There is a sense of deja vu about where Australia are now and, perhaps more importantly, where they could go once they reach the knockout stages of the Asian Cup in Qatar.
The most important step at a grassroots level is that two wins and a draw ensure the Socceroos advance to the round of 16 as the winners of group B, where they will face Indonesia. This is a competition they are expected to win and maintain their record of reaching at least the quarter-finals in every Asian Cup they compete in.
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But there are also echoes of history as this team approaches its opening month in Doha, in terms of the style of football played, the messages coming out of the camp and perhaps even how they are absorbed at home. This may not be the return to the 2022 World Cup they were hoping for.
Following the Socceroos’ 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan, manager Graham Arnold appeared unsettled by the criticism leveled at his team for their inability to convert the dominance of possession in the first three games into offensive fluidity and precision. Arnold talked about the challenges of bringing together a diverse group of players in a short period of time and getting them to act as a collective, how the team is built on a strong defensive foundation, and how no-hitters are individuals. The “last pass, last cut or finish” that drags the team down.
None of these points are wrong, it should be noted, because a press conference with Arnold is never just a press conference. As much as it bothers him, the fourth grader is well versed in the art of presenting a message or a slogan, a point of view, or even a reality he chooses to suit his needs. There are signs of the defiant, siege mentality that Arnold and his teams thrive on, and while he inevitably knows that improvements are needed, it’s much better for him that those public criticisms come from others while the group internally rallies around each other. Watch the Socceroos’ heavy defeat against France at the 2022 World Cup and what happened next.
But in a broader context, that’s not the whole picture. Australia’s problem with penetrating low defensive blocks has been prevalent throughout Arnold’s tenure since 2018. During the last World Cup qualifiers, in a clear draw against China and Oman, these concerns nearly cost the coach his job; In these fixtures, some corners were making statements that the Socceroos would play matches frequently. they had no “cattle” to race, they did not carry weight; put them on track for an intercontinental play-off.
The 12 months that followed served to silence much of the criticism. After all, it’s hard to ask for a job from someone who led Australia to their best ever performance at the men’s World Cup, and that’s an achievement that can’t be taken away from him. But once the against-the-wall, against-the-world conditions of the World Cup passed and the grind of Asian football returned, there was always the possibility that the struggle would re-emerge during this cycle.
Arnold has been coaching since 1998. His methods inevitably evolved, but the foundation that underpinned them all enabled him to become one of the most successful coaches in Australian history, as well as a highly respected mentor overseas. Football Australia knew the highs of its approach but also the lows of the federation’s undermining of Arnold after the Japan defeat when they moved too quickly and with little scrutiny to strike a new deal after the World Cup. Asking him to change now or getting angry at him for being the way he is would be missing the point. He wasn’t the one who decided to make his vision the Socceroos’ north star.
So maybe this is how it will be. Over the next four years, if this Asian Cup group stage is any guide, we will all be losing our minds as the Socceroos put the likes of Bangladesh to the sword and progress to get results among the continent’s footballing middle class. It’s probably not pretty. Arnold’s strengths will likely come to the fore in matches against the continent’s best, as well as in the World Cup, where he will be able to play a more reactive role. There will likely be demands for more, and these demands will not be unreasonable.
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This also applies to Doha in the coming weeks. Getting eliminated in the quarter-finals against Saudi Arabia wouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s also not out of the question for the Socceroos to improve things with the other heavyweights dealing with their own issues. sufficient Making a deep run between knockouts. This is what we want after all. Even if football is football, there are different interpretations of how to get there.