We need belief: Arnold
GRAHAM Arnold faces one of the greatest challenges of his career to drag his battered Socceroos off the canvas and rescue their World Cup campaign from another disaster.
In the wake of Australia’s crushing 4-1 humiliation at the hands of defending champion France, Arnold conceded his team had been beaten by a side that was “bigger, faster and stronger” – and admitted every option was on the table for the Socceroos to arrest their tournament from quickly spiralling out of control.
And he needs to move fast. Tunisia – which jagged an impressive draw against the more fancied Denmark – lies in wait in just three days.
The fear is that much like the Socceroos’ 2010 tournament being wiped out almost before it began when Germany pounded them 4-0, so too does this campaign feel doomed after the Australians were demolished by Kylian Mbappe.
For the opening 25 minutes, the Aussies embodied the buzz words Arnold had attempted to hammer home this week: Belief. Energy. Focus.
When Craig Goodwin hammered home from close range in the ninth minute to open the scoring, Australia believed.
“The way we started, I think they believed, and that we just got punished by our mistakes,” Arnold said.
The errors opened the door for Mbappe to barge his way through, when he rarely needs an invitation.
The 23-year-old was in a mood, showcasing his elite mix of blistering pace and stunning skill in a five-star performance – setting up veteran Olivier Giroud for one of his two goals, while scoring one of his own.
Having already banned “fatigue”, “pain” and “France” from the Socceroos’ $1.3bn training facilities last week, Arnold might want to add “Mbappe” to the list – because several players, including young right back Nathaniel Atkinson, will have nightmares about the Frenchman’s dazzling feet.
“He did his best against one of the best players in the world,” Arnold said of Atkinson’s efforts in one of the most undesirable tasks in all sport.
“But how do you stop someone so quick?
“It’s very difficult. It’s a great lesson for the kid. He’ll move on from it.”