As Graham Arnold explained his reasoning behind the 26-man Socceroos squad headed for Qatar, he brought up a word he hopes will encapsulate his four-year tenure perhaps better than anything: “legacy”.
Arnold took over from Bert van Marwijk after the Dutchman left the post in the wake of the 2018 World Cup.
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And Arnold wanted to ensure he left the team in a better state than when he found it and the culmination of that process was a youthful World Cup squad missing some experienced, established Socceroos players of recent years.
“I do feel that if there is a legacy, that it is the young kids coming through,” Arnold said as he announced a squad without veterans including Tom Rogic, Trent Sainsbury Adam Taggart and featuring 17 World Cup debutants.
“When I took over in 2018, it was an ageing squad. I was thinking, ‘Where am I going to get these players?’
“I was losing players like [Mile] Jedinak and [Tim] Cahill and [Mark] Milligan and [Robbie] Kruse. Where was I going to replace them?’
Well, Arnold took a slightly less-than-conventional route to unearth the players needed that would refresh and revitalise the Socceroos when the next World Cup came calling.
Arnold double-parked himself with national team duties, as the boss also took over Australia’s under-23 side, better known as the Olyroos.
He ended the Olyroos’ 12-year Olympic absence with an appearance in Tokyo and secured a famous 2-0 victory over Argentina that had the nation falling in love with the new blood coming through.
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Granted, the Olympic campaign fizzled out with consecutive defeats to Spain and Egypt.
But results aside, Arnold couldn’t have asked for much more: he got to personally oversee the next generation of Socceroos and hand national team debuts to 12 Olympians.
Not only that, but several of the young Aussies earned moves overseas a result of their exploits in Tokyo.
Now, with the World Cup on the horizon, a whopping eight members from the Olympic contingent (nine if you’re counting over-age player Mitchell Duke) have punched their ticket to Qatar with several others narrowly missing out.
So when people ask what Arnold’s legacy was for his time as Socceroos manager, this is a list he can point to.
HARRY SOUTTAR (24 years old)
Heavily linked with a Premier League move before tearing his ACL on Socceroos duty against Saudi Arabia last November. Arguably our most important defender, the towering centre-back is just 24 years of age and will only get better. Was always a high chance of making the final squad as long as he was back playing for Stoke City.
NATHANIEL ATKINSON (23 years old)
An industrious operator at right-back, Atkinson’s performances in Tokyo earned him a move from Melbourne City to Scottish side Hearts. Definitely in contention to start against France and has a long future in the green and gold ahead of him.
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JOEL KING (22 years old)
King burst onto the scene as Sydney FC’s left back and carried his form into the Olympics which helped earn him a move to Danish out OB in January this year. Unlikely to nudge incumbent left-back Aziz Behich out of the starting line-up, but is undoubtedly the heir apparent.
KYE ROWLES (24 years old)
The second member of the young Aussie contingent at Hearts. Rowles enjoyed a rapid rise with the Mariners and looked good next to Souttar against Egypt at the Olympics in what could very well prove to be the next Socceroos centre-back pairing for years to come.
THOMAS DENG (25 years old)
Arnold handed Deng the skipper’s armband for the Olympics which is all you need to know about how highly the Socceroos boss values him. An assured presence who can play at centre-back or right-back, Deng’s leadership and ability will surely be a constant presence going forward.
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RILEY MCGREE (24 years old)
One of the most talented young midfielders Australia possesses. McGree was a shining light in Tokyo and was the subject of a transfer tussle between Celtic and Middlesbrough in the January window following the Olympics, with the English Championship side winning the battle.
KEANU BACCUS (24 years old)
Baccus perhaps didn’t have as much game time as he would have liked for the Olympics, but the experience clearly put him in good stead as he performed strongly with former club side Western Sydney Wanderers. Earned a move to Scottish side St. Mirren and has earned rave reviews for his play this season.
CAMERON DEVLIN (24 years old)
Hearts fans love Devlin, and it’s clear to see why. A tough-tackling midfielder who nips at the heels of opposition players, the Aussie only made his debut off the bench against New Zealand but certainly earned his spot on the plane to Qatar.
