“It’s not like a catastrophe,” Graham Arnold stated, a way of frustration, bordering on simmering rage, visibly emanating off him as he spoke to Paramount within the aftermath of the Socceroos’ 0-0 draw with Indonesia. “However I’ve obtained to go house and do numerous pondering.”
A interval of reflection. An trustworthy reassessment of 1’s priorities, values and assumptions in pursuit of readability. On this fashionable age it’s the type of method that anybody would profit from, not to mention a coach that has simply overseen a loss and a draw in opposition to the 2 lowest ranked sides of their World Cup qualifying group.
Indonesia and Bahrain are groups that, not unfairly, a facet with the pedigree and aspirations that the Socceroos possess are anticipated to beat. However as a substitute of beating them, they went 180 minutes with out scoring and, in opposition to Bahrain, suffered only a second defeat in a “dwell” World Cup qualifier on house soil since 1981.
The efficiency in Jakarta on Tuesday night time was a step up from the insipid show produced on the Gold Coast however the music stays largely the identical for this facet when tasked with going through Asian opposition. It has been happening for years now: numerous possession however not so much to point out for it, with an assault that repeatedly blunts itself in opposition to an embedded defence till it devolves to little greater than a sequence of lengthy balls, a tide of crosses, and set items.
Every sport carries with it their very own peculiarities that add one thing to the narrative – the hostile environment, horrible floor and oppressive warmth of Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, for instance. However these themes have typically remained the identical in opposition to a lot of these opponents for 3 years now, when Arnold’s facet started a run of 9 video games within the third part of Asian qualifiers which have delivered only one win in contrast with 4 attracts and 4 defeats.
One guesses that how he goes about addressing this shall be on the forefront of Arnold’s thoughts throughout his meditations; his defence stays one of many stoutest on the continent, it’s the opposite finish that’s the issue. Bemoaning that he can’t be on the market to complete possibilities for his facet, that there must be extra moments of particular person high quality on present, has develop into a standard a part of Arnold’s chorus in latest occasions. Whereas he’s not improper, these points have been happening for therefore lengthy to surmise {that a} change in method, quite than continued deal with people, could possibly be so as. One would think about it could’t thrill the gamers to listen to that both.
Inventive kinds equivalent to Ajdin Hrustić, Riley McGree, Alex Robertson, Daniel Arzani, and Jordy Bos will all come into competition for future home windows however these gamers will nonetheless exist inside a framework constructed by Arnold. They’ve been obtainable in earlier home windows and, for essentially the most half, the challenges stay. And to preempt lazily reactionary evaluation, the present crop of gamers – whereas not resistant to dropping stinkers such because the Bahrain sport – are good footballers, who’re regularly being bolstered by gifted kids coming by way of equivalent to Nestory Irankunda.
Is Arnold able to making the mandatory changes to carry one of the best out of the group and rising abilities? Of instilling and implementing new concepts, patterns of motion, and priorities in possession that can flip issues round? At 61 years outdated, Arnold is a veteran coach, and one whose strategies have seen him develop into one among Australia’s most profitable home coaches in addition to the nation’s longest serving nationwide group coach.
No matter how a lot stick he will get lately, Arnold will go down as an Australian soccer legend, and he doesn’t do issues as Socceroos boss that he doesn’t assume are in one of the best curiosity of the facet. But his interpretation of what that entails could merely differ from others.
However even when this window has served as some type of revelatory second for Arnold, one other downside he faces is that his time for introspection gained’t final lengthy. In lower than a month the Socceroos shall be again in World Cup qualification, going through China in Adelaide – hyperbolic notions of that sport being “must-win” instantly sounding a bit extra sober after the previous week – earlier than flying to Saitama to tackle group leaders Japan.
In impact, that implies that Arnold has in all probability solely obtained a couple of fortnight earlier than he must largely choose a squad for that block, in addition to what sort of attributes and participant profiles he might want to implement any new method.
Finally, amid all this speedy response, it’s also necessary to notice that Arnold exists in a broader context; that he’s not simply Socceroo boss but additionally consultant of how Soccer Australia thinks about and assesses the sport, and what they worth. Arnold himself exists in a framework set by the federation; it’s not simply what he’s pondering, however how they’re pondering too.