Footage has emerged of a furious Graham Arnold demanding skipper Mat Ryan go and celebrate Mitchell Duke’s goal against Tunisia, while a former Socceroos star believes a certain approach against Denmark puts the Aussies in “real peril”.
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ARNIE GOES NUCLEAR AT SKIPPER
As Mitchell Duke and his teammates wheeled away to celebrate his goal, Socceroos boss Graham Arnold was seen with his fists raised towards the sky and sheer joy written on his face.
But in footage caught by the BBC, Arnold’s smile was quickly wiped away as he cast a glance at the other end of the field at goalkeeper and captain Mat Ryan.
Arnold was then seen pointing and screaming at the skipper to get down to the other end with his teammates and take part in the celebrations.
Whether it was an attempt to wipe some time off the clock — something that would have done little given the insane amounts of stoppage time in Qatar — or to strengthen team camaraderie, Arnold knew where he wanted his captain to be.
He was captured giving some instructions to Ryan before shoving him in the direction of his teammates as he yelled, “go”.
It may have seemed crazy in the moment, but it highlights just how passionate Arnold is when it comes to the bond within the team.
Either that, or he was desperate to chalk off time.
THE MINDSET THAT WILL PUT AUSSIES AT ‘REAL PERIL’ AGAINST DENMARK
Former Socceroos star Bruce Djite insists the Aussies cannot dare to think about simply playing for a draw against Denmark because it puts Graham Arnold’s side “at real peril”.
Arnold has Australia on the verge of a World Cup knockout berth for the first time in 16 years thanks to a gritty 1-0 win over Tunisia.
There are numerous scenarios in which the Socceroos can qualify for the Round of 16 and thankfully it is in their own hands at this stage.
The easiest way — or hardest, depending on how you view it — to qualify is with victory against Denmark, ranked 10th in the world.
The Danes are yet to win in Qatar, having been held to a 0-0 draw by Tunisia in their first game before a 2-1 defeat to France.
Yet they too can still qualify for the Round of 16 but they must beat the Aussies to have any hope of doing so.
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Even if the Aussies can’t beat Denmark, a draw could potentially be enough so long as France either beats or draws with Tunisia.
Yet Djite knows that having a mindset of playing for a draw will only spell danger.
“We have to win, we have to beat Denmark,” Djite told ABC’s Offsiders.
“Like you said, France already through. No-one knows what France is going to do, but they’ve got no obligation to play their best team (against Tunisia). They might rest some players, you never know.
“And if we go into that game against Denmark holding out for the draw or having the draw in the back of our mind, we risk playing like that second half against France where we’re not assertive, we’re not aggressive.
“We’re not any of those attributes we saw last night and that puts us at real peril.
“So we’ve really got to go out for all three points, approach the game like we did the Tunisia game. It’s now or never.”
