How Australia channelled Celtic manager's message in World Cup success

"I want to wake up tomorrow morning and in the papers they’re not talking about the next AFL player who fucking farted or a fucking NRL player who did something stupid. I want them talking about our fucking game, I want them talking about us!"

Those were the words of Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou in 2017 during his spell as Australian national team manager.

He was speaking to the Socceroos squad during a training camp as they prepared for the Confederations Cup. It was a speech that went viral not long before Celtic's League Cup final triumph against Hibernian last season. 

Hoops fans are well aware of Postecoglou's ability as an orator by now but when you apply these comments to the Socceroos' recent World Cup triumph they become even more magical.

Australia defeated Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark 1-0 earlier this week to reach the knockout stages of the international spectacle for the first time since their 'golden generation' did so in 2006.

It is only the second time the nation has gone past the group stages of the competition. Their section contained the holders France, the Danes and an impressive Tunisia outfit.

On paper, they had no right to be qualifying. After all, they only made it to Qatar by the skin of their teeth in a penalty shootout victory against Peru.

Despite losing their first match against Les Bleus 4-1, Graham Arnold's side were brave and bold on the ball in the second fixture as they defeated the Tunisians 1-0. 

Celtic midfielder Aaron Mooy was an essential part of the Socceroos triumph.

According to Wyscout, he posted a performance which included 74 per cent passing accuracy and successfully completed four out of the six accurate passes he attempted. He also won all but one of his aerial duels in the game.

The 'we never stop' mentality was very much clear in the 32-year-old's contribution to the fixture. It even prompted our columnist Kevin McKenna to wax lyrical about it in his latest article here.

Beating Tunisia gave Australia a fighting chance of qualification going into the final match against a formidable and storied Denmark side.

Arnold's men would have to be at their absolute best to get through. One could even say they would need to show no fear.

This is something Postecoglou tried to drum into the group of players he coached at national team level, many of whom have featured at this recent World Cup.

"So do you reckon if my old man were out there, he’d be afraid of Germans, of Argentinians, of Brazilians?" he said in that same speech.

"That’s not what he instilled in me when I was young. That’s not what the people who made that sacrifice for you in your life,  that’s not how they raised you."

This call to make a game a personal vendetta, to go and prove that the Socceroos were not there to make up the numbers in a tough group but to compete to get out of it, could be seen in the performance against Denmark.

The Danes, don't forget, were travelling to Qatar as a widely-tipped team to go far in the tournament.

Arnold no doubt gave a rousing team talk before his players left the dressing room, but it is hard not to feel like Postecoglou's words may have been on some of their minds as well.

It seems Mooy, who is now coached by the 57-year-old regularly, took his club manager's statement to heart.

Wyscout data from the qualification clincher shows that, while his pass completion was hardly spectacular at 68 per cent, he contributed with five interceptions (bringing his tally for the three group games to a superb 18) and made half of his total recoveries in the opposition half.

He was integral in a result that put everyone on notice. A result that showed Australian football can thrive at the highest level.

Supporters Down Under filled squares in the early hours of the morning to watch their beloved Socceroos, going crazy as goals went in. A country once pretty ambivalent to the sport has now become a football-loving nation and plenty of the groundwork for that was laid by the current Hoops manager.

Well done Australia and well done Ange Postecoglou. Everyone is most definitely talking about your fucking game now.

This piece is an extract from today's Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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