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Tag: Western Asia

  • ‘Top, top manager’: Ange ploy that shocked Pep as Spurs legends heap praise – UK View

    ‘Top, top manager’: Ange ploy that shocked Pep as Spurs legends heap praise – UK View

    Much of the aftermath has focused on what Tottenham’s stunning 4-0 defeat of Manchester City at the Etihad means for Pep Guardiola, but Ange Postecoglou’s masterclass has not gone unnoticed.

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    City are in crisis having lost their last five matches across all competitions but this was the first time they have been beaten at home since Brentford defeated them 2-1 in 2022.

    Not only were City beaten, they were annihilated.

    It was the equal worst loss of Guardiola’s managerial career, and for City fans, it was like a throwback to the old days at Maine Road before Abu Dhabi oil money turned them into a powerhouse.

    And it was orchestrated by an Australian who was under their noses for many years.

    Postecoglou has taken a liking to Manchester.

    Ange reflects on Man City thumping | 01:01

    His Spurs routed United 3-0 at Old Trafford earlier this season.

    The similarities to his home city of Melbourne with the Northern Quarter’s laneways filled with coffee shops, bars and graffiti art might bring out the best in Postecoglou when he takes his team north, but his time with Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan is the key behind his success in the iconic football city.

    The club he guided to the J League title in 2019 are part of the City Football Group and as a result he had access to a treasure trove of tactical information from Manchester City.

    Therefore, there are few Premier League managers who know City as well as Postecoglou, and that was reflected in a series of master strokes to set up arguably the best win of his career.

    Before the international break, Tottenham suffered their worst loss of the Australian’s 50 Premier League games in charge with a 2-1 home loss to relegation-threatened Ipswich Town.

    Pep: “We have got to fix something” | 01:14

    The fans started to turn with a chorus of boos and the pressure began to mount on Postecoglou in the English media, but Saturday’s performance quickly put that talk to bed.

    Posteocglou has experienced a rollercoaster relationship with Spurs fans so far, and the victory must have been all the more sweeter given some Tottenham fans hoped their team lost in their previous Premier League meeting with City – which they did 2-0 – to end rivals Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title in the penultimate matchday of last season.

    The tale could not have been more different this time around with Postecoglou’s call to return midfielder James Maddison to the starting line-up – in place of the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur – proving pivotal.

    “Nobody exemplified the difference between the two sides more than Maddison, who was magnificent on his return to first-team action – in two different phases of play,” PremierLeague.com’s Alex Keble wrote.

    Liverpool extend lead in title race! | 02:38

    “First, his runs from deep challenged the City defence and led to the opening goal, a superb cross from Dejan Kulusevski that rewarded Ange Postecoglou’s decision to move the Swede back out to the right and accommodate Maddison centrally.”

    Tottenham were typically daring as they worked their way through midfield with Maddison’s “left half-space” runs causing havoc.

    “Picking Maddison, a player always likely to make those runs, was an attacking risk from Postecoglou that quickly – and persistently – paid off,” Keble wrote.

    “After the opener, before which City had raced out of the blocks and put Spurs under pressure, City began to wane in energy and dropped a little deeper.

    “This is when Maddison took charge in a second way, coming short to dictate the tempo brilliantly.

    Ed Sheeran’s super awkward live TV crash | 00:20

    “It was his crisp passing through the lines that pinned Man City; that caused the hesitation that led to City giving the ball away in their own third and Maddison – again running from deep – scoring the second.

    “Maddison had 64 touches of the ball and made 45 passes, dictating the tempo centrally and in the final third until City were chasing shadows.”

    Maddison’s link up play with Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr as well as striker Dominic Solanke – who regularly dropped back into midfield – overwhelmed the City midfield duo of Gundogan and Bernardo Silva.

    Writing for The Times, Martin Samuel said that Postecoglou’s Spurs had dealt with the loss of Harry Kane far better than City were handling the absence of injured Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in defensive midfield.

    “For Tottenham fans still smarting at once being described as the Harry Kane team by a certain coach, this win must have felt particularly delicious. At least Kane was among the greatest goalscorers in the modern game. Who wouldn’t miss Kane? City have collapsed deprived of one defensive midfielder. They’ve made Rodri look like Diego Maradona. Who didn’t think they were better than that?” Samuel wrote.

    Meanwhile, Kulusevki and Son Heung-min were instrumental out wide.

    Writing in the Telegraph, Sam Wallace said that Postecoglou had unlocked City with one particular tactic by his attacking weapons.

    “It was a great evening for Ange Postecoglou, under no little pressure himself, who spoke afterwards about ‘doubling down on football principles’ in the face of the many challenges of playing City away. But he did let slip that it had been taking on City down the wings one-on-one where they hoped to profit and so it proved with Kulusevski and Son Heung-min,” Wallace wrote.

    Writing in the Guardian, Jamie Jackson said another wide man was used smartly by Postecoglou: goalscorer Pedro Porro.

    ‘I’ll wait for you in the carpark!’ | 00:19

    “The right-back prospered as Ange Postecoglou’s men did all evening: by ransacking the champions who, despite Guardiola’s defiance that he is up for arresting the slide, were clueless, as illustrated by Brennan Johnson’s added-time fourth, when, for a countless time, City fell to the quick break,” Jackson wrote.

    “You have to go back to 2006 for the last time City suffered five reverses in a row. That dire run ended after six defeats and do not bet against Guardiola’s iteration matching this – Feyenoord are here on Tuesday – as his famed tactical brain is drawing a blank and he admits to a ‘fragility’.”

    While the moves all worked effectively, that style has been commonplace of any Postecoglou side.

    What came as a significant sign of growth was Spurs’ ability to sit back and hold firm once they held a sizeable lead despite first choice centre backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero being sidelined with injury.

    “Following the third goal Spurs held 30 per cent possession and had four shots to Man City’s 13: they sat deep, blocked the middle, dug in brilliantly in a compressed 4-5-1 formation, and even countered to add a fourth,” Keble wrote.

    “For that, Postecoglou deserves huge credit. His team have been criticised in the past for failing to shut games down and for playing emotionally when calm heads are needed.

    “That is not what happened here.”

    Many Tottenham people were over the moon with what they witnessed.

    Former Spurs midfielder and manager Tim Sherwood took the opportunity to shame any Tottenham fans that called for Postecoglou’s sacking during the international break, while two-time FA Cup winner with Spurs Graham Roberts posted on X his immense pleasure with what the Australian is bringing to the table.

    “I stopped myself from posting last week after the loss to Ipswich but as I keep saying we all need to keep with this manager, he is simply wonderful!” Roberts wrote.

    “You can see more than any manager what he is trying to do at this club. A top top manager.”

    Tottenham sit sixth on the Premier League table after 12 games, only three points behind third place Chelsea.

    Postecoglou’s side have scored more goals than anyone else, have the second best goal difference (14) and only league leaders Liverpool along with Newcastle have conceded on fewer occasions.

    They are numbers that show they are on the right track, but a massive run of games leading into Christmas will be a brilliant test across all competitions.

    In the league, they face Chelsea and Liverpool in the coming month as well as a quarter final of the Carabao Cup against Manchester United, and Europa League contests against Roma and Rangers.

    Postecoglou always wins a trophy in his second year in charge, and those matches will have a big say on whether that trend will continue.

    If he can keep pulling the strings like he did against City, breaking Tottenham’s much-discussed trophy drought will surely be on the cards.

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  • Socceroos rescued in 96th-min madness as Popovic avoids disaster in WC thriller

    Socceroos rescued in 96th-min madness as Popovic avoids disaster in WC thriller

    A stoppage-time equaliser from Kusini Yengi has saved the Socceroos from complete disaster in Riffa against Bahrain.

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    Socceroos score in 38 seconds! | 00:29

    Leading 1-0 deep into the second-half, the Australians conceded twice in the space of two minutes through a brace from Bahrain substitute Mahdi Abduljabbar before Yengi’s second goal of the contest ensured the FIFA World Cup qualifier finished in a 2-2 draw.

    The point moved the Socceroos into second spot, nine points behind Group C leaders Japan, in the third-round of AFC World Cup qualifiers.

    However, second place, which brings with it automatic qualification to the 2026 World remains well and truly up for grabs, with four teams – Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China – only one point behind Australia.

    While the draw was better than nothing, the Socceroos should have put the game to bed before Bahrain’s second-half fightback.

    The visitors made a dream start, going ahead inside the first minute through Yengi,

    Called into the starting side at the expense of veteran marksman Mitch Duke, Yengi pounced on a weak back pass from Bahrain defender Sayed Baqer before rounding goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla and guiding the ball into the back of the net.

    Australia’s forward #9 Kusini Yengi shoots to score his team’s first goal past Bahrain’s goalkeeper #22 Ebrahim Lutfalla during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asia zone qualifiers group C football match between Bahrain and Australia at Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa on November 19, 2024. (Photo by Mazen Mahdi / AFP)Source: AFP

    Yengi should have doubled Australia’s lead in the 24th minute after being fed by midfielder Riley McGree but he was foiled by Lutfalla.

    Chances continued to fall Yengi’s way, with the woodwork denying the Portsmouth striker on the hour mark,

    A poor first-touch soon after proved costly for Yengi when he had another good opportunity to increase Australia’s lead.

    Concerns grow for Socceroos after escape | 04:44

    Bahrain then had a chance to equaliser in the 64th-minute but Ebrahim Al-Khatal’s goal-bound shot was well blocked by Socceroos defender Cameron Burgess.

    However, the Bahrainis found an equaliser in the 75th minute through a spectacular 40-metre effort from Abduljabbar.

    The midfielder pounced on defender Burgess’ clumsy attempt to control a long ball with a speculative strike that caught recalled goalkeeper Mat Ryan off his line as it sailed into the back of the net.

    Kusini Yengi slides the ball past Bahrain goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla to give Australia the lead. Picture: Christopher Pike/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

    Worse to follow in the 77th minute when Abduljabbar netted from close range after a cross from Mahdi Al-Humaidan was deflected on to the post by debutant Socceroos defender Hayden Matthews.

    Abduljabbar was first to the rebound, with his second of the contest putting Australia on the brink of disaster.

    However, Yengi’s late goal from close range ensured the points were shared.

    Socceroos coach Tony Popovic made six changes to the side that started in last Thursday’s 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia in Melbourne

    Captain and goalkeeper Ryan started for the first time since September’s departure of former coach Graham Arnold, replacing Joe Gauci, who had been the Socceroos’ gloveman in the first three games of Tony Popovic’s reign as national boss.

    Sydney FC’s 20-year-old defender Matthews was given his Socceroos debut, coming into the side for Melbourne Victory’s Jason Geria.

    Matthews’ Sydney teammate Anthony Caceres, who made his maiden national team appearance off the bench last week, also started, being preferred to Belgium-based midfielder Aiden O’Neill.

    Melbourne City skipper Aziz Behich was another of the squad’s A-League brigade given a start, with former City left-back Jordy Bos dropping back to the bench.

    Further forward, Craig Goodwin returned from suspension to displace Ajdin Hrustic from the starting side, while Portsmouth attacker Yengi was given the nod at the expense of Duke.

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  • Ruthless call puts stars on notice; moments that exposed Socceroos’ biggest issue: Talking Pts

    Ruthless call puts stars on notice; moments that exposed Socceroos’ biggest issue: Talking Pts

    Former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold tried to warn anyone who would listen.

    Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup wouldn’t be easy.

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    FIFA’s decision to expand the tournament from 32 teams in Qatar to 48 in Canada, USA and Mexico made it a harder message to sell.

    After all, the Socceroos have qualified for the last five editions of football’s showpiece event. How on earth could Australia miss out with double the spots on offer through Asia?

    Arnold had raised the alarm time and again about the record amounts of investment being ploughed into national team programs across Asia – teams Australia had rolled through with relative ease in the past.

    His warning, in some respect, has come to fruition during this qualifying campaign.

    The Socceroos are enduring another rocky road to a World Cup. The latest speed bump in the route will come in Bahrain on Wednesday morning (AEDT) where Australia can either keep their fate in their own hands or face two agonisingly tense international windows next year.

    BAHRAIN PRESENTS A BIG CHANCE

    The Socceroos currently sit second in Group C during the third round of qualifying but have just one win to their name. No second placed side, in any of the other qualifying groups, has fewer victories.

    Second place presents the golden prize of automatic World Cup qualification come the final international window in June next year.

    The only reason they are still in charge of their own destiny is because other sides have continually let opportunities to take control of their own fate slip.

    Saudi Arabia, perceived from the outset as a fellow group heavyweight, like the Socceroos, have one win, three draws and one defeat.

    China, in fourth place, have one more victory to their name than Australia, but have lost three of their five qualifiers.

    The only pattern is that there isn’t one.

    Consistency, apart from Japan who sit seven points clear at the top, has been elusive across the board.

    Spurs star cops 7-game suspension | 00:42

    Under Tony Popovic there are signs the Socceroos are starting to find their rhythm. Since taking over in October he has secured five points from three games. It has been a solid, but not spectacular start.

    The game against Bahrain is must win; especially with Saudi Arabia taking on last placed Indonesia in Jakarta.

    The reality of their situation has breached the walls of the camp. Harry Souttar was short, but sharp when asked about it in his final appearance before the cameras prior to the match in Riffa.

    “Very important,” the giant centre back said.

    “Obviously you can see the table, apart from the leaders Japan, you see how tight it is. It’s a huge game for us and it’s one we’re going to try and do our best at to get the three points.”

    Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all enter this matchday on six points with Bahrain on five.

    The margins are slim.

    KEEP THE EMOTIONS IN CHECK

    Bahrain set the first dose of third phase drama in motion back in September.

    The world number 76 left the Gold Coast with a 1-0 win in what turned out to be Arnold’s second last game in charge after a six-year tenure.

    Bahrain not only frustrated the Socceroos via an 89th minute Souttar own goal, but also by staying on the turf for lengthy periods after any contact.

    Stand-in captain Jackson Irvine believes the side let it become “the story of the game” and the teams leadership group has vowed to not let their opponents get under their skin again.

    “Of course, you want to maintain that discipline and not let it rattle us away from our game, but at the same time, you don’t want to let teams get away with certain kinds of behaviour and you need to have each other’s backs,” Irvine said.

    “Probably in the first game against them, we didn’t find that balance well enough.

    That’s the biggest thing you want to avoid. You want that drama to not be the centre of the game. You want our performance to be the main focus.”

    England thrash Ireland to earn promotion | 00:53

    SOCCEROOS MUST BE RUTHLESS IN FRONT OF GOAL

    The Socceroos have taken 58-shots during the third round with 14 of those classified as on target. Yet, after five games, they’ve scored only four goals.

    Now, like most statistics, they can be misleading or largely irrelevant when placed in context.

    The Socceroos haven’t scored enough goals, but it’s clearly not through the number of shots being taken.

    58 in five games is a large number.

    What that statistic, and even shots on target fail to measure, is both the quality of the chances and ones that should’ve ended up in one column or the other but didn’t due to decision making.

    The Socceroos should’ve beaten Saudi Arabia in Melbourne on Thursday night and to avoid a repeat performance against Bahrain they need to find a ruthlessness in-front of goal.

    In Melbourne, Mitch Duke had a chance to shoot after a superb bit of pressing from Aiden O’Neill forced a turnover on the edge of the Saudi 18-yard box. Instead, the veteran striker decided to lay it off to Ajdin Hrustic who under hit his shot into the waiting hands of goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar.

    Similarly, Brandon Borrello found himself through on goal and one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the 84th minute. The Western Sydney Wanderers forward opted to square it to Riley McGree instead of finishing the chance himself. McGree was thwarted by a scrambling defender.

    Those two moments were pivotal.

    “It’s probably when you look at them all together, it probably looks like we need to have that more clinical edge,” Irvine said.

    “Whether it’s someone taking more responsibility earlier without the hesitation or whether it’s squaring the ball in the right time for someone else to have an easier moment.

    “There’s no right or wrong answer. It’s just about making sure we find that clinical edge individually and collectively to be able to put the ball in the back of the net.”

    Craig Goodwin’s return from suspension should help their pursuit of goals.

    The 32-year-old has seven goals to his name for his country and five of those have come in the space of 10-appearances in 2024.

    Socceroos survive late scare v Saudi | 03:00

    FIX THE EARLY WOBBLES

    The team, by their own admission, have been poor in the first 20-minutes of games so far in the third round.

    A lack of possession and a low percentage of passes completed have been consistent themes.

    On occasion, it has come through their own doing while in other matches, an aggressive press from the opposition has induced multiple mistakes with the ball.

    It has left the side chasing games once they’ve composed themselves, in what has proved to be crucial time lost.

    Having a squad of 26 in Bahrain allows training to become match simulation.

    A particular area of focus, according to Irvine, has been playing out from the back under pressure. Whether Bahrain will be bold enough to pressure Australia so high up the pitch remains to be seen, but the Socceroos are bracing for that possibility given how effective it has been against them so far.

    “It is a question of sometimes the players on the pitch being able to identify solutions in those moments, about trying to find answers quicker,” he said.

    “That was the main focus of training yesterday. Especially in and around our box and being calm and trying to find solutions in those areas. It was a topic of conversation post-game after Saudi and we’ve looked at it this week.”

    RYAN BENCHING HAS PUT PLAYERS ON NOTICE

    One of Tony Popovic’s first tactical decisions was to drop long time goalkeeper and captain Mat Ryan to the bench and promote Aston Villa’s Joe Gauci in his place.

    Gauci, who has seen some gametime for Villa this season in the League Cup, has played the last three games for Australia. Ryan, who is yet to take the pitch for his new club Roma in Serie A, is enduring his longest ever run out of the starting side since becoming a mainstay in 2013.

    According to Irvine, Ryan’s demotion has proved anyone, no matter how entrenched they may seem in the side, is capable of being dropped.

    “It shows everybody how key your performances have to be and you have to be on it all the time to make sure you maintain your place in the team,” he said.

    Ryan is now 32 which is still relatively young for a goalkeeper and will no doubt continue to fight for his place.

    At the very least he’ll be an experienced sounding board for 24-year-old Gauci who is just taking his first steps at a large European club.

    That is a journey Ryan knows well.

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  • ‘Bigger brother’: Forgotten Socceroo reveals special message from ex-skipper after Aus recall

    ‘Bigger brother’: Forgotten Socceroo reveals special message from ex-skipper after Aus recall

    Milos Degenek has revealed that one of the first people to congratulate him on his recall to the Socceroos squad for their World Cup qualifiers this month was a member of Tottenham’s coaching staff.

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    Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak is part of Ange Postecoglou’s ensemble in north London, but Degenek’s name on the list of players chosen to face Saudi Arabia and Bahrain this month cut through the chaos of life in the Premier League.

    “I got a message from him,” Degenek said from the Socceroos’ camp in Bahrain.

    “He understands me as we come from a very similar background.

    “He has just been someone that has been there for me through the hard times and the good times.

    “He said to me, ‘you’ve been away for a while, don’t stress, don’t do too much, don’t complicate it.’”

    “I appreciate him a lot.

    “I think he is the most valuable person I’ve met in the world of football.

    “I look at him as a bigger brother in the football world.”

    MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 14: Milos Degenek of the Socceroos warms up prior to the Round 3 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Qualifier match between Australia Socceroos and Saudi Arabia at AAMI Park on November 14, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    Degenek hadn’t been involved with the Socceroos since October 2023 due to an achilles injury that required surgery and sidelined him for an extended period.

    The defender, who can play anywhere across the backline, is the epitome of what coach Tony Popovic is looking for in a player.

    The 30-year-old’s presence has been missed in camp, if not always on the field, definitely around the playing group.

    Popovic has stressed he’s after footballers who are passionate about wearing green and gold and few embody that ethos more than Degenek, who has 45-caps to his name.

    His speech in the dressing room prior to the Socceroos win over Tunisia in the group stage at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 has become the stuff of legend, as he spoke about running until someone had to drag exhausted players off the pitch.

    “Leave everything out there, for yourselves, for your friends, for your family and for your teammates,” Degenek can be heard saying in the video.

    He was well aware of the videos reach by the end of the tournament, describing it as a viral “one hit wonder.”

    Now, he’s rejoined the band.

    “I get goosebumps now,” Degenek said when asked about his recall.

    “It means more than ever because I’m getting older, I’m not getting younger.

    “I’d like to be someone here that these younger boys can look up to.

    “I want them to have someone they can approach whenever they need to approach someone to talk about anything.

    “Whether it’s help in the football world or whether its help in general life; I want them to have someone they can reach out to.”

    Socceroos embracing Saudi Arabia clash | 02:18

    It’s easier to understand the passion that streams from Degenek when you realise the road he’s travelled to get to this point, not just in football, but in life as well.

    He was born in Croatia in 1994 during the war of independence.

    In a piece for website athletesvoice.com.au in 2018, he wrote beautifully about the Degenek’s nine-day journey on a tractor, with an 18-month-old Milos and his brother Djordje, fleeing to Serbia.

    It is something, as you would expect, that has never left him, as he openly tells of a childhood partly spent dodging bombs in underground bunkers.

    Australia offered the family an escape from that uncertain existence.

    “I’ve played football all over the world and I’ve enjoyed my football the most when I’ve played for Australia,” he says.

    “I’ve played for Red Star, my childhood dream club, I’ve done everything there I could’ve done.

    “This, for me, is something special and I enjoy it a lot more.”

    Borrello’s big goal with Socceroos | 01:10

    Adversity in football seems trivial to someone with Degenek’s background, but the long days spent rehabilitating his achilles at FK Crvena Zvezda or Red Star Belgrade as Degenek calls them, were fuelled by a desire to go to a third World Cup.

    “I think it was one of the main motivations for me,” Degenek said.

    “It was the fact I could be part of something special again.

    “Club football is the football that pays your bills and puts a roof on your head, but this is the football that you try to give back to people that have helped you in life. This is the football where I feel the happiest when I’m here.

    “For me, when I was going through a hard time being injured, it was like I had something to look forward to and hopefully a World Cup in a year and a half to look forward to.

    “It was driving me crazy that I couldn’t get fit quick enough.”

    He was part of the group of players Bert van Marwijk took to Russia in 2018, but didn’t get on the field. The goal of playing in a World Cup was realised four years later in Qatar, featuring four times for Graham Arnold during that tournament.

    To get to the 2026 edition both Degenek and the rest of his teammates have a few hurdles left to climb.

    They’re still second in Group C after Thursday night’s scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia in Melbourne. Victory over Bahrain on Wednesday morning (AEDT) will see them hold on to that spot. If the team can stay there through the next two international windows in March and June next year, they’ll automatically qualify for the World Cup.

    “It’s about getting the boys to know it’s all in our hands,” Degenek said.

    “If we win every game from now until June, we go to a World Cup and everyone is happy.”

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  • Late chaos and missed chances haunt Socceroos as Popovic’s men share spoils with Saudi Arabia

    Late chaos and missed chances haunt Socceroos as Popovic’s men share spoils with Saudi Arabia

    Costly missed chances could come back to haunt the Socceroos, but Saudi Arabia felt equally aggrieved after they were denied an injury-time winner in a dramatic scoreless draw in Melbourne.

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    Australian hearts sank when Saudi substitute Sultan Al-Ghannam drove a low shot into the bottom left corner from distance with only seconds remaining, but amid jubilant celebrations, the goal was disallowed after it was deemed keeper Joe Gauci was interfered with by an offside player.

    If the Saudi attacker was offside, it was by little more than a toe as the visitors remonstrated angrily and play halted for several minutes as the decision was checked by video referee.

    The offside call was upheld, only for Australia to go down the other end and almost score via a stunning bicycle kick attempt from Riley McGree which missed right.

    The biggest chance for the Socceroos to break the deadlock had come in the 84th minute, when substitute Brandon Borrello burst clear but opted to pass to McGree to his left instead of chipping the keeper.

    A desperate sliding challenge from Saud Abdulhamid knocked the ball out of McGree’s path.

    After starting slowly but taking control at the half-hour mark, the Socceroos lost key playmaker Ajdin Hrustic at halftime after he had appeared sore before the break.

    His replacement Nishan Velupillay was the brightest spark in the second half, but suffered an ankle injury when he was brought down in a tangle of limbs in the penalty box in the 69th minute.

    Melbourne-born Hrustic missed a golden opportunity to open the Socceroos’ account in the 45th minute when Aiden O’Neill boldly slid from behind to strip a Saudi defender of the ball and leave his teammate on his preferred left side on the edge of the box.

    But Hrustic failed to connect with his shot and barely tested the keeper, before fellow local boy Jackson Irvine was left bitterly disappointed on the stroke of halftime when he moved in on the box but fired his shot just over the top-right hand corner.

    The draw left the two sides on equal points midway through the third round of qualifying, with a win over Bahrain crucial for Australia to move towards the top-two finish required to book a World Cup berth by June next year.

    Riley McGree of the Socceroos reacts during the Round 3 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Qualifier match between Australia Socceroos and Saudi Arabia at AAMI Park on November 14, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    PENALTY OVERTURNED

    The opposition keeper sent off and a penalty in the first 15 minutes? Christmas almost came early for the Socceroos when Saudi gloveman Ahmed Alkassar was drawn into the path of Mitch Duke and the pair clashed heads in the 13th minute.

    But despite the referee pointing to the spot after both players hit the deck, it was obvious upon the first replay that the collision had happened outside the box and the decision was swiftly downgraded.

    Alkassar, who lay spread-eagled on his back, completely still, for two minutes after the collision, escaped with a yellow card and did not need to enter concussion protocols.

    GAUCI’S GLOVES TO LOSE

    Mathew Ryan retained the Socceroos captaincy leading into this window, but it would take a dramatic shift for him to remain in the role after Tony Popovic opted for Joe Gauci in goal for the third consecutive match.

    Gauci, who has made only two cup appearances for Aston Villa so far this season, had two heart-in-mouth moments on the ball early on, but gained a confidence boost when he pulled off an impressive double save on the brink of halftime.

    An eventual offside call erased most of the meaning of a dangerous counter-attack by Marwan Al-Sahafi, but Gauci did well in a one-on-one before getting back to his feet and parrying a follow-up shot to safety.

    Joe Gauci of the Socceroos kicks the ball during the Round 3 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Qualifier match between Australia Socceroos and Saudi Arabia at AAMI Park on November 14, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    IN FULL VOICE

    The size of Melbourne’s Saudi Arabian community is often underestimated, but there was no missing the Green Falcons’ active support despite organisers cramming them into a single corner at the river end of the stadium.

    Driven by a significant international student population, the Saudi crew drummed, chanted and bounced to be easily the loudest bay in the venue, stripping away any home crowd advantage the Socceroos had been hoping to capitalise on.

    AUSTRALIA 0

    SAUDI ARABIA 0

    CROWD 27,491 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

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  • ‘Long way to go’: Ange’s Spurs ‘making progress’ as Aussie boss eyes silverware

    ‘Long way to go’: Ange’s Spurs ‘making progress’ as Aussie boss eyes silverware

    Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham are “making progress” but says any judgements on his work should wait until the end of the season.

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    The Australian has experienced a rollercoaster start to his second season in north London.

    A run of one win from Spurs’ opening four games was followed by five consecutive victories, including an impressive 3-0 win at Manchester United.

    Postecoglou’s men have since scored impressive home wins over West Ham, Manchester City and Aston Villa, but have lost their past three away games.

    Spurs sit seventh in the Premier League but are well-placed to progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League and face United in the League Cup quarter-finals next month.

    “There’s still a hell of a long way to go and, for us, what’s important is we keep progressing in the way we have been,” Postecoglou said Friday on the eve of Ipswich’s visit.

    “Our football for the large part has been pretty consistent, pretty good. We’ve obviously had a few stumbles along the way.

    “Within that context I still think we’re making progress and that’s what we will keep doing. There’s no point looking at the table now because ultimately where we are at the end of the season is what counts.”

    Postecoglou made changes for Thursday’s 3-2 Europa League defeat to Galatasaray, with a number of key players out injured.

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    Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore will all be absent this weekend, but there is hope that Cristian Romero could return.

    Captain Son Heung-min has been used sparingly in the past two games to nurse him back to full fitness.

    “We’re managing his minutes, building him up,” said Postecoglou. “Hopefully we get him back and keep him back. We can’t afford more injuries in that position.” Richarlison is set for a longer spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury against Villa last weekend, having only recently returned to action.

    “We tried to take a different approach. He worked awfully hard on his rehab and not just his rehab, his general fitness,” said Postecoglou.

    “We eased him back into playing, trying not to overload him but unfortunately he broke down again.

    “He’s disappointed but ultimately we’ve just got to keep getting him back in there and working with him to get him back up because he’s an important player.”

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  • ‘Respect the shirt’: Status quo squashed as Popovic issues Socceroos selection statement

    ‘Respect the shirt’: Status quo squashed as Popovic issues Socceroos selection statement

    Well, that was surprising. Tony Popovic’s 26-player squad to face Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in two crucial World Cup qualifiers over the next fortnight has dismantled the status quo.

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    The family, as the squad and environment were so often described under former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, has been broken up and, in its place, sits an eclectic mix of new faces and ones that seemed to be surplus to requirements.

    Others, meanwhile, are completely missing through their own choosing; as is the case with Cardiff City midfielder Alex Robertson, or have been excluded, where they were previously part of the furniture.

    Popovic, after taking on the role just weeks before the last international window in October, said he wanted to ensure that nobody felt they had a right to a Socceroos jersey. With this squad he has done just that and perhaps the biggest story surrounds three players who won’t feature in Melbourne and Bahrain this month.

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    THE MISSING PLAYERS

    Alex Robertson

    When Alex Robertson made his debut for Australia in a friendly against Ecuador in March last year, it seemed like the next 100-cap Socceroo had been discovered.

    The midfielder, who is now on the books of Championship side Cardiff City, is one of those players blessed with both tactical and technical skill in abundance and it appeared as though the battle for his allegiance was won.

    After all, with his father Mark and grandfather, also named Alexander, in the stands in Sydney that night, he became a third-generation Socceroo.

    Mark represented Australia in 2001 and Alexander in the mid 1980s.

    But Robertson is also eligible to represent Scotland, England and Peru through birth, residence and family.

    After playing his junior football in Sydney, Robertson made the move to the UK as a teenager and represented England at youth level.

    The 21-year-old hasn’t featured for Australia since a 2-nil friendly defeat to Argentina in Beijing in June last year and whether he adds to his two caps is now up in the air.

    Last month, Robertson’s absence from the squad for games against China and Japan was explained as a paperwork issue with FIFA that hadn’t been resolved yet.

    Now, it seems, Football Australia has done everything it can to resolve the matter.

    “That sits in his hands now,” Popovic said after unveiling his squad in Melbourne.

    “If he wants to play for the Socceroos, he needs to make himself available.

    “It’s an Alex decision on what he wants to do.

    “If he wants to make himself available for the Socceroos then we can look at whether we select him, but at the moment we don’t have that option.

    “You have to respect the shirt, the badge; you have to respect the honour of playing for the Socceroos and we also have to respect the fact that everyone can make their own choice.

    “Right now, his decision is not to make himself available.”

    It’s a measure of Robertson’s immense talent that Popovic went on to say that the door hasn’t been closed because of this latest development, but fans who have long called for his inclusion in green and gold, at least now have some clarity on the matter.

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    Nestory Irankunda

    The other big name missing from the squad list was that of Nestory Irankunda.

    The 18-year-old, who swapped Adelaide United for Bayern Munich in the off-season, has made a positive start to his time at the German powerhouse.

    The winger has been scoring for both Bayern II in the Regionalliga and also in the UEFA Youth League, but his output at international level has been mixed.

    He looked lively and dangerous in the last fixtures of the Graham Arnold era, but struggled in his first match under Popovic, when handed a starting role against China in Adelaide last month and then didn’t feature against Japan.

    Nestory Irankunda of Australia controls the ball during the round three 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Qualifier match between Australia Socceroos and Bahrain at Robina Stadium on September 05, 2024 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    Popovic’s system, where the wingers play a more inverted role, doesn’t seem to suit the teenager. He’s more comfortable wider on the right, and so far, that is at odds with Popovic’s preferred tactical set-up.

    “It’s just a selection decision,” Popovic said.

    “We know he’s a young man with a lot of potential, who is signed at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

    “We just feel it is an opportunity for him to settle in at Bayern and get the development that he needs there and the growth.

    “We still hope that we really see this potential moving forward from him in the national team in years to come.”

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    Keanu Baccus

    It won’t be a major headline, but the decision not to call-up Keanu Baccus is still notable.

    The combative, deeper lying midfielder, was a mainstay under Arnold, who shot to prominence at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 while locked in a fierce battle with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in a heart stopping round of 16 defeat in Doha.

    Under Popovic, Baccus has only seen 10-minutes of action, and that was in a largely unfamiliar right-back role against Japan, in the 1-1 draw in Saitama.

    The new coach has plenty of options in central midfield too in the form of Jackson Irvine, Aiden O’Neill, Max Balard, Anthony Caceres and Patrick Yazbek.

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    THE NEW PLAYERS

    Anthony Caceres

    Anthony Caceres has often been referred to as the best player never to represent Australia at any level.

    Now 32, it appeared the chance of the Sydney FC midfielder shedding that tag was slim, but the door has finally opened.

    Caceres seems perfectly suited to Popovic’s system where those further forward are required to be comfortable and make good decisions in extremely tight spaces.

    In fact, he’s done just that his whole career.

    There was a school of thought over the years that while Caceres was technically gifted, he lacked a killer edge in the final third.

    But with three goals, 10 assists and 13 goal involvements to his name last season, those concerns have been allayed, if Popovic ever had them at all.

    “He’s been a player that I’ve admired for a very long time,” said Popovic.

    “He deserves his chance.

    “Every coach has their ideas and this is his chance now.

    Max Balard

    It’s perhaps the ultimate compliment, that after moving from the Central Coast Mariners to Dutch Eredivisie side NAC Breda this season, the local media in the Netherlands quickly dubbed the 23-year-old the ‘Australian Kante.’

    It’s a nod to former Leicester City and Chelsea star N’Golo Kante, now playing for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad, who is one of the finest ball-winning midfielders of his generation.

    Balard missed selection for last month’s window, but should now get the chance to shine, after proving to Australia’s new coaching staff that he can be just as damaging with his range of passing as well.

    “He’s had some very good performances this year,” Popovic said.

    “We’ve been monitoring him prior to the last camp, but I think in the last month, his game has become more consistent; more balanced in his play, with and without the ball.”

    Hayden Matthews

    The 20-year-old Sydney FC central defender only signed his first professional contract in January this year and has now earned his maiden international call-up.

    At 195 centimetres, he is a towering figure, and although on the surface, it looks like Matthews has been included to get some experience in an extended 26-player squad, it’s interesting that he’s on the radar of the national team boss so early in his career.

    Keanu Baccus did not find himself in Popovic’s squad. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    THE RETURNING PLAYERS

    Rhyan Grant

    The last time Rhyan Grant featured for the Socceroos was in a third round World Cup qualifying defeat to Japan in Sydney in 2022.

    The tireless right-back has seen a long list of players cycle through that position in an Australian shirt since then, but never in his wildest dreams did the Sydney FC captain think he’d be considered again.

    “I honestly didn’t see this coming, but I’m absolutely delighted,” Grant said.

    The 33-year-old, who has 21-caps to his name, thought his time had passed, and stressed that point whenever the topic of a recall to international football surfaced, but could well be the answer to the problematic position again.

    Brandon Borrello

    The search for a striker who can score on a consistent basis is just as puzzling as the absence of an established right back.

    Brandon Borrello will fight for minutes alongside Mitch Duke and Kusini Yengi.

    The Western Sydney Wanderers quarter-final exit at the hands of Adelaide United in the Australia Cup left the forward short of minutes for the October window, but with 266-minutes and two goals from three games under his belt in the A-League this season, he’s moved back up the pecking order.

    Milos Degenek

    Few people are more passionate about the Socceroos jersey than Milos Degenek.

    In an extraordinary interview at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 he offered an insight into the mentality he takes into games.

    “The lion mentality is, you either eat or you get eaten, and that’s the simplest way to put it,” Degenek said at the time.

    “I used this term before the Peru game with the boys, I said ‘there’s bread on the table’.

    “Either we eat tonight; my kids, my wife and my family eats tonight, or they eat and my kids go home to sleep hungry and my wife as well – and I don’t want that to happen.”

    Degenek has missed most of 2024 due to injury but is back on the park and played in FK Crvena zvezda’s first round Serbian Cup game just over a week ago.

    The 30-year-old, who can play as a central defender or right-back, adds versatility to the squad and even if he doesn’t feature on the field, he’ll be a force for good around the squad.

    Few people are more passionate about the Socceroos jersey than Milos Degenek. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    Martin Boyle

    Martin Boyle looked out of sorts in the September window as the Socceroos stumbled against Bahrain and Indonesia in, what turned out to be, the final days of the Arnold era.

    He didn’t feature in Popovic’s first squad, but his form for Hibernian, in Scotland, has been hard to ignore.

    The 31-year-old has five goals and five assists to his name this season and could potentially be deployed as an inverted winger or striker.

    His experience will also help the side deal with the scale of the challenge in-front of them.

    A victory over Saudi Arabia next week will go some way towards rectifying the Socceroos dire start to the third round of qualifying.

    Australia is currently second in group C but locked on five points with their next opponents, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

    A top two finish in the group earns automatic qualification for the next World Cup in 2026, so the stakes around every fixture from here are high.

    Squad: Max Balard, Aziz Behich, Brandon Borrello, Jordy Bos, Martin Boyle, Cameron Burgess, Anthony Caceres, Milos Degenek, Mitch Duke, Joe Gauci (GK), Jason Geria, Craig Goodwin, Rhyan Grant, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Paul Izzo (GK), Hayden Matthews, Riley McGree, Lewis Miller, Aiden O’Neill, Kye Rowles, Mat Ryan (GK), Harry Souttar, Nishan Velupillay, Patrick Yazbek, Kusini Yengi.

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  • Nestory Irankunda left out of Socceroos squad for World Cup qualifiers

    Nestory Irankunda left out of Socceroos squad for World Cup qualifiers

    Teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda has been omitted from the Socceroos squad for this month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, but uncapped trio Max Balard, Anthony Caceres and Hayden Matthews have been named by national coach Tony Popovic.

    The 26-man attacking squad also includes returning attackers Martin Boyle, Brandon Borrello and Kusini Yengi, as well as veteran defenders Milos Degenek and Rhyan Grant.

    Apart from Irankunda, also left out from the squad named for last month’s games against China and Japan were attacking weapons Daniel Arzani, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Sam Silvera, midfielders Luke Brattan, Keanu Baccus and Gianni Stensness, and defender Thomas Deng.

    Sydney FC star Anthony Caceres has been named in the Socceroos squad. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    “We’re in the early stages of this journey as a group and we’ll continue to implement the style of play that will be the foundation of our success throughout this cycle,” Popovic said.

    “It’s an important series of fixtures and we’re looking forward to finishing off the year on the right note, and equally, putting on a strong performance for the people of Melbourne who have shown us such great support in recent years.”

    Socceroos squad: Max Balard, Aziz Behich, Brandon Borrello, Jordy Bos, Martin Boyle, Cameron Burgess, Anthony Caceres, Milos Degenek, Mitchell Duke, Joe Gauci, Jason Geria, Craig Goodwin, Rhyan Grant, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Paul Izzo, Hayden Matthews, Riley McGree, Lewis Miller, Aiden O’Neill. Kye Rowles, Mat Ryan, Harry Souttar, Nishan Velupillay, Patrick Yazbek, Kusini Yengi

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  • ‘Fanatical about winning’: Man Utd close in on target dubbed the next ‘special one’

    ‘Fanatical about winning’: Man Utd close in on target dubbed the next ‘special one’

    Twenty years ago it was Jose Mourinho. Now it is Ruben Amorim who appears set to move from Portugal to the Premier League with a reputation as Europe’s next coaching superstar.

    Amorim has emerged as the favourite to take over at Manchester United following Erik ten Hag’s sacking. His club Sporting Lisbon have confirmed the English club’s interest, and that they have entered negotiations.

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    Sporting have confirmed that United will pay the €10 million release clause in Amorium’s contract to allow him to leave. It is expected that a United delegation will travel to Lisbon to close the deal after Sporting’s Portuguese cup quarter-final at home to Nacional on Tuesday evening.

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    Amorim is 39, two years younger than Mourinho when he left Porto and took over a Chelsea side poised to dominate English football.

    Other coaches have come from Portugal with huge reputations, but not all have succeeded. Andre Villas-Boas, for example, failed to live up to expectations after following Mourinho’s path from Porto to Chelsea in 2011.

    But everything about Amorim — who was also linked to the manager’s job at Liverpool this year — suggests he could be something special, just as Mourinho famously claimed he himself was in 2004.

    As long ago as 2017 when Amorim confirmed his intention to become a coach, he told Tribuna Expresso: “I don’t know if I am going to be good or bad, but that is what I am going to be.”

    He had just quit playing aged 32 after injuries blighted a fine career. Amorim has made his name as a coach at Sporting, but he starred as a player for their Lisbon rivals Benfica, the club he has supported from birth.

    “I can see myself coaching Benfica, or one of the world’s biggest clubs. Obviously only time will tell and you need so much luck,” he said.

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    Amorim began playing at Belenenses from the Lisbon suburb Belem best known for its custard tarts.

    He worked under Jorge Jesus there, reaching the Portuguese Cup final in 2007. In 2008 he joined Benfica, and a year later he was reunited with Jesus. Amorim mainly played at right-back as a team featuring David Luiz and Angel Di Maria romped to the title.

    The following season, Benfica were overtaken by Villas-Boas’s Porto and Amorim struggled with a knee injury.

    He needed a loan move at Braga to relaunch his career, and went back to Benfica, and Jesus, in 2013/14.

    Playing regularly in midfield, Amorim starred as they won a domestic treble and lost the Europa League final on penalties to Sevilla.

    His career never reached such highs again, and he ended his playing days in Qatar.

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    – ‘Fanatical about winning’ –

    Amorim has described Mourinho, who managed United from 2016 to 2018, as his reference, but he admits Jesus — now guiding Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia — marked him more than any other coach after he spent seven years under his stewardship.

    “It is funny, because as a player I had lots of problems with Jesus, albeit other players did too, because Jesus is a coach who wears you out,” Amorim recalled.

    “He is a real perfectionist. I worked with him for a long time and it is obvious that what I demand of players is quite similar to him.”

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    Amorim, who appeared for Portugal at two World Cups, began coaching in 2018 when just 33, at Lisbon club Casa Pia, and his rise since has been vertiginous.

    He won the third-tier title there, but didn’t yet have the necessary coaching qualifications and left in early 2019.

    Amorim really began his steep ascent upon joining Braga, managing their B team before being handed the first-team reins in December 2019.

    He did so well that Sporting swooped, paying his 10-million-euro release clause. Sporting had not won the Portuguese title since 2002 and their supporters had some concerns about his Benfica past.

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    “I am a professional and I am fanatical about winning. I know how big this club is. I played against them. I am not hiding my past,” he said at his unveiling.

    In his first full season Sporting won the title, losing just one game. Amorim, who favours an intense pressing game, then took Sporting to the Champions League last 16.

    He won a second Portuguese title last season and players such as English forward Marcus Edwards and Swede Viktor Gyokeres have flourished under him.

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  • Football legend’s advice for Australia’s ‘next big thing’ amid brutal recent history

    Football legend’s advice for Australia’s ‘next big thing’ amid brutal recent history

    England great Michael Owen believes conquering the mental side of the game could be the determining factor between 18-year-old Australian Nestory Irankunda enjoying a long career in Europe and not quite living up to his incredible potential.

    As a former teenage star himself, Owen is well qualified to speak on the topic.

    In 1997, a then-17-year-old Owen scored on Premier League debut for Liverpool. Just four years later the former forward took home the Ballon d’Or as the best player in the world.

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    The ‘next big thing in Australian football’ is a tag that traditionally has carried a heavy weight in the post-golden generation era.

    With it comes pressure, expectation and usually a move to a well-known European side – slightly ahead of schedule – thanks to the awareness of the Australian market created by five-straight appearances at the World Cup.

    The risk for the purchasing club is minimal.

    Nestory Irankunda of the Socceroos. Picture: Maya Thompson/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

    Australian players cost relatively minor sums and the potential reward, if that player shines, is a transfer fee worth millions.

    The downside for the player is being thrown into an environment where the likelihood of a years-long cycle of loan spells is high.

    Garang Kuol, for example, has struggled to make an impact at Newcastle United in the Premier League after his transfer from the Central Coast Mariners in 2023.

    Daniel Arzani, after 24-appearances for Melbourne City, landed at Manchester City and was immediately loaned out to Scottish giants Celtic. An ACL injury on debut in October of 2018 cruelly halted his progress – and after a series of loan spells after his recovery, landed back in the A-League.

    Only now is he starting to rebuild his career.

    Cooney-Cross scores long-range worldie! | 00:43

    Both left as teenagers and now Irankunda is following the same path. His move from Adelaide United to German powerhouse Bayern Munich at just 18 years of age has placed the spotlight on his every move as a Socceroo.

    Owen, who scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for England, offered some advice to players like Irankunda in an interview with Fox Sports News to promote his upcoming speaking tour of Australia – An Evening with Michael Owen.

    “If I was having a chat with somebody like that, I would hardly mention the game of football in terms of what they can and what they can’t do,” Owen told Fox Sports News.

    “There are lots of people that are super talented, but being talented is obviously very important; you can’t get to the top without being talented. But then if there’s a million talented people in the world, then it’s all what happens between your ears.”

    Irankunda has reportedly settled into life in Germany quite well.

    Nestory Irankunda of FC Bayern Muenchen controls the ball. Picture: S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

    He finished his first pre-season at Bayern with two goals and three assists and appeared an outside chance of swiftly integrating into the first team under manager Vincent Kompany.

    The South Australian has since had to bide his time in the club’s second team while he pushes for his Bundesliga debut, but good form in that environment kept him in the plans of former Socceroos boss Graham Arnold and the man currently in the role, Tony Popovic.

    Challenges await though.

    In Popovic’s first match in charge, against China in Adelaide earlier this month, Irankunda started the match, but was substituted for Riley McGree at half-time in what the coach called a “tactical decision” at the time.

    He didn’t feature in a 1-1 draw against Japan away in Tokyo just days later.

    Popovic’s system, where the wingers take up more inverted roles, doesn’t appear to play to Irankunda’s strengths, but the young gun is good enough to adapt with time.

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    At club level he has mainly featured in his more favoured role wide on the right.

    “There’s a million things you could tell them, a million experiences that you could share with them,” Owen said.

    “They live their own life, and we’ve got to understand their background and how they take to pressure.

    “Yes, you could always give them little tips on how to improve, but it would all be about their mindset.

    “How do they think going into a game: What happens if you make a mistake in the first minute? There’s another 89 minutes to go. Do you curl up in a ball or have you got coping strategies?

    “A lot comes with experience. I learned some over time, but I also had a huge bank of know-how, of ability and mental strength to fall back on if I made a mistake in a game.”

    There’s also hurdles off the pitch to conquer.

    This generation of footballers are more active on social media than perhaps any other in the history of the game.

    It gives them access to feedback, both positive and negative, quickly and in great quantity.

    During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Arnold urged his players to stay off social media, warning it disrupted their mental preparation for games.

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    Asked if he felt sorry for this current crop of players when it comes to the vast array of comments they get online, Owen had an interesting take.

    “I don’t feel sorry for them,” he said.

    “We had our own pressures. Our press were vicious, the pressure was huge; probably as much, if not even more back then.

    “I feel sorry for young people in general with social media because everybody is under pressure to look good. You’re always getting it fed down your throat. So, I feel sorry for this generation of people because I think everybody feels that pressure, but no, I don’t feel sorry for footballers with social media.

    TV pundit and former footballer, Michael Owen. Picture: David Rogers/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

    “They can be on it, or they can be off it. They’ve got the choice. They can create their own image.

    “We had no choice. We had our image created for us by the press. If they wanted to put a turnip on our head on the front pages of all our media, they could do it and they did it.”

    The 44-year-old, now plying his trade as a pundit, will tour Australia next month for a series of speaking engagements.

    ‘An evening with Michael Owen’ will stop in Perth, the Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne; recounting a career that took him from Merseyside to Madrid and Manchester with stops at Newcastle and Stoke along the way as well.

    The first show will be at Perth’s Ascot Racecourse on November 20.

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