Under the imposing arch of Wembley, Graham Arnold could have been forgiven for succumbing to the majesty of the occasion: Australia’s first game at Wembley Stadium, the home of football.
Instead, he took a leaf out of the textbook of his friend, predecessor and former rival, Ange Postecoglou.
“Having an occasion at Wembley, where the Socceroos have never played before, will be extra special,” he said in his program notes.
“So I’m looking forward first of all to a great performance from the boys and to win the game.”
This never-say-die approach has seen Postecoglou endearing himself to the Tottenham faithful, repeatedly winning Premier League manager of the month awards.
Here, across town in North West London, Arnold’s underdogs displayed the Austrian fighting spirit that their rugby union and cricket counterparts have conspicuously lacked in a gutsy 1-0 defeat.
England’s Trent Alexander-Arnold battles for possession with Australia’s Harry Souttar in their clash at Wembley
England’s James Maddison runs at the ball from Australia’s Ryan Strain in a true Davis vs. Goliath match.
England’s Conor Gallagher competes for the ball with Socceroo Craig Goodwin in a tense clash
Postecoglou, watching from the plush seats in England’s national arena, would have resonated with many qualities in this powerful Australian performance.
Yes, he lacked the finesse and fluid, fluid football that the Melburnian has implemented at Celtic and Spurs, but that is to be expected from a team without an established Premier League star and a combined value of £24.4m.
St Mirren’s Ryan Strain, for example, was given the unenviable task of keeping Manchester City’s £100m player Jack Grealish at bay.
But the Socceroos were organised, tenacious and brave. They had the best chances of the first half and exposed the weaknesses in this second-string England side. Keanu Baccus and Mitch Duke were inches away from taking the lead and Strain should have hit the back of the net when his tame right-footed shot was cleared off the line by Lewis Dunk.
Of course, England were always going to create openings and Ollie Watkins blew his lines on two occasions – failing to get a finger on a superb Conor Gallagher cross before hitting the base of the post when tackled by James Maddison.
Overall, though, England were unable to penetrate Australia’s titanic defence, led by Harry Souttar – Leicester’s £15m colossus – at the end. It was arguably his best performance since his high-profile move to the East Midlands last January.
And the Socceroos were handed their flowers at the half-time break.
“It’s been the perfect start,” enthused Harry Kewell. “Well organized and compact, making it very difficult for England to play balls. The one thing I like is that we are reacting to every loose ball and we were able to break them. We have some chances here.’
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold hugs his players after their strong performance at Wembley. He has spoken openly about the lack of funding from the Australian government
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other politicians have shown superficial support, but the Socceroos still do not have a training base in Australia
Tottenham manager and former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou still has a huge influence on the team and his scarf was on sale alongside the Austrian’s at Wembley.
Joe Cole echoed the Socceroos legend’s thoughts. “Australia have been outstanding in their hole selection,” he said. “At rest Australia has been outstanding.”
Unsurprisingly, England’s quality became apparent in the second half, with Watkins making no mistake from the spot to score the winner and deny the Socceroos a repeat of their famous victory in east London 20 years ago, when they beat the Three Lions. 3-1.
But with the cricketers toiling in India and the Wallabies already on their way home from France, it was a timely reminder of the changing of the guard Down Under.
Arnold made another plea before Friday’s game for the game to receive the same much-needed funding that cricketers and rugby players benefit from.
“We see the Prime Minister and the Government, they love going out to watch the Matildas and the Socceroos with their scarves, but they have to lose them when they go home,” he lamented.
“We don’t have a football house. When the Socceroos come to Sydney to train, we have to train on a rugby league pitch where they take the posts out and put in a football post, that’s the truth. And we are the sport with the highest grassroots participation.’
Perhaps, seeing this performance from Down Under, the powers that be will finally take notice.
(tagsTranslate)daily mail(s)sport(s)soccer(s)Australia Football(s)Premier League(s)Australia(s)England(s)Tottenham Hotspur(s)Ange Postecoglou(s)London(s)Manchester City