FIFA World Cup 2022: Robbie Slater on Australia’s chance to make history against Argentina
In 1993, Australia couldn’t get over the aura of Maradona. But, as Robbie Slater writes, these Socceroos can conquer the greatest player of this generation, Messi.
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The Socceroos have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make history against Argentina on Sunday morning and end the World Cup career of the greatest player of his generation Lionel Messi.
It’s a moment not lost on me, or Australian football fans, because it is eerily similar to 1993 in that the Socceroos again face Argentina and a giant of the game seeking one last World Cup triumph in the twilight of his career.
It’s almost 30 years ago but when Maradona came out of retirement to save Argentina in the qualification playoff with Australia, it sparked a series of events that would change both my life and showcase the true Australian football spirit we are now so proud to see in the Socceroos in Qatar today.
But while I’m not sure the ’93 Socceroos succeeded in getting over the aura of Maradona, I know this year’s team has the ability to conquer the mystique of Messi to get the job done.
This is a game that could define the lives of the Australian players and change their path in football.
MARADONA CHANGED MY LIFE
Maradona was my hero. I was playing in the old NSL in 1986 and was in awe as he ripped the World Cup apart and virtually won it on his own.
He was the greatest show on earth.
I followed what he did in Napoli, it will never happen again. In my opinion it is why he is the greatest player that ever played the game.
He had a presence and aura that when he walked into a room it stopped and when he walked on to a football field it was just like “wow”, you’re in the presence of royalty.
People who didn’t know him would say it was an arrogant walk, but football people would say it was a walk of a genius, a strut. Messi has that same strut.
When Maradona came to Sydney, I played probably the best match of my career that night, and he loved me. He made me an absolute superstar.
He said, “This guy should be playing in Italy. He runs like the wind”. He gave me a nickname – “El Colorado”. He should be playing with the millionaires in Italy, Maradona said.
When I got to Buenos Aries the headline in the Argentinian papers was “Beware El Colorado”. He gave me a popstar status and he got me my move to England because of what he said in the press after that game.
SEIZE THE DAY SOCCEROOS
A similar opportunity awaits the Socceroos in Qatar, but perhaps even more so because it is at the World Cup and everyone around the world is watching.
We were massive underdogs in ’93, but we put up a fight.
We lost, but we gained a lot of respect for football in Australia. We fought tooth and nail and got very close to a world class team.
Nobody knew about our football ability, but suddenly it opened more doors for us to play in professional leagues around the world.
The key to Sunday for Australia is that is exactly what they have to do, put up a fight.
People have already seen what Australia has done against Denmark, and I written about our fighting mentality and DNA but now everybody is seeing it is real and that is what makes me so happy.
I’ve been writing for years how the Dutch came here and destroyed our development systems, told our kids the fighting spirit wasn’t important and won’t win you anything.
Well we’ve proven them wrong. We’ve gone back to our roots, we’ve got an Australian coach and we’re doing it our way.
This is what sets Arnie and Ange Postecoglou before him apart from the rest as our greatest coaches, the both of them, because they understand the DNA of Australian players.
We don’t have Messis, we don’t have the natural talent of South Americans, Africans and the Europeans, what we have is unique to Australia and that is the one thing we should always have.
Arnie has harnessed that spirit and the underdog attitude where no one thinks we can win.
You can see from the Socceroos post-game player circle how Arnie has the players dialled in. It’s like the players are mesmerised in some sort of trance of self belief and determination.
This team will have to fight like they never have before on Sunday morning if they’re going to go further than any Australian team in history.
But wouldn’t it be great if they could pull it off, the biggest upset in Australian sporting history.
Why I stood by Arnie when everyone wanted him sacked
Graham Arnold delivered a tactical masterclass and now there are a lot of soccer experts who owe Arnie a big fat apology.
The media and prominent ex-players who called for Arnie to get the sack when we lost to Saudi Arabia and Japan. They look like fools today and they sounded like fools on the television this morning.
We all know there was serious talk about getting rid of Arnie after those qualification losses but for whatever reason, whatever changed their mind, Football Australia are lucky they showed him the respect and faith to see out the job.
The knives have always been there, even if he slipped up. He got a brief honeymoon after we qualified, but they pounced again after the France loss.
But this is the end result. Not only did you get a miraculous qualification where no one gave us a chance. But we got a coaching masterclass from one of our own and for only the second time in history, the Socceroos are through to the knockout rounds of a World Cup matching the efforts of the famed 2006 ‘Golden Generation’ squad.
We didn’t fluke it. We didn’t steal it. We deserved this win. Once again the game plan and tactics were brilliant.
Arnie is now the greatest Socceroos coach in history no matter what happens in the Round of 16 where they’ll face Group C winner Argentina.
And he’s conjured up this miracle performance in Qatar without the star power the 2006 team enjoyed.
TACTICAL BRILLIANCE
It was an extraordinary game. For 25 minutes they were all over us, particularly on the flanks they were killing it but even still Maty Ryan only had to make the one early save - showing the problems Denmark has had in their goalscoring.
Then Arnie made a tactical change.
The adjustment was simple, Leckie wasn’t tracking back maybe as much as he should have been and the midfielders weren’t sliding across and pressing.
You could see when he called Aaron Mooy across to the sideline and had a quick word, our pressure and pressing changed and almost suddenly those Danish attacks sort of stopped.
A lot of attack was coming direct from long balls from the Denmark centre halves, but once Arnie got Duke and the two wingers to quickly push onto them to not allow them that time to hit those balls Denmark looked lost. They just had no idea and no answers.
Bringing on Keanu Baccus for Craig Goodwin at halftime was a masterstroke. Arnie knows what they’re doing in training, he knows how the players are feeling after recovery and who is best to come on at what time.
When you’re on the outside looking in, you’ve got no idea about those things.
Then to bring Bailey Wright on for Riley McGree, adding extra manpower to your defence when you’ve got the lead to protect is the right play yet again.
WHY I BACKED ARNIE
I was pretty much the only media commentator who stood alone in backing Arnie and people say “oh he’s your mate”, but I genuinely thought two things:
He didn’t deserve removal after the qualification losses because I always thought Japan and Saudi Arabia were clearly the better teams in the group therefore we finished in our rightful place.
I tried to remind everyone with Ange Postecoglou we finished in exactly the same position four years before and he went on and coached in the playoffs. Arnie deserved the same fate and respect.
After that crucial moment, when FA decided to back their man, Arnie has made some extraordinary calls. Bringing on Andrew Redmayne for the penalty shootout against Peru. The tactics against Tunisia and Denmark. Clean sheets in back to back games. Winning games back to back for the first time in Australian World Cup history. It’s pretty remarkable the turnaround. The story goes on and now we’ve got an extraordinary date with Argentina.
SOUTTAR THE SENSATION
We’ve got a centre half who is a standout in this tournament and I don’t care what country you’re talking about in Harry Souttar.
Harry is a great story because it doesn’t always end up like this, from the complete devastation of tearing his ACL to return from that knee injury in 12 months and end up playing in a World Cup and being the star of the show.
To come back after not playing for a year, play some under 23 games then play one full game for the first team to now be doing this at the World Cup. It is one of the greatest comebacks in sport I’ve ever seen.
When he did his ACL I think a move to Everton was practically done - he was going to the Premier League. Now EPL clubs would be going ‘wow, not only has he come back strong but even stronger.’ It is just extraordinary.
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