This is how Australia will win the next World Cup

By Ben Pobjie / Expert

Now that the World Cup is over, it’s time to examine how Australia can do better next time and we can assume our rightful place as world champions in 2022.

  1. Play to our strengths. During this tournament, it was obvious the only way the Socceroos can score goals is through penalties, and yet the players only managed to get two penalties in three games.From here on, new coach Graham Arnold should drill all players in a game plan revolving around getting penalties at every opportunity. By the Qatar World Cup, the Socceroos should be a unit capable of winning seven or eight penalties per game.
  2. Learn to take advantage of the VAR. With today’s advances in video editing and networking technology, there is absolutely no excuse for a professional football team failing to hack into the VAR system and substitute falsified footage for the referee to view. The FFA needs to overhaul its IT team immediately.
  3. Kick the ball harder. A lot of the Socceroos’ kicks in this year’s World Cup didn’t reach the opposition goal. Many of them didn’t even reach the teammate they were directed at.The clear solution is that Australian footballers need to kick the ball harder. In four years’ time every member of the squad should be able to kick the ball hard enough to break bones.
  4. Break more bones. Hardly any of Australia’s opponents in this tournament were forced off the field with broken bones. Allowing your opposition to keep its team intact for the entire game is a rookie mistake.

    Australia needed to give their opponents more of a reason to stay down, according to Pobjie. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

    Hopefully, future tournaments will see a lot more stretcher action. Given they’re going to fall over as if their leg is broken no matter what you do, you might as well do a proper job of it.

  5. Pray. Many successful teams pray to God before and during games, and given God has ultimate power over all things including football games, Australia could definitely benefit from befriending Him.
  6. Invade a more talented nation. A lot of countries are better at football than Australia, such as Brazil, Spain, Germany, France, England, Russia, Switzerland, Belgium, and a few dozen others.Invading one, or even several, of these nations, and incorporating them into the Commonwealth of Australia will increase our talent pool massively.
  7. Lobby for rule changes. The full diplomatic machinery of the Australian government should be brought to bear to push FIFA to make changes to the rules of football to make Australian success more likely.For example, eliminating the offside rule would make everything a lot simpler. Also, eliminating the handball rule. Also, changing the shape of the ball. Also the size of the field. Also, allowing physical assault.
  8. Threaten to quit. The FFA should make it clear to FIFA that if Australia isn’t allowed at least into the round of 16 at the next World Cup, we just won’t go.We are extremely popular and nobody will want to be at the World Cup without us, so this threat will carry a lot of weight.
  9. Bring Tim Cahill on more often. We didn’t bring Tim Cahill on often enough in this World Cup. In future we should bring him on between ten and fifteen times per game.
  10. Be better at playing football. Every member of this unsuccessful squad should go home and start working as hard as possible at being better at football. If the players who were not good enough at football can practise every day until they are very good at football, this will help a lot going forward.

The Crowd Says:

2018-06-28T04:11:12+00:00

Lucas Gillard

Roar Guru


Also, Bob, what are your thoughts on the use of magnets to get the Socceroos through?

2018-06-28T04:10:38+00:00

Lucas Gillard

Roar Guru


MORE TIM MORE OFTEN! FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!

2018-06-28T03:43:30+00:00

BigAl

Guest


what about Turnbull's plan to swap refugees om Manaus Island with refugees from Central & SouthAmerica ? - that could be a goer...

2018-06-28T03:39:41+00:00

Ad-O

Guest


If it works for the Maroons it should work for the Socceroos. Brazil?... That's in Queensland... Germany?... That's in Queensland.... Argentina?.... Ronaldo?.... From Queensland.....

2018-06-28T03:04:50+00:00

Kris

Guest


That only shows a lack of ambition, where would Colonialism be if France had stopped at Algeria and not gone all the way to Tahiti? Christian Karembeau doesn't anchor our WC side by sitting on our couches and not colonising the planet.

2018-06-28T03:03:16+00:00

insomniac

Guest


I know you jest with no. 4 but I was actually told I should be tackling hard enough to break a leg; their's or mine. You could always invade New Zealand. They haven't lost a World Cup game since 1982.

2018-06-28T02:40:59+00:00

tim

Guest


But we could unearth the next Esala Masi!

2018-06-28T00:55:44+00:00

apaway

Roar Guru


We already have a great goalkeeper. We need a great goal SCORER!

2018-06-27T23:59:02+00:00

BrainsTrust

Guest


You don;t need to invade or have colonised anyone to steal their players. Spain rely on Diego Costa from a poor background who played in the streets. You just send someone over to scout the kids in the streets and then pay off the parents to move to Australia. Like Britain did with a certain Australian born tennis player. Then cap them in full internationals at 15 and you have them. The alternative you get rid of all the kids computer games and Tvs and mobile devices etc,

2018-06-27T23:38:52+00:00

Matt H

Roar Guru


Problem is, if you look nearby, we could pretty much only take out PNG, the Kiwis and a bunch of Pacific Islands. that already sustains around 125% of our Rugby codes, but it won't do much for football.

2018-06-27T23:32:10+00:00

BigAl

Guest


not to mention France !

2018-06-27T22:21:17+00:00

Kris

Guest


Is it too late to embrace colonialism? Many a nation relies on its ex-colonies to provide many of its players. The Dutch would be nothing without Suriname, the Belgians not much without the Congo.

2018-06-27T21:22:52+00:00

mbp

Guest


bob... ah... sorry. ben! you are onto it.

2018-06-27T21:10:02+00:00

mbp

Guest


bob. you are onto it...! we will not win the world cup if we play by current rules. a few more suggestions..... 1. ball tampering... fall on it repeatitively to make it oval.... smear vasaline on one side of the ball... deflate it.... 2. clone tim cahill 10 times and give a top goal keeper from another country a aussie passport. 3. get the players to wear extra long studs in their boots and accidently turn on the stadium sprinkler system at full bore at kick off. 4. smear bali chilli on our players hands and get them to get a bit physical with the oppositions star players... aim to get the chillis around their eyes and nose regions. 5. pay fifa officals to appoint a biased referee.... etc. ps. i agree with the kick the ball harder theme. this was a soft australian team with delicate small and soft passes. wimpy timid love tap tackles. very unaustralian. where was our aussie style... the brutality and power that separates australian soccer teams from the rest??? bring in charlie yankos the enforcer as coach.

Read more at The Roar