New broom sets the tone
IT lasted barely 20 minutes, but Bert van Marwijk’s first meeting with the Socceroos players revealed exactly what he wants them to stand for in Russia.
The former Netherlands and Saudi Arabia coach waited for the entire 26-man squad to arrive before summoning the group, after dinner at their team hotel on Monday night.
And in the meeting room of their Oslo hotel van Marwijk, who’s more a tactician than a motivator, outlined his overarching vision for the Socceroos. Discipline, team spirit, work ethic and punctuality were all outlined during his pointed opening address attended only by the players and coaching staff.
The rest of van Marwijk’s messages are exclusive to the training ground, where his key messages and drills have centred around passing — pace, quality, passes with messages and “trusting your teammates”.
He knows it is a short tenure but it is just as vital for him as it is Australian soccer.
Van Marwijk, who turns 66 in May, knows it could be his last FIFA World Cup.
Ange Postecoglou brought pride back into the Socceroos shirt after a culture of complacency crept in.
Van Marwijk does not profess to be an Australian soccer anorak, but there are shared traits on and off the pitch.
“I will try to know them better and tell them something about my plans. I can also do that in the meeting room, and I will do that. But really [training] things we don’t have the time.
“My experience is also that it’s not good to tell your whole vision in 30 minutes, it’s not good for the players. It takes time, but it’s the situation, I cannot change it.
“It’s very important to get to know the players.”
Players and officials are naturally walking on eggshells while they work out where they stand with the 2010 World Cup finalist. But the atmosphere is not as tense as some would have you think on or off the pitch, with van Marwijk showing his lighter side in his first session
Millwall left-back James Meredith took us into the meeting and on to the training pitch. “It [the first session] was enjoyable, having a laugh, a good atmosphere, he was making some jokes, there were a few nervous laughs,’’ Meredith said. “I like the values he’s bringing across.”