Football

World Cup 2022: Arnold pleased with Australia’s World Cup achievements

The Socceroos defied expectations, edging out Denmark to book their place in the Round of 16. The treacherous route saw Graham Arnold receive flak but the Australian head coach remains uninterested in dishing out the same. 

Australia

Australia has a tough task on their hands in the knockout round as they face off against Lionel Messi and Argentina. Arnold does not want to get involved in arguments with their critics as the Socceroos take part in only their second Round of 16 affair.

The Socceroos’ heroics in Qatar saw Football Australia’s faithful rejoice in pubs and in public spaces. The 59-year-old hailed their achievement and preferred to talk about the impact of their triumphs. 

“Seeing some of the reactions at Fed Square again and the ‘Sacky’ at Rozelle [The Sackville Hotel, close to Arnold’s home] and in pubs around the place. Seeing the Australian public… I know I keep saying this but I’ve always said there’s only one thing that unites a nation and in sport that’s football in Australia and the Socceroos,” Arnold said.

“You don’t, not being negative here, but the Rugby League World Cup was just on, was Federation Square like that? Were the pubs like that? Exactly. And they don’t play AFL anywhere else in the world except for Australia. So it just shows you how big football can be.

“Because we’re over here and we’re in a fantastic facility where we don’t get out and see the public or anything, just to see those videos and see those reactions is massive for us because it just shows the boys how much support they’ve got back at home.”

Australia to get in the face of Argentines

The Albiceleste are the reigning Copa America champions and have an extra impetus to do well in the competition. Moreover, at the age of 35, this will probably be Lionel Messi’s final appearance in a FIFA competition. 

They were stunned by Saudi Arabia in their group opener but have since rebounded well to register successive victories. Australia will have to be respectful of their rivals, who thanks to Messi, are bound to have the lion’s share of the assembled neutral support.

Lionel Messi

Australia will be the underdogs in their Round of 16 meeting. Arnold knows the difficulty of the task and shared that they will fight for the turf and not give an inch to their rivals. 

The former Sydney manager pointed at their triumph over Denmark and wants his charges to keep their intensity against La Pulga and co. 

“Get in their faces, don’t give them time,” Arnold remarked. “What we did last [against Denmark] well, they had more possession and yes, they were just smashing long balls but the main thing was to stop Erickson from getting on the ball.

“Stopping their main players from getting on the ball is going to be crucial.

“The thing is, that if you focus too much on Messi, then you’re forgetting about the other players.

“And if you watch the game [on Tuesday], I think Poland focused too much on Messi. The nearest player? Pick him up. It can’t be just one, it can be five.

“But it’s not just about stopping him. They’ve also got some very good players as well.”

“I don’t think anyone expected us to even win a game here. To win two in one World Cup was amazing.

“You don’t get these opportunities often in life. So what are you gonna do about it? Are you just going to let it ride or are you going to do something more? Something special?

“When you go home, you’ve got time to rest, you’ve got time to think about things.

“But this is now, this is real. And let’s give it our best shot.”


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