Nor was there any opportunity to show gratitude to the fans who flocked in huge numbers at ungodly hours to live sites throughout the country – particularly at Melbourne’s flare-tinted Federation Square,which became a recurring motif of Australia’s best World Cup campaign and actually fuelled them on their run to the round of 16.
Finally,though,a sense of closure,if that’s the word:the Socceroos are coming home,with a pair of friendlies against Ecuador later this month in Sydney (Friday,March 24) and Melbourne (Tuesday,March 28) providing the first opportunity supporters will have to show their appreciation for the team,and vice versa,in the flesh.
Arnold intends to name as close to the same 26-man squad that featured in Qatar as he can,save for the injuredAjdin Hrustic (ankle),Martin Boyle (knee) andMathew Leckie (hamstring),who will miss out. But he is also mindful of balancing any celebration of past successes with their ambition of bettering them in the future.
With only nine months until a new World Cup campaign begins and just over 10 months until the next Asian Cup,there is precious little time for Arnold and the Socceroos to bask in former glories.
“We’ve got a long list of players that we’re already monitoring and scouting for the next campaign but,for these two games,I’m looking to bring back the boys that went to the World Cup,” he said.
“These two games are an opportunity for the boys just to actually feel the worth of what they did for the nation. I’ve been back in Australia for six or seven weeks,but people are still patting me on the back and telling you the experiences they had during the World Cup.
“Externally,the messaging is for the fans to come and celebrate what the boys did. But day one,when the boys come into camp,they will be told they’re getting the first chance to get on that clean sheet of paper of selection moving forward. It’ll be explained to them how the World Cup[qualification] campaign works with 48 teams,and also our main goals for the next three and a half years.