From Hanoi to Homebush, it was a treacherous and unforgiving road taken by the Socceroos to Qatar. Across 1008 days, the Australian national team played 20 matches (four on home soil) against 11 opponents, inside 15 venues. For their efforts, the Socceroos have been rewarded with a seat at an unprecedented tournament – the first to be (dubiously) held in the Middle East and the first played during the European winter.
Australia’s last two attempts at the tournament concluded as underwhelming. Under Bert van Marwijk’s tutelage at the 2018 Russia World Cup, the Socceroos failed to muster a single point. Eight months later at the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE, Graham Arnold’s side failed to defend their Asian crown, claimed four years earlier on home soil with Ange Postecoglu.
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Momentum was rescued by the national team during early rounds of qualification for this World Cup, winning all eight first round matches against Kuwait, Jordan, Nepal, and Chinese Taipei; 28 goals scored and just two conceded.
However, the run came to a screeching halt in the third round of AFC qualification. Fortunes ran dry and moods turned sour after home and away losses to Japan either side of draws with Oman, China, and Saudi Arabia – as well as a final away loss to the latter. The Socceroos succumbed to a tougher qualification route, compounding Arnold’s stresses.
Embed from Getty ImagesFamously, the Socceroos qualified; scrapping past the UAE 1-0 before defeating Peru 5-4 on penalties in an encounter up there with 2004’s triumph over Uruguay in the annals of Australian football folklore.
Australia enters the tournament as one of the weaker sides. Only six entrants sit below the Socceroos (38th) on FIFA’s official ranking, while total squad market value ($59 million) barely equates to the average European transfer fee.
The Socceroos’ World Cup group
Australian fans could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu. As they did in the 2018 edition, the Socceroos face France and Denmark in the group stage. Ironically, Peru makes way for Tunisia.
Unequivocal group favourites France have been riddled with some key injuries. They embark on their title defence without influential World Cup-winning midfield duo Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, defender Presnel Kimpembe, and enigmatic attacker Christopher Nkunku.
Don’t let this fool you. France is stacked, boasting Ballon D’or winner Karim Benzema, divisive maverick, Kylian Mbappe, and a star-studded backline spearheaded by Raphael Varane.
Australia will do well to overcome Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark. Creative fulcrum Christian Eriksen’s return to form and fitness is frightening. His output was boosted by defensive midfield pairing Thomas Delaney and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s defensive dominance. Expect impact and x-factor from Mikkel Damsgaard and Jesper Lindstrom also.
Tunisia is a relatively unknown quantity. Good judges explain how their tactical preference is to sit deep and counter quickly. Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri and Wahbi Khazri are two of the side’s better known stars. Victory against Tunisia would boost the Socceroos hopes of advancing.
Socceroos’ most important players
Pragmatism is paramount at major tournaments. As such, the burden of expectation and responsibility weighs heavily on the shoulders of Australia’s presumed central defensive partnership, Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles, as well as captain, Mat Ryan, who will need to utilise his wealth of experience to marshal the troops and nullify wave-upon-wave of threatening attack thrust at them by the likes of Benzema, Mbappe, Eriksen, and co.
Further forward, if Australia has any chance of shocking the world and emulating the golden generation’s feats 16 years ago, decisiveness in possession, especially in the final-third, will be vital. Ajdin Hrustic and Riley McGree, tasked with filling the Tom Rogic-sized hole in Australia’s attacking midfield role, need to ensure they’ve packed their A-games in their suitcase to give Australia a sniff.
It’s a pass mark if…
Australia performs well. That doesn’t necessarily mean victories and points, but rather what occurs throughout the 90 minutes, regardless of the end product. For a country like Australia, points tallies can only go so far in explaining the success or failure of a campaign.
In 2018 we managed a single point from three games, compared to winning zero in 2014. Yet the latter is remembered as the better tournament. Why? Because of how Ange Postecoglu’s side went about their business.
Sure, they failed to win, but they did so admirably, particularly taking on eventual semi-finalists the Netherlands and showcasing the talents possessed in this half of the world. In Russia, Bert van Marwijk organised Australia to be fundamentally difficult to beat, yet going forward Australia lacked polish – creating 0.7 chances created per game despite averaging 51.7 per cent possession.
Australia’s two goals in Russia came courtesy of penalties from Mile Jedinak. In fact, the last time the Socceroos scored an open-play goal on football’s biggest stage was Tim Cahill’s wonder-strike against the Dutch in Porto Alegre over eight years.
At Qatar, sitting deep and absorbing pressure, defending well and playing with the fight and spirit that Australia prides itself on is valiant. Yet if the tournament is to be considered a success, there need to be clear improvements in attacking threat level and creative output. Perhaps the extreme heat will assist Australia in this, particularly late in matches when their European opponents tire.
Moreover, it is critical that Graham Arnold utilises the World Cup to blood the numerous youngsters he has selected in his side. Despite the current squad’s average age being greater than 2018, it does feel like the side has one eye on the future.
Thomas Deng, Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar, Nathaniel Atkinson, Joel King, Ajdin Hrustic, Riley McGree, Cameron Devlin, Keanu Baccus, and Garang Kuol are call-ups based on their current capabilities and their potential. Ensuring they participate in enough minutes in Qatar is crucial for the Socceroos future, especially with an Asian Cup just around the corner.
At the end of the day, a seat in Qatar was inconceivable six months ago. Australia’s presence there has unified the nation and provided the game with necessary domestic momentum.