Doha: Graham Arnold suspects Denmark could be selling Australia short, declaring his team are not just “fighting kangaroos” but also have the technical quality to hurt the Europeans in their winner-takes-all World Cup showdown.
It is a marked change from Arnold’s rhetoric over the last six months since sealing qualification, having emphasised the Socceroos’ physicality, team spirit and “Aussie DNA” over their actual footballing capabilities.
Graham Arnold suspects Denmark could be selling the Socceroos short.Credit:Getty
But on the eve of Thursday morning’s (2am AEDT) clash at the Al Janoub Stadium, which Australia must win or draw to reach the round of 16, Arnold went away from describing his players as “11 boxing kangaroos” and echoed the comments of winger Awer Mabil in suggesting their opponents might be taking them for granted.
“I think maybe it could be one thing they underestimate us on, and that is our quality,” he said.
“We want to walk away from here [and] it’s not just about being fighting kangaroos or Australians just fight all the time, but it’s also the quality that we can bring as a team as well.”
Yet Danish coach Kasper Hjulmand gave no such suggestion in an engaging half-hour press conference, conducted just before Arnold’s, at the World Cup’s main media centre in Doha, saying he had nothing but respect for the Socceroos. While he didn’t name names, he pointed out that some of their players couldn’t be taken lightly as ball-players.
Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand with his star midfielder Christian Eriksen.Credit:Getty
“I expect, as always, a great collective side … they have really some strengths in the team, both individually but mostly as a team, just like we do,” he said.
“We also define ourselves as a very strong unit and a team that works very well together. And that’s what I see. It’s a well-organised football team, they have strength in the organisation and the way they work together, they attack together, they defend together, and they stick to a plan.
“And they have some quality players with some strengths that we have to be sure that we’re aware of — both with the young players they have, but also the experienced players. And we know this. We met them four years ago, it was a very, very tight game, it was a draw, and I expect equally this one will be a tight game.”
Hjulmand said he expected the Socceroos — as they have declared publicly — would come out seeking a win, even though a point will likely be enough for them to get out of Group D, as settling for that would be a “dangerous attitude” given the other possibilities.
He and Arnold both said they would ignore the France-Tunisia clash that will be played concurrently, and which will only have an impact on who qualifiers for the round of 16 if the world champions suffer a shock defeat and Australia draw with Denmark.
“They will come out very strong, and they will try to have their periods where they put pressure on us as well. I definitely expect them to also attack and run at us. And it will be a surprise for me, if that doesn’t happen,” Hjulmand said.
Both coaches also said they had a full squad to choose from with no injuries to impact selection. Arnold claimed that, for the first time during his tenure as Socceroos coach, he wouldn’t tell his players his starting XI because of the physical impact of their 1-0 win over Tunisia and would leave decisions like whether to start Ajdin Hrustic or bring back Nathaniel Atkinson until the morning.
“We need that extra bit of time to see how the boys pulled up after the game,” Arnold said.
