know what you gotta do. Every every time we get on here, you know what you gotta do. Guests coming soon. Guests coming soon. Not next episode, but I think the episode after we should have a guest.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

Um it does it, and it rhymes with Pessy.

SPEAKER_04 3:37

It rhymes with and he may or may not be the world top World Cup all-time goal. Pandela bite.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

And you I got a good one. And he may, he might have he may have Bautism.

SPEAKER_04 3:56

Yeah.

unknown 3:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:58

That wasn't good. Anyway, guys, uh, we're back for your Australia match day two review. Australia vs USA. Wow. Wow. You know what really set the tone for this? We'll get into the game and everything, but we went to watch it at the pub, 4:30. We woke up, got there. We we three of us who were in this episode. We got to the pub, they said, tickets, please. No, yeah. We said Standing in the Rain as well. We were in the rain, and we were at the front of the line as well. Like, and the line was huge, and they were like, Yeah, tickets, please. We're like, Oh fuck. So we And I said, Oh, and I was just like, Oh, we'll just get a ticket sold out. Sold out. But it was kind of a blessing in disguise because watching a game where you lose at the pub is 50 million times worse than watching bad at home. Yeah, because you can especially do some F Bub shit, mate. Especially with a bunch of people that are going, pass the fucking ball. Oh, he's never fucking boot it. Fucking boot it. Yeah, you don't want to hear the game. So like we watched it at home. Exactly. But we did watch it at home. Denai, first we want to get your thoughts. Australia did lose. America, who were the favourite for the game, came out on top. A game of two halves, but essentially, because of the start America made, the game was wrapped up in the first 45 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Yep. I I had, and I think I predicted 2-1 USA. Um get the prediction. That's a good point. I think I predicted 2-1 USA for this game. Why? It's because I think there's their they've just got better players all over the park. Everyone's been talking shit about the American team, but player for player, they're actually a sound squad. We saw what they did in the first game, that high press they had, returned um ball retention, they were collecting the ball in the middle third, and then the runs that the midfielders were making, vertical runs that they were making, were dragging a Paraguay's defense out. I could just see that happening again. Um, and if you don't follow runners, they're gonna keep running, they're gonna play the ball into channels, and it's gonna create it's gonna create um opportunities for either them to continue playing to that final third or uh get a turnover, then with their heavy press, they're gonna press you in your third, and if you're not gonna be able to return um retain possession, then you're kicking the ball along. And the fact that I know I made a comment of the front two behind Touray needed one of them needed to be a winger, and one of them needed to be like a midfielder. And it worked to Connor Medcal because he could once he knows how to play in the middle, he knows how to keep the ball. Wingers don't really technically know how to keep the ball if we're being honest. They want to attack and go, and that's what they could and that's what they get paid for. Midfielders know about ball retention, they can come into the middle and they can play that middle pos centre midfield position like a midfielder. In this game, we started two wingers, um, and that obviously didn't work, and you saw what was different in the second half. So um was I the obviously losing is annoying, but I didn't I wasn't going into the game expecting to win. So I wasn't too just like I wasn't too disappointed. I said get the win against Turkey, and then we'll see what happens in that third game. But yeah, overall, not the best performance. Um USA did their thing, and I think everyone's underestimating what they potentially could do. Obviously, getting out of the group is I think is sound for them. They should be able to do that. Um next who did the game plan. They pressed high, got the ball back, scored early. The goals were a bit dodgy, but goal's a goal. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:20

MJ goals a goal, yeah. Any any hole's a goal. Uh MJ, I need you to address this. I don't know about all that. What what happened with um what happened with Poppa? Why did you think about it? You took you took time. What happened with Popper, MJ? Especially how much we praise him going into that first game. What do you think was going through his mind for this second game with the with the changes he made to the lineup?

SPEAKER_00 7:42

It feels as though he went to default settings in the sense that the viewpoint was preservation instead of this is a every every game's a final. We need to play to win. We've had six days' rest, it doesn't matter. Um, and I think because of that, we saw a setup that was really passive and it was never gonna work. So I think he probably got into his own head and anticipated maybe that USA was gonna play the same lineup. They didn't, they changed to a front two, which meant that our wingers were pretty much useless. Yeah, they were redundant. Yeah, and our full backs were getting caught in between trying to press, not getting there, and then getting played in behind. So um, yeah, I just think it was the worst possible way to set up because clearly USA weren't afraid of us attacking at all. We had no attacking threat. Um, our midfield was useless, and our center backs were just pinned. So we just yeah, it was a no-nothing, it was a nothing. It was a nothing. You can laugh, bro. Yeah, which is why he made so many changes.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Yeah, you're allowed to laugh, bro. Facts, you're holding it like it's a shit. What? I said you can laugh, you're holding it like it's a shit. Laugh at what? It's all right, don't worry.

SPEAKER_04 8:53

But anything to add? Any football analysis, any tactical nuance?

SPEAKER_02 8:59

100%. Look, like Denai said, I didn't expect it was gonna be a win, but I expected more of a game from us going into that, especially the first half. I think like like an old wise man once told me, bro, don't fix what's not broken. We clearly beat Turkey, yeah, going with the same 11. And like another wise man, Pengus Tekas said, You have to have your best players on to give yourself the best chance of winning. You saw in that second half we turned the game around a little bit, but it was enough to be like, oh wow, these guys at the start of a game would have made more of an impact, which would have been like, hold up, USA might have to drop back a bit, not not have those chances. And as a defender, I should do a defending analysis uh segment. Can you tell me? Please as a defender, why are you clearing it you or you're attempting to clear it outside the foot and the ball's going across your body? Hopeless. Then the foul we gave away, unnecessary for the second goal, completely unnecessary. He's facing the crowd, experience, facing the crowd, and there was no there was no real threat coming from there, and they were happy to just keep it, maybe cycle out and go back inside again. Yeah, but it just shows that, and there was like a little bit of a there was a little passage where we were just panicking and kicking it, but it wasn't even going far. It just stayed in that corner for a bit. There was a couple warning shots, nearly gave away a pen as well, couldn't clear it out. Then we can see the free kick, and from that we it leads to a goal. Yeah, so it was like it was pretty much our own doing from the team selection, from the way we played. We played a bit scared from the start. Scared money. Then the subs didn't make sense because what worked in the first game, he took off half, he didn't start with half and then took off the half that needed to stay on for it to be effective with the other two that came on. So it just it was just all backwards. And he kept the two guys that weren't really doing much, like the two guys that came, Lecky and Velupole, they stayed and Touray came off. For me, it could it should have been the other way around because they were the two most ineffective guys we had out there, but yeah, he kept them on now. It just it just didn't make sense, it just felt like old Australia coming back, it felt like uh old habits, old habits Graham was in an e-piece and he was conducting the team still.

SPEAKER_04 11:25

Yeah, he Samuel, why do you think because essentially every player that played well in the first game didn't didn't really have a good performance this game, and and we did we did say that had Turkey scored early in the first game, it would have been a completely different game. And I think this kind of showed what happened was uh USA scored in the first 10 minutes, yeah, and it meant that we we couldn't set up the same. We had to to kind of come out a little bit more, we didn't press until the second half, don't get me wrong, but we were leaving more holes, more gaps that they could play into a lot more than we did in the turkey game because we were defending that nil all at the time. Um, well, firstly, I think it's clear that he was petrified. Tony Popovich was petrified of the of the USA fullbacks because for me, the the idea of playing uh Lecky and Velupla either side is so that they can both track back Destin and Robinson, and and I'm guessing that's why because Metcalf, he as he does run, he obviously doesn't run the way Lecky does, and then Veluplay runs a lot more defensively than Iron Kunda. But for me, it's like a it's like a fucking boxing fight. You can't win a boxing fight if you can't punch. If you never land a punch, how are you ever gonna win? The other teams never, the other person's never gonna get hurt or be even scared that you're gonna punch. So they can just send every player forward, attack, attack, attack, relentless. And then Australia were on the ropes from from minute one, and that's why you concede that that shitty own goal you're talking about. But the reason they concede that shitty own goal is because it's just so much pressure from minute one when you don't have Irin Kunda, who was probably Australia's best reliever of pressure. You could just play a long ball, he'll fight, he'll win in the channel, he'll win a foul, he'll run in behind, you know, he can he can relieve pressure. And we had nothing, none of that. So I think that's that's probably the biggest reason why the players didn't perform well. Because when you look at the second half, when Iron Kunda was on, you saw that Geordie Boss started to get into the game a little bit more. Uh, when Volpardo came on, he started to get others into the game. And I think having yeah, I think having Jackson Irvine come on as well, just to add a bit more like dynamism into the midfield, not necessarily because we're not gonna be a ball playing side for the rest of the World Cup ever, really. So to add his legs, his hunger, his determination, I think to come on for Ocon, who looked a bit frazzled in the first half. Yeah, so I think that helped a lot. And the positives is that he's seen now he's got to play Aaron Kunda every game. Yeah, surely he he the coach has seen that you can't go into a game without him starting, so at least it's a positive now. Because looking at the way that things stand, Australia have an extremely good chance of making it out of the group in just in general, finishing third or finishing second, they have a strong chance. So at least he learned those things now.

SPEAKER_02 14:13

And you guys all know, like when we were younger, when you play like another good team and their best players not like he's not playing, it just gives you that like a little bit of a boost. You you become more confident in terms of like you're like rah, okay. We can we know it's it's a much it's much easier game now. Certainly, as a defender, that's how I feel when say that another team's best attacker isn't on or he's on the bench.

SPEAKER_04 14:37

I mean, America didn't have theirs, didn't have their best player, so no, but I mean like for them, they're probably chilling. No, I know, I know.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Thinking like like Ring and and Watson, and they're like, okay, it's a much comfortable game, it's much easier for us to play a little bit. And then you saw when he came on, he rattled them. Yeah, like yeah, they were getting into beef and both sides, but it just gives them another thought. Facts. Do they send another fullback forward? No, like it just changes a lot.

SPEAKER_04 15:05

Yeah, that's what I was gonna say as well. Like we obviously started, like Samuel said, with the players we started with to combat their fullbacks, their wing backs pushing on, but by doing that, we're also not asking their wing backs questions going the other way. Facts, which is which is why I feel like desk was like, I can't stay up here, do whatever I want every single time I get the ball because I don't have to worry about going back the other way. Sorry, Mike.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

No, that's that's I want to speak on that because I feel like I've got to give Poch major credit for this game because he he baited us to try and step. And I think what was hurting us the most was the wingers weren't even stepping onto the fullbacks, they were having to step on to the right or left centre back, yeah, which then if their wing backs dropped in, it forced our wing backs to step late. So and if you look at the first goal, um Italiano steps late because of the distance. Um Robinson gets it, plays it in behind, problem. So I think that was just them saying, okay, if we play two up front and we have a rotation with the midfielders going wide or the nine going wide, Australia aren't going to do anything. We got pinned and we just got completely bullied in that first half. It was impressive to see them, but it showed the difference, I think, in tactics as coaches and maybe the quality of players that they can actually do that. They have midfielders who can play wide, wide players who can receive, you know, play forward. And I think to beat a system like that, we just needed better players. And we didn't have our best players on the field, and our midfield weren't getting on the ball. Um, we were scared, we were frantic. I think it was just a perfect example of the difference in quality between the the good players, not even the top, top players, and maybe where we're currently at in terms of what we actually can do in those kind of games.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

Yeah, I think all Jeremy, you made a point last week how like, and I was actually thinking about during the week, basically, and this probably this might sound a bit mean, but every player in Australia uh the whole Australian team probably ceiling like is what America is right now. Their flaw, you're saying, yeah, so they're so there, yeah. So for example, like Erin Kund is a great player, but will he's do we think he's gonna be better than Pulisic? He has the potential to be in and around, maybe like that's probably as high as he can potentially go. Hopefully he doesn't. Balogun, you made the comment of Mo Touré, like Balogun's probably his complete and like so knowing that so we have less work, less talented players, so to say, in in quotation marks, and literally just saying, like you're not putting your best case forward, like not putting your most skilled players forward, and then just worrying about the defense. Like, I understand you got to defend, yes, yes, yes, but you couldn't even keep up with the rotation, like at all. The rotation was like, Yeah, we'll rattle. You know what you knew what they were gonna do, they were gonna cycle wingers into center midfield and strikers into they were gonna just move in a circle. Nothing. I think they were gonna do the whole game, and what it needs to be is centre midfielder Ocon passes onto the centre back, but then you have two players at it with their centre backs, and you just had no idea what to do with that, and then obviously the wingbacks are getting caught out. So yeah, um, I don't know. Tactically, Posh got a ride, and we've got to give him credit, we've got to give him credit.

SPEAKER_04 18:28

It's like it's like Australia, there was it was a fight where there was only one gun, and we just said, you guys have the gun, and we're gonna try and move out of the way for the whole fight. Because it we we we never ever ever in the first half had any there was no form of attack other than the first minute where Touray had a shot from a hard angle. Other than that, they we completely just had nothing going forward, and if you have nothing going forward, it's impossible to beat a side with players that the quality that they have. And and when you realize the World Cup to me has shown the level difference in in top players or players who play for top teams and in top leagues to to the rest because even somebody like when I watched uh yeah, when I watched Tillman play for Leverkusen, he was nothing special to me. But then I watch him play in this game and I'm I'm thinking, my god, he's levels above everyone on the field. Yeah, he was playing at a different pace.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

Tillman plays for Leverkusen, but then we've got Jackson Novani plays for St. Paul playing in the same league, but once playing in the championship. They aren't in the same league, yeah. Yeah, but I mean that's what that's what I'm trying to say. Like that's where we that's that's where like the skill difference comes into play. Yeah, um, and it's not a bad thing, like for Australia. We've got fantastic players, don't get me wrong, but it's just about like okay, what like let's let's try play to our strength as much as possible. And we took all those strengths, so to say, away. It worked well having that balance of like a center midfielder and like a winger playing behind Toure, and we took that completely away to nullify wingers that didn't need to be nullified. Like you didn't need to you don't need to nullify them going that way, you should be just focused on going that way. Like these are attacking plays.

SPEAKER_04 20:03

I don't think the best way to nullify them. Yeah, have them by making them defend. Death can't defend. Yeah. And that's what I was gonna say. Also, playing five at the back should be the the stability you need in order to free the players that are playing in the front third. Because if you're playing four at the back, fair enough if you want your wingers to be to be quite good going the other way, but the five should negate any reason for you to have wingers just chasing back the whole game. That's that's why you set up like that. So for me, it yeah, it didn't make sense. And if we go into the Paraguay game, we should go into the Paraguay game with the mentality that we can genuinely just stick it on Paraguay if we play our best players in the fact three. Yeah, because Volpardo, when he came on, looked great, looked great, and he looked like a player who knew that he was he could play in that level. You know what I mean? Iran Kunda, the same, he has to start. Touré, I think he's only really the option that that we have to play nine. He's much better than Yangy in comparison. But if those three start, we'll be asking Paraguay a lot more questions than than going with like a half-ass like which Metcalf was good as well when he came on. I thought he was good. But Volpardo just gives us more going forward. This isn't the game in which we're playing a team that's way better than us, and we should show them a bit more respect and play Metcalf. I think in the Paraguay game, you should be going, yeah, go stick it on him and and and actually show what what we can do.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Can I ask you guys a question? Um you can the thank you, thank you, thank you, superstar Mitch. Thank you, superstar Mitch. Um bruv. Alright, leave it, leave it. You're the second most talented person in your own frame. Be quiet. Keep going.

SPEAKER_02 21:45

I'm allowing you to speak. Go, go.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

You don't want me to speak, you don't want me to continue going down that path. I'm just saying, I'm allowing you to speak, go. Poch is you don't allow me to do nothing. Okay, well then why are you speaking? You don't allow me to do nothing, you're a checking mirror's presence. Don't make me make a phone call real quick, all right? You don't want to do that. To speak. You don't want that smoke. You don't want that smoke. You'd like to speak because I said you can. You don't want that smoke. You don't want that smoke. I go speak, speak, speak. You don't want that smoke.

SPEAKER_05 22:09

Nevertheless, I'm gonna talk to the three. Because I'm allowing you to say something.

SPEAKER_04 22:15

That's a good that's a good raid debate tactic. The Oz strikers.

SPEAKER_01 22:20

You write that down. Um the Oz um defense. There you go. Playing five at the back, Poch nullified that with playing two up front.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Yeah, that was his change, his biggest change.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Do we think that if Paraguay come out and play two up front, we're gonna see Vincent repeat? Or what's the how do we how do we fix that problem?

SPEAKER_00 22:44

I think I think I think from my perspective, the reason why it worked is because they baited us to press the wrong players. I don't think Paraguay has the capabilities to play like that, but I do think a front two gives us problems that we might not be able to fix if we those front two players can be activated. And I think maybe, but I just think their setup is gonna be far different. Um, I think Paraguay is gonna rely more on moments players like and Cisco. I don't think they're gonna rely more of the system to try and expose and to try and get in behind us as much as what USA was gonna what USA did.

SPEAKER_04 23:24

Yeah, Paraguay, they they base their whole game off defensive stability. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So so I don't think we should be worried about what they can do realistically going forward the way that the US were. I think we have to be more worried about the damage that we can do to them going like when we attack. Because defensively, if we if we again verse Paraguay, because obviously Australia know that if we get a draw, we go through, we both go through, both teams know that. So, in the back of Povich's mind, he's probably thinking, All we need is a draw. Imagine we we try and go for go for the win, and and they they nick one on the counter and we concede. So he's he's probably in a bit of a tough position. I do realistically, from what I've seen so far in the World Cup, think he's gonna go in that way and play very much the same as the first two games and just try and get a point, in my mind. So uh I think it's if it doesn't work, he's gonna have a lot of questions to answer because we're in the perfect situation that we have. We're in the perfect situation, realistically, out of a tough, tough group. This is a tough group, it's not an easy group, it's the highest average rating of of any group. So it's a tough group, and we have a really, really good chance of going through. And so right now, the position that we sit in, if we don't go through, he's gonna have a lot of questions to ask considering he signed a new contract.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Yeah, no, yes, it'll be game off Rada, innit?

SPEAKER_04 24:52

But yeah, it's big. I think do you guys think the the lineup, but do you think the lineup essentially reverts back to the turkey game, or do you want to see different players playing in this this game against Paraguay?

SPEAKER_02 25:03

I want to see uh that winger, the young one. Yeah, I want to see him stop. I think he's uh not I wouldn't say like deserved, but he played really well, and I want to see more of that, especially against a team that's gonna set up defensively. We need a lot more players that are gonna be willing to unlock a def like a team like that, rather than we just sit off, you know, rely on like the fact that we're we're probably gonna score because we're probably gonna attack more. We need to go at them. That's the only way to break that team down. And we need to I I would say an early goal again. Um, if we wait, if we hold on too long, that's what they kind of they love. Like you saw that game against Turkey, they were just kicking the ball anywhere and everywhere. They didn't give a fuck by the end of the game. So I think if we kind of break that team down early when they're least expecting it, they're probably thinking, you know, they we're gonna be in for a long game, like a one-all or a nil all or something. But if we press them early, get a goal early, it completely like destroys their their game plan and their tactics, and they're gonna have to come out, and that's probably where we get more goals if we have to.

SPEAKER_04 26:11

Yeah, I agree. What do you guys agree with, bud? Do you want to see Volpardo start? You want to see them return to Metcalf, Iren Kunda? What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 26:18

Um I think it's Medcalf, probably Iron Kunda, and then Volpardo coming on for one of those two. Um or even Touray. That's Touray start for me. Toure has to start nine.

SPEAKER_02 26:33

No, I meant like Volpardo might come off for Touray, they keep Iren Kunda down the middle.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

Yeah, I just think I think Medcalf, as good as Valpardo is, I think Medcalf, because he's a traditional center midfielder, yeah, he's able to drop into those positions and feel comfortable in those positions. And I think the key thing of us progressing the ball up the pitch is like ball retention. Let's not just hoof it and lose it or just have one option of going into a channel. Um, so with Eren Kunda, we can go into a channel and he can roll off his defender, it's it's pace, power. That's one way to kind of progress up the field. With with Metcalf, I think we can have a bit more control in midfield, who can then combine with Ocon. And if it's O'Neill or if it's Jackson Irvine in the middle of the park, like he we kind of turn into that traditional 4-3-3 when he can drop into those positions. So having both options to me is quite important. Volpardo's good, but I think he offers us something similar to Iron Kunda, but obviously with a bit more kind of technical. I can go, I can drill past the player. I just don't know if he's as comfortable as playing in the middle of the park as uh Metcalf is. But other than that, I think defensively, keep it the same. Midfield, if it's O'Neal goes in and um, or Irvine goes in for O'Neal, happy with whatever. I think they're they come in and out, they both give you legs, they run all day, um, which is what you're gonna need here. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:55

Yeah, I think um the only thing I'd agree with Dana. I think I will I and I would want to see Volpardo play just from my own like bias of watching him play, because obviously we haven't seen too much of him, and I think if you know you're gonna play Metcalf going forward in the knockout round, why not give him the opportunity to play now in that in that Paraguay game? But for me, I do want to see I think Ocon come out because he looked so frazzled in the in the uh USA game, and whether that's for I don't know. I don't ideally want to see Irvine playing from the start, but I I just think he looked frazzled. He's the one who gave the foul the way to make it 2-0. He didn't look as composed as he did in the turkey game, and maybe that was a confidence thing, maybe it was the fact that we went down in the game, so they weren't playing with rattle exactly, exactly. So I don't know, I don't know who I'd bring in for for him, but I think I don't know. Use that flight thing for exercise. I could go over, yeah. I mean it could be why why don't we put Metcalf there? Yeah, that's that's what I was gonna say. It could be Metcalf, but but that's because we're playing Paraguay played fourth, I think four, two, three, one. It's not it's not gonna be a five at the back. So if if that's the reason you you think that Metcalf in a midfield two is gonna get outnumbered, then fair enough.

SPEAKER_01 29:29

I think Metcalf is a better cam than he is playing a bit deeper.

SPEAKER_04 29:33

He definitely is, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 29:35

Well, it's it's we've got the stability behind it. So if if if it is gonna be an outrun, it's not gonna be they're not the team to attack like that, anyways. So it's not like that 4-3, 4-2-3-1 is gonna be them creating a lot more chances. Yeah, it's probably gonna drop into a 4-4-2 or something or 4-5-1.

SPEAKER_04 29:56

Yeah, something you're gonna say. Uh yeah, yeah. I was gonna say I have a uh a question regarding Lucas Harrington, you know, the young centre back. Yeah, this week he's been getting attention. Apparently, Liverpool this week sent scouts, have sent scouts to watch him in training. Like it's crazy. Barca, yeah, yeah, no, no, to watch him in training, but Barsa are uh keeping an eye out on him, like so many top, top-level clubs, and he's sitting on the bench, and what we saw from Burgess for that, especially the own goal, but also just in the game, we didn't look comfortable, and especially I think on the ball, it that has a lot to do with it as well. Because trying to find an outball when you're under pressure, trying to keep the ball when you're under pressure, all those things are important. Would you guys consider he's only 18, but would you consider starting him in in the next game if we're expected to have a little bit more of the ball? Yeah, I would definitely. I think that's a good point. I feel like that gives us more it it removes the pressure of of defending more if you know your team is more capable of playing out and and and beating the press. So for me, I I would if any game we can see it, it's this Paraguay game because it's the lit it's the least amount that's going to be on the line for the whole for the rest of the tournament.

unknown 31:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:12

And also they don't press. Paraguay don't really press. So I think they more so just get into their defensive shape. So I think it would be very handy to have somebody who's good on the ball, who can drive in, who can step in, who can play, and I think it will free up the wing backs a lot more because our wing backs against USA, they could until maybe the 75th minute, they didn't get forward at all. So I think bringing in someone like that could help. Yeah, for sure. Uh let's get some predictions before we move on. Um, how's everyone's predictions going? Dark horse. Only one person. Yeah, I said Turkey, the first team.

SPEAKER_02 31:52

Turkey strip strip Turkey of that dark horse narrative.

SPEAKER_04 31:56

The narrative he keeps giving them as well.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

You keep giving it to them. I heard it somewhere, I didn't just come up with it. So you're not original. Yeah, I'm I'm not claiming that. Fuck that. Look at it, look at it now.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

I've been giving them dark horse for six years. Yeah. Six. There's no, there's like nah, hold that.

SPEAKER_04 32:12

That's you. They did alright in that. But I think it's longer than six years, bro. It's two Euros and a World Cup. Yeah, two Euros and a World Cup. So they did alright in that in that Euros. Oh no, yeah, six years, yeah, yeah. Six years, man.

SPEAKER_02 32:26

They didn't do bad in the Euros, they did bad in that first World Cup.

SPEAKER_04 32:30

They haven't been in the World Cup in two years. Yeah, it was Euros. The last Euros, they were okay. No, the first Euros. The last Euros, they were okay. Maybe it was two Euros. Yeah, it's that's what I said.

SPEAKER_01 32:40

What was saying?

SPEAKER_04 32:41

Two Euros. Uh just just quickly, um, I've just got Australia's possible opponent. So if Australia finishes second in group D, which is you'd say most likely right now.

SPEAKER_01 32:56

Yeah, I think they're gonna get second.

SPEAKER_04 32:59

Ours is better, yeah, because they lost. They got we can win or draw against Paraguay, and essentially we should finish second, which means we'd play the runner-up from group G, which is the Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand group. So realistically, that gives us a good chance to get Belgium, bro.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

Extremely good.

SPEAKER_04 33:18

But then it gets really hard the next one. Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah. Mike, don't worry about that. The next round that's the first time, Mike. That expected side of the draw has everyone Argentina, Portugal, France, all on that same side. And everybody, Brazil, everyone.

SPEAKER_03 33:33

Argentina.

SPEAKER_04 33:34

No, no, all of them teams are on the same side. Only team on the other side is Holland, I think, and Germany. I think that's the one. Yeah, Holland and Germany, everyone's on the other side. Whereas if we play, I think if we finish third, we obviously play a harder game. But a team that comes first. But it's like when we win, we can if we win, it's it's more beneficial. Yeah, I don't know. Can we go on that side? Yeah, no, we'd rather just we'd rather finish feel we'd rather feel winning that first knockout game, that way that feels thing. Can we lose at all? We could play, we'd play winning, probably, though. But then it depends on the other countries. Yeah, we can lose, but if we lose with a big goal difference, that would be tough. Uh yeah. Because our goal difference is going to be minus if we lose.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

I swear they were saying that the third place the way they decide, it's a bit different now. It's not basically.

SPEAKER_04 34:27

No, no, that's um that's that's how they order the the teams in each individual group is by head to head. Yeah. So that's why Turkey are out now. Because Turkey could finish ahead of Australia or or Paraguay, but because they lost to both the teams. But when they're comparing the eight, the eight teams out of the 12. Yeah. Yeah. When they're comparing the eight teams out of the 12, there's only four third place teams I'm gonna go through. So if there's third place teams that finish on on zero or one, yeah, then we're we're in a good situation. But I think most teams will be. If Australia does finish third in group D, uh in group D and progress, we will be drawn to face, we could be drawn to face the winner of like multiple groups, winner of group E, I, or K. Statistically, it says the most we're most likely to face the the winner of the Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Corsair group, which means Germany pretty much. Which is well, Germany haven't been overly impressive, like incredibly impressive, but obviously if we need against Germany, you're talking like right now. But Ivory Coast today were good against Germany. Yeah, they look could have won the game. Could have won the game.

SPEAKER_03 35:33

What's your guy's name? Diamond, Diamande, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:37

He's good, bro. Class. Um, let's get moving coming. Let's get predictions for the the lead.

SPEAKER_03 35:46

Yeah, I'll write that down.

SPEAKER_02 35:51

Your boss isn't impressed. Look at him, bro. He didn't like it.

SPEAKER_04 35:55

I like that. If you're claiming I'm his boss, I like that. No, the other one. Oh, okay. Fair. Um, all right, go. Give us your prediction first. 12 p.m. Friday. Teardrop tattoo. Oh, that's a good time.

SPEAKER_03 36:10

I think it would be Iron Kunda Brace. No, no, no, first. Oh, we we routed them, bro. Yeah, I think it's four-one. Yeah. Forget me. Wait, he's scored another two. Uh, Bra scores one and then Big Suter.

SPEAKER_02 36:31

Yeah, yeah. Great. Bye Suter next. Uh I'm gonna say I'm gonna say a one-nil. Yep. One nil. Two to Australia.

SPEAKER_03 36:43

Samuel can't handle watching a one-nil.

SPEAKER_02 36:45

Oh my god, my heart would die, bro. And I'm gonna say the the the sub super sub. What's his name? Bobano. He's gonna score. Uh Bobano's gonna score.

SPEAKER_00 37:00

Mike on mute. I'm gonna say 2-1. I don't think we'll keep a clean sheet because they have talent, but I reckon we win the game.

SPEAKER_02 37:12

Can Almeron play?

SPEAKER_00 37:13

No, we'll get a red card.

SPEAKER_04 37:16

Do you know how red cards work? No, but that it's a new rule. I don't know if it was like just that game now. Yeah, it's just one of those red cards where you just don't miss the next game. Just cage merch and then you can.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

Well, it's a new it's been red.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

Have you heard of this rule before?

SPEAKER_01 37:30

Imagine being like the least. I'm not gonna finish that sentence, but yeah. Just finish it, man. Two one to two one to Australia. Two one's gonna. Two one to Australia. I thought two one, yeah. Turn J's point. I don't think we're gonna. I don't think Australia's going to keep a clean sheet. Who you looking at? But I think don't worry about me, bro. Who's over there? Concentrate. Concentrate. Get distracted too easy. That's why you can't find a club right now. Concentrate.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

Oh my hell. Concentrate. I'll find a club when you find a wife, like I said.

SPEAKER_01 38:00

Concentrate, man.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

Just bring someone around. I don't care. You just lied to me. Keep on it. I don't care. Just bring her around.

SPEAKER_01 38:07

Looking at. Never back to football. Um around. It's okay. Yeah, 2-1. I don't think Australia keep a clean street. Street. Cleanly battled.

SPEAKER_04 38:17

But I dream against US. I tell you that. Covered in fucking piss, mate.

SPEAKER_01 38:26

Alright. But I do think, yeah, it's gonna be uh early goal, first half goal, then two goals in the second half.

SPEAKER_04 38:32

There we go. Samuel. Uh I think Popovich and whoever the Paraguay coach are just gonna shake hands at the start of the game and Haram block haram block the hell out of it one-all for me. And I'm gonna go, I think, I think 2-0. I think we will keep a clean sheet. I don't know why, but I hope so. I get the feeling. Uh cool. Uh I think that's it. We're good. That was our Australia United States review. Be back again at the end of match day two. And hopefully, hopefully, by that point, we're gonna know a bit more about who's gonna be through and who's not. Because right now, it's still fucking all up. It's all over the place. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:18

Shout out Shanonolu, bro.

SPEAKER_04 39:21

Yeah, fuck them turkey guys, bro. For real. 60 60 shots, bud. 60 shots in two games, no goals. That's one of the craziest stats I ever.

SPEAKER_02 39:32

He he did it to himself, bro. No one told him to come out and be this brave, this bold, this disrespectful.

SPEAKER_01 39:40

But you know what? Like, in all honesty, what he's was what he said. He should back it, but you best back it, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 39:49

I mean, like a dick after you lose to Australia 2-0.

SPEAKER_01 39:53

I have no problem with anything that they really said, they were backing themselves.

SPEAKER_04 39:57

But after the game, I'm talking about Woods. The shamelessness is after the game saying, Well, we still we were dominated, you didn't scored two long goals. The shamelessness is is is them being fucking uh 10 men against 11 at Paraguay for a whole half and not being able to score. He is shocking. Yeah, he's shocking what I kill now.

SPEAKER_02 40:19

He's got blood on his head and shoot this one right in front and looked and looked like at someone else to blame someone else. Every time this guy took a shot, his team heads up in the air. They're like, oh fuck, this guy.

SPEAKER_04 40:30

Yeah, facts. Uh guys, thank you for watching. Like, share, subscribe, hype, all that good shit. Let's go.