Japan 2 - 1 Australia

Japan welcomed Australia to the Nagai Stadium in Osaka with non-stop chanting and screaming from more than 50000 fans. The Socceroos didn't seem intimidated by the imposing atmosphere and started the match strongly. However, as the contest went on Australia lost control of the match and Japan's quality eventually shined through to give them a 2-1 win. Another loss for coach Ange Postecoglou and more things to worry about in what was a last hit out before the start of the Asian Cup in January. The starting lineup was Matt Ryan; Aziz Behich; Trent Sainsbury; Alex Wilkinson; Ivan Franjic; Matt McKay; Mile Jedinak; Massimo Luongo; James Troisi; Robbie Kruse; Matthew Leckie.

The Socceroos Officially in Crisis

After a very promising showing at the World Cup that even surprised our own fans, the Socceroos seem to have fallen into a hole that is getting deeper and deeper with each step. The nightmare for the Socceroos worsened in recent weeks when poor performances led to disappointing results in the recent round of friendlies against opposition that we were expected to beat comfortably. This resulted in Australia falling to its lowest FIFA ranking (94) of all time. To top it all off, the Young Socceroos failed to qualify for next year's U-20 World Cup. With just a few months until the start of the Asian Cup and only one friendly match left before then, can Ange Postecoglou resurrect the squad and get the Socceroos ready in time?

The Road to the Asian Cup Continues: Australia 3 - 2 Saudi Arabia

The Socceroos continued their preparations for the Asian Cup with a win in this morning's friendly against Saudi Arabia. It was actually the first win for the Socceroos in over ten months, a fact that should give the players some much needed confidence. However, the performance was poor overall and it raised more questions than answers. Australia's last few matches, including the World Cup, were promising showings that most agreed were a good base to build on with the ultimate goal being reaching the Asian Cup in top shape. When we struggle against nations such as Saudi Arabia though, it might be time to start worrying. Especially since Australia only has three more scheduled friendlies before the start of the Asian Cup and time is very limited. At the end of the day it's the result that counts in football and Australia did manage to win this match.

First hit out after World Cup: Belgium 2 - 0 Australia

For most national sides post World Cup friendlies are just occasions to get together, have some fun and reflect on the tournament that was, an "after party" so to speak. Australia though has no time to waste, the Asian Cup is just around the corner and time is precious. It was always going to be tough to play against a side which is going through a golden generation and are on a high after just reaching the quarter finals at Brazil 2014. The Socceroos were outclassed, out-muscled and outplayed but once again we didn't embarrass ourselves and kept the scoreline respectable.

TACTICS FOCUS: The Re-emergence of the 3-5-2 Formation

Formations and tactics in football seem to come in and out of fashion in an almost cyclic manner. It is difficult to pinpoint how long each of these cycles last but there are certain characteristics that trigger a formation to be used again or to stop being used. In the 90s the 4-4-2 came into fashion due to the tendency to play more direct football using strong, tall strikers. It became less prevalent once players were coming through in the mould of Messi, Robben or Hazard, small but technically gifted. The 4-3-3 became the standard in the last ten years as teams were looking to dominate possession and play attractive football at the same time, highlighted by Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. In the last few years the 3-5-2 formation has been making a comeback, which hasn't been widely utilised in nearly fifteen years. The 3-5-2 uses three central defenders, five midfielders (two being "wing-backs") and two forwards. We'll take a look at why the formation is becoming popular again, it's strengths and weaknesses and why it probably won't work in the Premier League.

Why FIFA should use a reduced calendar leading up to the World Cup

The Brazil 2014 World Cup was one of the best and most entertaining in recent times. It had close to the highest amount of goals for the tournament, it had great teams that made it a very open competition and it produced matches that will be remembered as classics. However, it didn't have two things that come hand in hand with most World Cups, an outright outstanding player and a completely dominant team. When you think of great World Cup players you think about Rossi in 82', Maradona in 86', Romario in 94' or Ronaldo in 98', all FIFA Golden Ball winners. When you think of dominant team performances you think about Italy 34', Brazil 70', Germany 74', Argentina 78' or Spain 10'. In 2014, it was Germany who won the trophy and Lionel Messi who won the Golden Ball, two facts that the stats and figures don't support. Most fans were satisfied with Brazil 2014 but I think it could have been even better. I believe that player fatigue hampered both team and individual performances at this year's World Cup and that FIFA should consider a change to its calendar for the season before the tournament.

Australia's World Cup Campaign: A look back at Brazil 2014

It has been just over a month since Australia was eliminated from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and it's time that we look back on a tough but exciting campaign for the Socceroos. Australia went into the World Cup as the lowest ranked footballing nation of the tournament but after some strong performances and exciting individual efforts, the Socceroos left the competition receiving plenty of plaudits. Although Australia weren't able to win any games, they were far from being the worst nation at the World Cup. New coach Ange Postecoglou walked away satisfied and excited by the prospect of what is to come in the next few years, the transition process was well under way. The squad landed in Brazil with a weakened side due to the many injuries that occurred in the months leading up to the start of the tournament but like Australia has done so many times, the team rose up to the occasion and delivered performances that the fans could be proud of.

World Cup 2014 Group H Analysis

Group H at the 2014 World Cup contains Belgium, Russia, Algeria and South Korea. Although it's a group without a traditional super power, this group is extremely interesting. Both Belgium and Russia are going through a golden period with their squads, developing good young players and have established world class teams. Algeria continues to improve while South Korea still plays an exciting and free flowing style of football. However all the talk seems to be about Belgium where some people are even saying that it would not be a surprise if they go all the way and become world champions. In every world cup there is one team that surprises everyone, in Brazil that team looks likely to emerge from this group.

World Cup 2014 Group G Analysis

Another exciting group at World Cup 2014, group G contains Germany, Portugal, Ghana and the USA. A famous World Cup quote about Germany said by Gary Lineker goes, "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.". That quote might have rung true at the 1990 World Cup as Germany lifted the trophy but they will find it a lot tougher in 2014 from the get go. Portugal with an unstoppable Cristiano Ronaldo will have self belief that they can snatch top spot in the group. While Ghana and USA continue to grow and improve, they will put up a good fight and could cause an upset.

World Cup 2014 Group F Analysis

In a World Cup having a relatively "easy" group can often help a good team get into their groove and gradually improve until they hit top form in the latter stages of the tournament. On the other hand, it can also have negative effects when a team gets too complacent, is surprised by the quality of the opposition and is eliminated much earlier than expected. Argentina has had the pleasure of experiencing both of these extremes in the past. In 1986 they had a fairly easy group and advanced to the knockout stages, Maradona got stronger and stronger as the tournament went on and they were crowned champions. In 2002 however, going into the tournament as favourites and being drawn in a group they were expected to get through from comfortably, they were eliminated. This time around they once again find themselves in a relatively "easy" group which consists of Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria.

Australia 1 - 1 South Africa

Australia took on South Africa last night at ANZ stadium as more than 50000 people turned up to farewell the Socceroos before they depart for Brazil. Unfortunately a shaky performance and an underwhelming result left more questions than answers by full time. One thing is for sure, there is still a lot of work left to do before our first World Cup group match. Brazil 2014 will undoubtedly be our toughest World Cup tournament to date. Here's my analysis and thoughts after last night's match...

World Cup 2014 Team Kits

Here are all 32 team kits for the 2014 World Cup...

World Cup 2014 Team Lists

Keep up to date with all the World Cup squads here...

World Cup 2014 Group E Analysis

Group E is yet another tough group that is difficult to predict, in this World Cup there are few groups that are straight forward. Group E contains Switzerland, who are one of the strange top seeds, Ecuador, France and Honduras. This group has a great variety of footballing styles, which contrast each other. There are now only 51 days until the start of the 2014 World Cup, lets see what Group E has to offer...

World Cup 2014: Group D Detailed Analysis

The unusual seedings for the 2014 World Cup resulted in very unbalanced groups. We will see some very strong teams playing against each other in the early stages of the tournament and many people say that there is no clear "group of death". However, if I had to choose one group that stands out as the strongest and most unpredictable it would have to be Group D. Three out of the four teams in Group D are former World Cup champions who are all in fairly good form. The group contains Uruguay, Costa Rica, England and Italy.

World Cup 2014: Group C Detailed Analysis

As I write this there are only 78 days until World Cup 2014 kicks off and we continue to preview all the groups. Group C offers a great variety of regions and footballing styles, it contains Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan. There is plenty of quality in this group but also great uncertainty. It seems that all four teams in Group C have high hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages.

A Tale Of Two Halves: Socceroos 3 - 4 Ecuador

Excuse me for being cliche but this morning's friendly between the Socceroos and Ecuador was truly a game of two halves. The Socceroos didn't have the best preparation heading into the match, their first training session in London earlier in the week had to be cancelled due to heavy rain and the team was hampered by injuries to key players. The limited preparation meant that we didn't know what to expect from the Socceroos but hopes have been at an all time high since Ange took over. Ecuador were very strong throughout the Sth. American World Cup qualifiers finishing 4th in a very tough campaign. However, they are a team in transition and still figuring out their strongest lineup to lead them in Brazil 2014. The match was played at Millwall's home ground "The New Den".

2014 World Cup: Group B Detailed Analysis

We continue our review of the World Cup 2014 groups with a look at Group B, which of course contains Australia. In the weeks leading up to the World Cup draw everyone was trying to come up with every possible scenario for the Socceroos. No one could predict though that the worst case scenario would come true. Australia was drawn along side Spain, Netherlands and Chile.

Which is the Best League in the World?

It is an age old question that always produces plenty of discussion and quite often a lot of arguments. Which is the best football league in the world? Some people argue that the EPL has the best quality overall but then others say that Spain has the best players in the world therefore it is the best, while some say that Germany has the best crowds and fans but that South America produces the most talent. The discussion is endless. Not only is it difficult to judge which league is the best but it is also hard to choose how to judge each league, is it based on the average goal difference? Who has the best players? What league produces the most exciting football? Once again, the discussion is endless. One thing is for sure though, the best football league in the world is bound to be either one of the big five in Europe (England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France) or one of the big two in South America (Argentina, Brazil). I'm going to try to rate different aspects of each of these seven leagues and decide which one is the best.

The A-League Mid-Season Review

We are just past half way of the current A-League season, the most competitive in its short history. Besides the clear leader Brisbane Roar, just seven points separates 2nd to 8th place and even bottom placed Melbourne Heart still hope to make the finals. For the first time ever it seems that any team can truly beat anyone else on any given day, with Brisbane, Western Sydney and the Victory strangely suffering heavy losses at home. As we begin the run towards the finals it is time to have a look at how each team have progressed in the first half of the season.

2014 World Cup: Group A Detailed Analysis

There's not long to go until the 32 qualified nations for the World Cup compete for the biggest prize in world football. As we countdown to Brazil 2014 we will be reviewing all eight groups and having a look at each team's chances. We start with Group A, which contains hosts Brazil, Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon.

The 2013 Football Review

2013 was a massive year in football, the number one sport in the world continues to captivate the world wide audience. Players and teams continue to look at how to gain that little bit extra on their opponents in a year where we saw individual and collective performances reach a whole new level. On the other hand, the world game is now arguably at its most controversial with its diving, bribing and biting!? Football is never short of heated discussion. Domestic leagues continue to have a religious like following while the international stage in 2013 was always going to draw attention as we lead towards the World Cup in Brazil. These are my highlights and lowlights for the year that was.