“In a few of these home windows, UEFA is enjoying, in one other of these home windows, you’ll discover that CONMEBOL is enjoying, and others CONCACAF is. It’s like a Rubik’s dice. We’ll work by means of with the intention being to deliver massive opposition again to our shores to play the Socceroos in 2023 – it’s going to be a terrific 12 months for soccer, in all probability one of the best ever.”
Australia’s World Cup evaluate is being performed by Johnson, FA’s chief soccer officer Ernie Merrick, high-performance boss Paddy Steinfort, Socceroos legend Tim Cahill — who was their ‘head of delegation’ in Qatar — and former internationals Mark Bresciano, Amy Duggan and Heather Garriock, all of whom sit on the federation’s board.
Whereas Arnold has been rightfully lauded for what the Socceroos have achieved, the problem he may face within the lead-up to 2026 may be very completely different. On the subsequent Asian Cup and through AFC qualifying for the subsequent World Cup, Australia will probably be seen as favourites slightly than the underdogs, which suggests the onus will probably be on them to make issues occur in possession in opposition to defensively minded groups, as an alternative of seeking to strike on the counterattack as they did so successfully in opposition to France, Tunisia, Denmark and Argentina.
A tactically conservative supervisor, Arnold’s groups have normally struggled to operate with the ball and break down opponents who sit again in low defensive blocks, as proven throughout Australia’s dismal 2019 Asian Cup failure and through their struggles to qualify for this World Cup. FA must assess whether or not Arnold can construct upon the overwhelming sense of perception and unity he has created throughout the staff and take them in a brand new course on the sphere.
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Johnson stated he was thrilled with Arnold’s efficiency, which exceeded their expectations, and pressured that FA wouldn’t converse to some other teaching candidates till they’d spoken with him first. It has been reported that they’d already held secret conferences with Western United coach John Aloisi, which FA has strongly rejected.
“We’re already in evaluate mode. For the reason that Smith-Gander report, which was performed independently of our nationwide groups three years in the past, one of many adjustments we’ve gone by means of is after each window and each main match, there’s a very thorough evaluate performed, the target being to develop and enhance,” Johnson stated.
“That course of for this marketing campaign is underneath approach, and as soon as that’s accomplished, we’ll set out our technique for the subsequent four-year cycle – the tip level being the 2026 males’s World Cup.”
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