Mm.

Uh, and they're all 20, 21, 22 year olds.

And the reason why, they gotta go in the A-League.

Motora and everyone couldn't have played for three years at Adelaide United.

But if you go back 10 years, they wouldn't have played.

You would've had the older overseas player at the end of their career, and, you know, it, like, Eddie, you're a businessman.

So, so what's better for club? If you sign a, an aging, yeah, let's say 32-year-old, 33 or whatever he is, foreigner, decent player, not saying he's not a decent player, and he plays.

And that's the romance.

... with the A-League

That's right, and, uh, and that's what, I think that's what we're looking forward to, and, uh, and I think, you know, for a lot of the clubs, uh, who are gonna use these younger players, and it's a great platform.

Um, and the people, you know, the people in this country need to get behind it.

And I, I'm talking about, you know, if you wanted to call them old soccer, new, new football or whatever, the, that's gone.

It's just football.

It's just football, people.

It's the people that go to play at the grassroots that were forever telling everyone, "We're the greatest code because we got grassroots." Yeah, well, that grassroots needs to stop going to watch, and they still can go and watch AFL and NRL, but come and watch your club in, in the A-League.

Right.

How do you, how do you get your head around that you have to perform in that?

Because they will.

Because they're, they're extremely talented footballers.

They will feel that this has nothing to do with them.

Inverted commas, um, it's outside of their if- influence.

The, the influence of the crowd will be interesting for the players.

Now, and please put in your comments c- that, if you want to stop talking about yourself, but I've been in this position, nearly exactly this same position in a different country in a different time in the '90s.

Yeah.

And they feel like they've been lied to for something that, for many people, what they won would have been the highlight of their life.

Well, exactly right.

And the other thing is Nicolas Sarkozy's mention.

Infantino, the current FIFA president.

There is a long list.

Michel Platini, who was already disgraced, along with Sepp Blatter in FIFA.

So this could get a hell of a lot bigger, much bigger than Manchester City.

sudden, $1.7 billion is looking like pocket change compared to how many different changes for

Yeah.

It begins the torture for the City players, which it's going to be.

As a fan, and a true fan, no one wants...

There's banter and always between clubs and Liverpool United don't like, but this is different.

This is way different.

And to finish this topic, there could be ramifications here in Australia.

Yes.

And they're in that tournament up.

Oh, no.

And anyway...

It was amazing, the images of the ball dipping and that.

But what I would like to say, for the first time, and not maybe the first time, because we've realized this since the World Cup, I thought Ocon Engsler was excellent in the middle of the park.

I thought the pressing from Medcalf and Yangi and Irencunda caught Brazil offside in that first half.

They were surprised.

And the greatest thing about this, it didn't ever have the feel of a friendly.

the a

That's

it.

Lucas Snell down at Manly, forever named.

His impact on many young players throughout his career was massive.

Yeah, he's missed.

And I remember we were at Fox Sports.

I remember we were trying to get him to work with us.

the

Liverpool fan, so he's annoyed.

Yes, he's annoyed.

And you're a Liverpool fan and you're annoyed.

Just, yes, annoyed because that performance is not what it needs to be.

But they did get three points, so they finished the international break.

And Uriel has got three weeks to contemplate a lot of things that Carragher brought up and that we'll probably talk about.

And the...

I'm

I think that says a bit to where Michael Carrick's head is at, is that we're not that far away, but you can't just come out and say that because they're not proving it yet.

Well, you can't keep on being not that far away because when things are not going well, And then...

Okay, so the isolation.

So we'll isolate the Derby.

Shouldn't have lost, but they did.

So then you isolate the Carabao Cup.

Shouldn't have lost, but they did.

They're on a hamster wheel.

What side of it do you feel has pushed for that?

Okay.

There's a few things to analyze.

The non-reaction from the Football Australia at that decision is extraordinary.

So what I'm saying is Football Australia should have come out after that and said, I don't know, anything.

It's true we've offered Tony Popovich, but after consultation, we've decided that we're going to do the Asian Cup and see after that.

But just leave it hanging out there.

Is it purely ending January with a trophy

Mm.

So anyway, it's, it's happened, and, you know, City's loss is Barcelona's massive gain.

But I guess what I'm saying, I don't, you don't know really what goes on behind the scenes in respect to were there obviously very, um, how would you say? Conversations.

[laughs]

He's going, "Rob, what, what, what's Paulo doing?" And, uh, and I, and I said, "Paulo," I said, you know, in French I said, "Uh," We went to the players' bar and we had to play again on the Saturday.

In France, you did not drink.

The commentator's head was about to explode.

This is what they planned for years ago when they started and wait for it.

Why are the Asian nations going like that and we're, at best, plateauing? And if you look at last night's result, Going maybe a little bit down.

And that's only going to continue because in Indonesia, in Vietnam, in Malaysia, all over Asia and all over the world now, national teams, you have 15s, 16s, 17s, 18s, 19s, 20s, 21s, 22s, 23s.

Every age group.

They're getting better.

I wonder why.

Could they

proved the theory of relativity wrong.

Yeah, exactly, which is nearly impossible.

So they spread the goals around and Jesus, when he got to Arsenal, he looked like he might develop into that kind of striker.

But, you know, if you looked at Liverpool, Salah, if you looked at...

City, you've got Haaland, who had Alvarez, funnily enough.

And then you had Isak.

So all these players are banging lots and lots of goals.

And the passion's up here, and that's where Everton fans definitely are as well.

Yep.

Uh, in fact Lucas, at one stage, didn't look like he was ever get out, was ever gonna get out of there.

I remember, you know, having lunch with him and, uh, when he was at Millwall, and he was quite down about things.

It was when Venables took over the national team.

I was at West Ham, and he was quite worried about his career and, uh, if he was ever gonna get out.

Well, of course, in the, in the end he did, and went on to have a, a, an unbelievable career, and hopefully, uh, his son is gonna, you know, follow in his footsteps.

But, um, yeah, the AFL delighted with that.

Mm.

Yeah

... uh, started celebrating and the bench erupted and the referee just goes, "Oh well," may as well blo- uh, blow full time whistle and, um, celebrations began.

Anyway, after the celebrations, after walking around in Anfield, we'd been given our medals, and then I realized, I, I'd sort of slipped it into my shorts, and then I realized halfway round I'd lost it.

It fell out of my shorts.

[laughs] And I, I'm having this mass...

Everyone's celebrating and I'm having this massive-

Yeah.

I think he was more suited to assistant manager.

Mm.

Um, and we've discussed that before and, and, and if you're talented, uh, you know, God help you.

You've, you're in for thousands and thousands of dollars.

And even grassroots now, like my daughter plays, um, under 14s at the local Forestville Killarney Football Club, great little club, and you know, she's up, it's nearly 1,000 bucks grassroots football because, you know, they've got an academy that comes in and takes a training session, so you pay a bit more there, the rego.

And you know, this is when AFL and Rugby League are virtually free.

AFL's free for kids.

And, you know-

Mm.

Yeah.

100%.

Exactly the same principle with a head.

And this would become the production line.

And there was a big focus, and you mentioned it in the intro, on Africa.

France was one of the first nations to really explore the African continent in respect to football and the talent they could see was there, the raw talent.

And I remember sitting down when I signed for Loms.

they can't get on the same page.

Yep

... you don't always get a three-all draw or a four-three [chuckles] or five-four just because, "Hey, it's an important game.

Hey, it's on at 12 o'clock.

It's gotta be, you know, the greatest game ever played." No.

It was the third game in a group stage where a point was exactly like you said.

It was like a win.

It mea- it means we qualify to the round of 32.

... is, is playing for a draw, it can be thrilling stuff.

Robbie Slater, welcome to Sports Today.

Yeah, g'day Adam.

Yeah, all primed and ready to go.

Been busy all day.

Actually put out...

I think I'm not the only one, but pleased to, like, you know, things like schools to allow students to watch this game.

Yeah.

So, mate, for those of us who aren't good at equations, tell us straight up, what is at stake tomorrow against Paraguay? We could go through to the knockout stage, but we could also be heading home.

Hey, is it coming home, Robbie? What did you make of England's 4-2 win over Croatia?

Yeah, brilliant.

In an attacking sense, very good first half.

Croatia were good as well.

And I'll get back to that in two sets because that's going to be my key point here.

Second half, domination from England.

Could have won by more.

Robbie, are we a chance? Can we knock them off on their home turf? Of

matches.

I've seen him, and he's scored some good goals.

The one thing I would say, he's playing, and we don't have very many.

In fact, We did have two at Bundesliga 1 with Irvine and Metcalf, but they got relegated, finishing last in the Bundesliga.

We got Ryan, who's playing, Matty Ryan, our captain, who's playing for Levante in Spanish League 1.

Yep.

They just avoided relegation, thank goodness.

Is there any major disappointments about the squad for you? Are you surprised?

matches.

I've seen him, and he's scored some good goals.

The one thing I would say, he's playing, and we don't have very many, in fact, We did have two at Bundesliga 1 with Irvine and Metcalf, but they got relegated, finishing last in the Bundesliga.

We got Ryan, who's playing...

Matty Ryan, our captain, who's playing for Levante in Spanish League 1.

Yep.

They just avoided relegation, thank goodness.

Is there any major disappointments about the squad for you? Are you surprised?