World Cup 2018: Bert van Marwijk's pragmatic approach has given Australia real hope

Tuesday sees a clash of styles in Sochi, but only one still has a chance of qualifying

If any budding young international manager requires a lesson in how to maximise their chances of success with limited resources, they could do worse than having a quick glance at the bottom of Group C.

Ricardo Gareca’s Peru sit in the fourth and final position, with no points to their name despite a courageous, expansive playing style that has captured imaginations even in defeat. Above them, with just a point more, is Bert van Marwijk’s Australia - an altogether more sober, pragmatic side.

The margin between the two is fine but significant. Australia’s point – earned against Denmark in Samara last Thursday – means that Van Marwijk retains hopes of managing in the round of 16. Gareca, Peru and their many thousands of supporters, who are almost omnipresent wherever you travel in Russia, suffered elimination last week without as much as a goal to their name.

The two meet at Sochi’s Fisht Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, where Australia are likely to join Peru in bidding farewell to this tournament. Unlike the cavalier South Americans though, they at least have a chance at progression.

Van Marwijk’s side must beat Peru, hope Denmark lose to France and also better the Danes’ goal difference or goals scored. If the two end with identical records, then fair play points or even the drawing of lots could decide qualification.

“We are only thinking about ourselves,” Van Marwijk insisted on Monday, when asked about the various permutations and the reliance on France, who could rest players having already qualified for the group stage. “It will not be easy. We will do everything to win the game and then we will see.”

The Dutchman, who led the Netherlands to the World Cup final in 2010, must be credited for keeping Australia’s hopes of progression alive this late. The schedule was somewhat unkind, handing them a difficult pair of opening fixtures against the group’s top seeds, but the Socceroos played solid, organised, safety-first football in both and each time emerged with credit.

The opening 2-1 defeat to France was deserved on the whole, but it did not escape many in Australia that the result would have gone down as a 1-1 draw at this tournament four years ago and a 1-0 victory four years before that. The decisive goals from Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba were awarded by VAR and goal-line technology respectively.

In any case, the display against Denmark was much better and this time, the technology worked in their favour. The VAR decision to penalise Yussuf Poulsen’s handball was dubious – perhaps the first truly debatable one of the tournament so far – but it allowed Mile Jedinak to cancel out Christian Eriksen’s opener from the spot.

From thereon, Australia shaded the encounter – shackling Eriksen and frustrating Denmark, while troubling them too through the pace of Hertha Berlin winger Mathew Leckie and Melbourne City’s Daniel Arzani, the youngest player at this tournament. If they had made good on their superiority and claimed all three points, a first appearance in the knockout stages of the World Cup since 2006 would now seem a lot more likely.

Yet it must be remembered that Australia entered this group as fourth-seeds, after a challenging qualification campaign, without the recognised names of old. Van Marwijk was forced to field several questions about Tim Cahill on Monday, despite the fact that the 38-year-old is yet to play a minute in Russia. Would the veteran midfielder feature on Tuesday? “I’m not going to discus players who play or don’t play,” was Van Marwijk’s curt response.

Mathew Ryan, Australia and Brighton and Hove Albion’s goalkeeper, is the only member of the squad guaranteed to start and remembers the 2006 ‘golden generation’ well, even though he was watching their progression in Germany from home as a 14-year-old. He remembers how that team’s journey – cut short by a late Francesco Totti penalty for Italy – captured the imagination of a country and wants he and his team-mates to do the same.

“It would mean the reason why I play the sport,” he said. “To be as successful as you can and create as many lifelong memories as you can. If we are successful, the whole nation hopefully will remember that achievement. Just as much as that in 2006, celebrating us beating Japan and all the heartache that followed against Italy. It would mean the world to me. All the sacrifice and dedication it means it will have all paid off.”

And such an achievement would mean much to Van Marwijk, too. Despite only taking on the role in January, and despite the fact he will be replaced by Graham Arnold once Australia’s involvement here ends, he sounded sincere when uttering the words: “I feel already a little bit Australian.”

He has taken to this group of limited but hard-working players and they, in turn, have taken to the methods that could still see them emulate their nation’s best