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Soon after their French failure, coach Graham Arnold called his Socceroos into a meeting room. “Best friendly we could ever have,” he told them.
He trained his eyes on Nathaniel Atkinson. The World Cup debutant was downcast after being schooled by French maestro Kylian Mbappe in the 4-1 loss.
“I just said … you’re going to remember this for the rest of your life, mate,” Arnold said.
“You’re going to sit there in 20 years time when you retire, with a beer in your hand, telling everyone how you played against one of the best players in the world.
“And you’re going to show them two mistakes but 10 things you did great. You have got to look at the positives and what that kid is going to learn out of it. It’s these types of experiences that you have got to focus more on, to pick them up.”
Arnold then screened a video of wild celebrations in Melbourne’s Federation Square when Craig Goodwin scored to put Australia 1-0 up after nine minutes.
“The energy of the fans back at home when Goody scored, we miss out on that, we don’t see that here,” he said. “That special moment will stay with those fans forever. Craig Goodwin is the seventh Australian ever to score a goal at a World Cup. Like, come on – seven. So let’s be realistic.”
But calling their World Cup opener a friendly was more mind game than realism.
“It’s a two-game tournament now,” Arnold said of the message.
“It was three games. But yes, we’ve got to win the next two. And there’s no better opposition to play against in a so-called friendly than France, that are going to punish you for every small mistake the way they did.
“For me, the draw has been perfect. Playing France the first game is the best lesson you can learn straight away. And we will improve from that.”
But can improvement come quick enough to deliver Australia, with a 2-15 win-loss record at the World Cup finals, a triumph?
“I haven’t slept for a long time, wanting that too much,” Arnold said.
“And it’s not for me, it’s for the nation … there’s nothing more that I want than to put a smile on Australian faces. It’s not about me at all. If it was about me, I probably would have left ages ago.”
Arnold also said that the Tunisia game would require his men to be at their toughest for the clash on Saturday night (AEDT).
“We’ve got to be ready for that war,” Arnold told reporters.
“They are aggressive and they’re going to have 40,000 fans behind them and it’s going to be a truly amazing experience again for everyone.”
Arnold’s message to his players is blunt. “Fight fire with fire, especially from the start,” he said. “And then when we’re up, put the fire out.”
Arnold is likely to summon playmaker Ajdin Hrustic, who missed the loss to Les Bleus. The attacking midfielder has not played since suffering an ankle injury on October 3.
“Ajdin Hrustic’s ankle is good, 95 (per cent) so the other five doesn’t matter,” Arnold said. “He can start.
“He (Hrustic) trained well, he’s recovering well, he’s mentally and physically in good shape. I don’t think there will be too many changes, we have got to put our strongest line-up out.
“It will be very, very physical game. The Tunisians like a physical game and we have got to match that physical aspect.”
Nathaniel Atkinson, however, will not feature after failing to overcome an ankle injury, with Fran Karacic set to start.
“He got a bit of a knock on the ankle again,” said of the Heart of Midlothian right back. “Fran Karacic will come in, we have got him ready for the game.”
Arnold said that France exposed Australia technically rather than tactically.
“All the stats showed (the players) put in 100 per cent plus,” he said.
“But it’s those little mistakes that turn into big mistakes. If there was anything that was shown up, it was the technical side of it.
“Work-rate, commitment – everything was fantastic. It was not the intention to drop back as far as we did but technically we turned the ball over, that pushed us back further.
“Overall, we have got to be in their (Tunisia’s) faces and get ready for that.”
Tunisia drew their cup opener against Denmark, deploying a wall of five defenders which Arnold noted was a change from their tradition.
“They’ve played that (formation) only once,” he said. “Tunisia, over every game we have watched, they have played a four-three-three and we expect them to go back to that. They went into this first game against Denmark more defensively minded with a back five.”
And Arnold’s research has highlighted Tunisia’s major weapon, their captain Youssef Msakni.
“He runs the show. We have identified that and we’ll come up with a solution,” Arnold said.
Defender Milos Degenek agreed, telling media that the mentality of the players will be more important than their tactical setup.
“It’s one of the rare games in the world of football where it’s more about heart and fight than the technical ability to play football,” he said.
“It’s more about the desire to win. I love those games. I’m not a technician, I’m not a guy that’s going to dribble 10 players, I don’t have that ability.
“But I have got that heart and desire that nobody else can match and I live for these games.
“They (Tunisia) came with a lot of heart, with a lot of energy – and obviously they came with a lot of fans as well. So it’s going to be like a home game for them and it’s going to create a really good atmosphere for us.
“It gives you a lot more energy and desire and passion,” he said. “You don’t feel pain, you don’t feel nothing.”
“For a team that’s playing against that, it just creates a hostile atmosphere … but that’s the best part about football. You don’t play for the big bucks … but you play to make those people happy that come to watch you.
“And for me personally, to see the enjoyment in these people after a game, the fans, the emotions, that’s what I play for anyway. And that’s why I think that game will be quite special.”
© AAP
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