Ok, no more whinging about decisions, officials, opposition etc Lets focus on the Socceroos and assess their performance.
What do you all think, Who were hits and misses?
Schwarzer: He got us there. Proved he is our best keeper in the last game with some crucial stops. Hit
Kalac: Is obviously better than what he displayed against Croatia, but will no doubt be disappointed with his only game in the WC finals. Miss
Popovic: Just the 20 minutes, will be sad it wasn't more. Miss
Moore: This guy was outstanding. Quiet in the first game, but built and built and played with experience and class. Hit
Neill: Our best of the WC. I think most agree, he was solid, composed and hopefully when his career finishes he will captain Australia and he will be remembered for things other than the last penalty. Hit
Grella: Grella is one of those players you notice more when you watch a game a second time around. He got the job done marking some world class opponents. Pass
Chipperfield: Hustle and two way run, brilliant, let down by his touch on occasion. In many ways typified the Australian way. Pass
Wilkshire: Copped some stick after the Japan game, but against Italy his defence was excellent. Probably responsible on almost half of the occasions we lost control of the ball but certainly played above his ability against Italy. Miss
Emerton: Not in career best form coming into the tournament but played ok. You would probably give him a pass mark. Pass
Sterjovksi: Probably a pass mark. worked, hard looked reasonable with ball at feet, but crosses were only so so and i don't think he took a shot in 4 games. Miss
Culina: I thought looked much better playing slightly wider v Italy. Another who had a go, but lacked that special quality. Will be crucial to our campaign in 4 years time. Pass
Bresciano: May be harsh, but would have to say he was disappointing. For a player of his talent, he didn't create enough, or work hard enough off the ball. Didn't seem to be able to strike up an understanding with Viduka. Miss
Kewell: He was never 100%, but hopefully put to rest the crap that has been written about him through out the years about his desire to play for Australia. You could see he was giving his all, but could also see the frustration in him that he knew his all wasn't the same as his best. Pass
Cahill: Came to life v Japan and will be the pin up boy for Aussie soccer for the next 4 years and beyond. Amazing impact v Japan, brilliant two way run and worked both ends of the field v Croatia , v Italy probably got carried away and lost focus. Hit
Kennedy: didn't get to see much of him, but looks like one to watch going forward. Would expect him to be playing in a better league in the not to distant future. Hit
Aloisi: Would like to have seen him get more game time, Always tries, and knows how to finish. Hit
Viduka: His performance will probably be the one most argued by pundents. On one side he didn't have enough shots on goal, on the other, he held the ball up brilliantly, particularly v Japan and Italy, but never got the support from his team mates. Pass
What do you all think, Who were hits and misses?
Schwarzer: He got us there. Proved he is our best keeper in the last game with some crucial stops. Hit
Kalac: Is obviously better than what he displayed against Croatia, but will no doubt be disappointed with his only game in the WC finals. Miss
Popovic: Just the 20 minutes, will be sad it wasn't more. Miss
Moore: This guy was outstanding. Quiet in the first game, but built and built and played with experience and class. Hit
Neill: Our best of the WC. I think most agree, he was solid, composed and hopefully when his career finishes he will captain Australia and he will be remembered for things other than the last penalty. Hit
Grella: Grella is one of those players you notice more when you watch a game a second time around. He got the job done marking some world class opponents. Pass
Chipperfield: Hustle and two way run, brilliant, let down by his touch on occasion. In many ways typified the Australian way. Pass
Wilkshire: Copped some stick after the Japan game, but against Italy his defence was excellent. Probably responsible on almost half of the occasions we lost control of the ball but certainly played above his ability against Italy. Miss
Emerton: Not in career best form coming into the tournament but played ok. You would probably give him a pass mark. Pass
Sterjovksi: Probably a pass mark. worked, hard looked reasonable with ball at feet, but crosses were only so so and i don't think he took a shot in 4 games. Miss
Culina: I thought looked much better playing slightly wider v Italy. Another who had a go, but lacked that special quality. Will be crucial to our campaign in 4 years time. Pass
Bresciano: May be harsh, but would have to say he was disappointing. For a player of his talent, he didn't create enough, or work hard enough off the ball. Didn't seem to be able to strike up an understanding with Viduka. Miss
Kewell: He was never 100%, but hopefully put to rest the crap that has been written about him through out the years about his desire to play for Australia. You could see he was giving his all, but could also see the frustration in him that he knew his all wasn't the same as his best. Pass
Cahill: Came to life v Japan and will be the pin up boy for Aussie soccer for the next 4 years and beyond. Amazing impact v Japan, brilliant two way run and worked both ends of the field v Croatia , v Italy probably got carried away and lost focus. Hit
Kennedy: didn't get to see much of him, but looks like one to watch going forward. Would expect him to be playing in a better league in the not to distant future. Hit
Aloisi: Would like to have seen him get more game time, Always tries, and knows how to finish. Hit
Viduka: His performance will probably be the one most argued by pundents. On one side he didn't have enough shots on goal, on the other, he held the ball up brilliantly, particularly v Japan and Italy, but never got the support from his team mates. Pass
