In late March this year, the mood in the Australian football community was at an all-time low.
The Socceroos had slumped to a second-straight defeat in the World Cup qualification process, consigning the Aussies to a play-off fate if they wanted a spot in Qatar.
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It capped off a frustrating run of just one win in their final seven World Cup qualifying matches and left several calling for Graham Arnold’s head to roll.
Perhaps even the boss himself felt he was set to find himself unemployed.
But amongst the shouting from prominent figures in the Australian football community, Football Australia (FA) made the brave call to stick rather than twist with Arnold.
Fast forward nine months later and the Socceroos are in the knockout stages, with Arnold proudly becoming the first Australian-born coach to do so.
Yet it’s not all about getting this far at the World Cup that Arnold can smile proudly about.
It’s the additional workload he took on with the Olyroos and guiding them to the Tokyo Olympics, the Aussies’ first since 2008.
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It’s the countless Zoom calls and text messages to his troops dotted around the world.
But most importantly, according to one of Arnold’s closest confidants, it’s about making the “emotional toll” of being the national team coach worth it.
“If you look at the fact that we hadn’t qualified for the Olympic Games since 2008 and he stepped out of being just the Socceroos coach and back into a dual role of doing the Olyroos to qualify us for Tokyo and the Socceroos to qualify us for Qatar, it’s absolutely remarkable that that’s happened during a pandemic and with players who aren’t playing at the top level in the top leagues around the world,” Phil Moss told foxsports.com.au before the World Cup.
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“If you look at the World Cup qualifying campaign, over 1000 days, more than 1000 days of qualifying through quarantines and a worldwide pandemic with key players who would pull out of key games because they couldn’t do the quarantine or the family was worried about their health, and for all valid reasons.
“But it was a logistical nightmare and people don’t understand what he went through behind the scenes to get us there. That takes an emotional toll. But to be that strong and carry the weight of the nation on your shoulders and get us through to Qatar, it was a miracle.
“People can say whatever they like, but it was a miracle that he got us there.”
Socceroos skipper Mat Ryan, who has worked with Arnold at club and international level, is also under no illusions about just how much stick the boss has copped.
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But the FC Copenhagen gloveman is immensely proud of his boss and how he’s navigated the various storms.
“That’s life, when things I guess don’t go well and it’s perceived by the public and all that, there’s criticism and it’s about how you deal with it, how resilient you are,” Ryan said.
“And he [Arnold] has been that (resilient). What he’s gone through and been put through and all that.
“It has been quite harsh at times, but he keeps finding answers and that’s why he is, and we are, where we are right now.”
With the Socceroos set to face their toughest opponent in the Round of 16 — likely to be Argentina — there’s going to be several who aren’t going to give the Aussies much of a hope.
But as Arnold has proven since March, write him and the Socceroos off at your own peril.
