Aloisi praises young gun after Roar's 2-1 ACL win

Real = I think you are missing the point. A defensive midfielder has to have stamina and running power. Training can give you that but not as you say when your legs are 6 inches shorter than any likely opponent. The truly great play-makers in the game come in all shapes and sizes and it is my opinion that this youngster has a weakness in his physical make up that he has overcome with his "football brain", but it should be obvious the closer he plays to the strike force the greater the chance of getting results from his "gift". Until I see him playing in a more offensive role I will never really know if I am right or wrong,but I abhor having to watch him desperately trying to catch an attacking opposition player in a straight sprint that he has no chance of winning. Re . my spelling you obviously know who I am talking about so it can't be that bad. Cheers again jb.

Great summary, jb. Joe Caletti is a wonderful to watch. Saw him playing for Australia (think he was captain) for the junior teams & was impressed. Wasn't sure how he'd transition to senior football, but he's a natural. Love watching him play. I remember the same feeling when watching Tommy Rogic playing for CCM. Also feel the same when I see Danny De Silva, Thomas Deng, Seb Pasquali, Ruan Tongyik. Also like Trent Buhagiar & Anthony Caceres although the latter seems to have gone backwards at City. Maybe, we're slowly learning to identify & develop technical footballers; not just athletes who kick a ball?

Sorry, jb, I beg to differ. This is a physical game. Messi, who is very short, is 5 cms taller, and makes up for his height by extraordinary speed of foot and thought. I was, please note, talking about elite level. A football brain is not going to be enough. I was not talking about the A League.

jb, what is it with this Borrella thing?? Brandon (Brendon??) Borello must wonder who you are talking about.

Real - Caletti's talent is never going to be assessed on bulk or muscle,he is short, so what?, he has a comprehension of the modern game inbuilt into his brain that I doubt any of his team mates ,Broich excepted,,have and a simple charting method as used by coaches will show that talent. When he first appeared he showed a constant skill in "scanning " the immediate area around him ,assessing where his opponents and team-mates were positioned. Upon receiving a ball to feet his reaction was immediate his first touch pass going directly to a team mate. His error rate during 90 minutes of football could be counted on one hand. This is a "gift", speed and accuracy of ball movement ,that has no defensive strategy yet designed to negate. His physical abilities have nothing to do with that talent but where he is played does have an important bearing. He is not ,and never will be , a defensive midfielder in the true sense of the word, for any normal midfielder, with normal pace, will break away from the lad and no matter how hard he pumps his short legs he is never going to catch his opponent. So ,nullify that situation ,by playing him further up-field where his talent in providing excellent passes can only benefit his mates who are trying to break down a defence. One cannot help but think if Mackay was passed fit tomorrow, this kid would be back on the bench which is a ridiculous situation. Cheers jb

Bes - i have been watching Holman for years now both at club and international levels and could never really work out what contribution,other than huge energy, to any team he was playing with, the random important goal scored,usually from distance,but as you say he has never, to me ,shown any talent towards the "play-making " role which as we all know involves creative play FOR others. And yet what do we get in this team?, a central striker somewhat isolated from the action for long spells,a play-maker playing out wide on the left wing,where his lack of pace can find him neutralised by younger ,fitter players, with not half his talent. and we add to the mix this almost endless "running machine" who is playing behind the front men and inadvertently,due to his style of play ,isolating the central striker even more. This last game saw a subtle change in Holman's game,he appeared to be playing much deeper in midfield where his running and aggro appeared to unsettle the opposition,and if so, that is a plus, not only for the team effort but for the player himself. So what do Roar do. with two genuine play-makers on their books one 18 and the other 38?.Get them into positions where they can "practice their art", and get the other "runners" to appreciate their skills and get themselves into positions where their "running" can add to the team effort. It's called "team balance". Cheers jb.

Chopper - I have watched Borella all season and like you have been impressed by the lad's attitude and unselfish "giving' of himself to be doing the work that other players should be doing. However I also ask myself after every game,has his overall performance improved?, and the sad truth is he appears to be being accepted for what he is offering, rather than what he COULD offer. This is what good man management and coaching is all about, getting the best out of the players under one's influence. Borella has a lot to offer, but in technique and advanced "football think", he is not top of the class and at his age it is difficult to envisage an improvement ,but his "game" could be improved quickly by simply teaching him that the days of going for extended "dribbles" (a la Messi) has all but disappeared from the game, with ball movement at speed to ever moving team-mates now being the basis for "good" attack. In the recent game he had a wonderful run on the right flank taking on 3 defenders and had the crowd roaring, and the commentators salivating, as he twisted and turned away from his opponents, but------ in the final wash-up he lost possession at the third defender and so his maximum effort went for nil. This is modern football whether we,as fans, like it or not so what is it Brendan has to learn to improve.? With his pace, energy, and endurance, he has to be moved to a position where he is more used in having a shot at goal more often, rather than covering for Jack HIngert in the Roar penalty area. Without being too hard on him I like to think Brendan doesn't always know what he is going to do when he gets a ball and momenterly has to think about it, and I would much rather see him do that against a centre-back who is trying to read Brendan's intentions, right in front of goal. He has proved in the past to be a goal snatcher all across "the box" ,but he will never realise that potential playing in his own penalty area. Pity,we are left to wonder. Cheers jb.

Real, his lack of size needs to be compensated for - he's got ability he now needs an attitude and some physical strength but his real strength is his football brain I think.

Also surprising to see how well Muangthong United are playing in the ACL as well. Top of the group after four matches. Roar definitely don't have an easy group.

I am beginning to scratch my head and think a lot of other people must have been watching a different game to the one I was in the stands watching last night because I keep hearing people say Holman had some kind of good game. He was - again - the most inept player on the park with the amount of wildly inaccurate passes, over running the ball, wildly dived in missed tackles, awesome lack of ability to trap a ball.... It is somewhat sad how predictable it is - even by the supposed experts - that the moment someone scores a goal they magically "had a good game". The guy is a hack. Probably a fantastic guy, seems to genuinely love the club and just like Massimo and McKay will run around until the cows come home but really - does that a marque player make?? I think not. I'm sorry JA - but I don't care how good a leader he is off the park - the guy cannot play the football we want to see played and when I think of the comparison between what we will be losing (Broich) to what we will be gaining I shudder and sigh.

Ange may well have been impressed with Mclaren last night - Jamie certainly seemed to up his game in regard to tracking back and defensive/pressuring duties - but oh dear Tommy Oar! Didn't get much of a chance to impress re time on the park, but his only glaringly obvious moment in the spotlight was being 100% responsible for the goal scored against us by strolling across the penalty box ball watching while the player he was meant to be marking just trotted away from him straight into space and got a free poke at the cross. That will not have done his recall chances any good at all me thinks.

Caletti had a good solid game but had Kristensen alongside him to advise however still played some beautiful balls through on the left. It was one of Holman's better games but wouldn't it be great next year to get both marquees in the side together and playing the full 90 minutes. Overall the whole team contributed and Borello was my man of the match for his defensive performance as well as his dexterity in attack.

Great result, horrible attendance. The story of our ACL wins.

He's too small for an elite athlete, Waz. He's 5 cms shorter than Messi. Not his fault, but physically he is just not going to cut it at the highest level. What he really, urgently needs to do to counter this as much as he can is hit the gym and add muscle bulk to his frame. To have any hope, he needs to be built like a brick.

Fair point. I didn't see the game, but comments on the Roar supporters site and the match stats (possession, shots on goal, corners) suggest that Brisbane may have been lucky to get a win. All the comments said that Brisbane was absolutely dominated for the last 30 minutes but Antlers didn't take their chances. Would be fantastic if Brisbane and Adelaide made it through, though I still don't see this happening.

Amazing that in a game v Japan side, Caletti was the shortest on the field. Even shorter than Endo. I have to say also that while Kashima impressed with their technical skill, and movement of the ball, Roar matched them there too. Borrello can be an impressive player, just needs consistency and Maclaren was more involved than he has been all season, plus Papadopoulos is a joy to watch, but with yellow cards being awarded like stars in pre-school, Roar is going to struggle to get out of the group stage.

Ken, can I suggest that AU fans on here write a short article, even like this article which is just a quote really, and then we can all comment. A great win for AU too, but I only saw the final ten or so minutes and was appalled at young McGree carrying on with feigned shoulder injury and appealing for penalties. If this is our Socceroo future I'm afraid many Ausys won't be watching.

Agree Fuss. People love to jump in and cry "the sky is falling" when we lose. Nothing when we win. I guess it doesn't fit with the negative narrative people try and push

Astute observation on Holman there jb. I think he has his best game yet for Roar. Caletti sitting in the "2" in front of the back four seems the obvious place to play him in that formation, but a swop with Holman could be an inspired idea.

Waz- Like another defensive midfielder before him ,Bratten,young Caletti doesn't have the true pace to be running back and forth up and down a pitch. It is not his attitude, or fitness,it is simply the length of his legs which cannot be cured by training. The question then becomes where to get the best out of his passing game,in which he is numerically the best passer of a ball in the Roar team. Get him sitting behind McLaren, Borella and Broich and see what happens. Last night I was very impressed with the work being done by Holman in a much deeper role than he has been playing. Switch them!!!!! Cheers jb.