When Iraq were knocked out of the Asian Cup’s round of 16 after letting in two stoppage-time goals to lose 3-2 to Jordan earlier this week, a group of journalists accosted their coach Jesus Casas during his post-match press conference. They believed that the defeat was at least partly down to Casas’ decision to conduct some interviews with Spanish media, which they alleged distracted him from his work. They shouted him down, angrily pointing their fingers, and some had to be physically removed by officials when they approached the podium. The AFC stripped the culprits of their accreditation and banned them from all future tournaments, while the Iraqi federation described the “abhorrent behaviour” as a “black mark” on their football history.

Graham Arnold, meanwhile, has had to deal with a few articles from the other side of the world which have dared to suggest that the Socceroos might be able to improve in midfield and attack, having laboured their way to victory against some lower-ranked bus-parking opponents.

This is not to condone the above behaviour, but to put what Arnold and his players are dealing with into proper context. The views expressed by the ever-shrinking Aussie football press pack, and of fans on social media who have also correctly identified the team’s shortcomings, are incredibly mild compared to what other Asian teams are copping, and what happens in Europe on a daily basis. It’s fairly standard football chat, and comes from a belief that the Socceroos are capable of more than they’ve shown thus far - as opposed to the view that they don’t have the quality to play any better. But it seems to be getting under a few skins regardless.

Arnold has mentioned it more than a few times, even though he claims not to read what is being written. Captain Maty Ryan pointedly referred to the “outside noise” after beating Indonesia. “Football isn’t easy,” he said. “Everyone claims that it is from the outside.”

On face value, this would appear to be a classic case of a high-profile coach and his team being questioned and not liking it, which is fair enough. But those who have worked under Arnold see something different at play.

They see, in a roundabout way, a genius at work.

Are the Socceroos under siege from the outside world - or is Graham Arnold up to his old tricks?Credit: Getty

Arnold’s Socceroos are at their best with their backs to the wall - like when nobody gave them a chance of beating the UAE and Peru to reach the 2022 World Cup, or when they lost 4-1 to France in their opening match when they got there and ended up outclassing the ‘golden generation’ with wins over Tunisia and Denmark.

But at the Asian Cup, they are the ones with the target on their back - especially after the World Cup, where they did so well they naturally lifted external expectations. And expectation doesn’t really suit them, as we’ve seen here, at the 2019 edition, and in stages of World Cup qualifying.