Ahead of the Socceroos opening World Cup clash with Chile, midfielder Matt McKay takes us inside the build-up to the match, what it means to play at the World Cup and how they are planning to defy the odds.
Q: How grueling has the camp been since you have come into camp?
MM: It is getting on to a month now. At the start it was getting everyone on board, there were some new players who were in camp for the first time. For the first few weeks it was matter of working mostly on our fitness now we have been more focused on tactical work.
Q: How does it compare to what you have undertaken in pre-season with your clubs before?
MM: The intensity is really high. With a club you might do double sessions we are not doing them. Every session is very hard and long, you have to think it is not just physical work, there is also a lot of ball. In the games we are going to play we will come under a lot of pressure and we are going to have to be very disciplined throughout.
Q: You came into camp as one of the more experienced players how has that been considering it is your first World Cup?
MM: I played a part in the qualification so I have been around for a while. All the players that came in are very experienced at their clubs. It has been great to be able to exchange stories and hear from players who are playing all over the world.
Q. It seems from the outside that there has been a big improvement with every game is that how you have seen the warm-up games so far?
MM: The manager had his point of view and everyone has started to grasp that and hopefully that shows in the next three games. Everyone has worked hard and tried to grasp everything Ange is asking of us.
Q. I imagine playing a World Cup is a life-long dream for yourself, is it now a matter of trying to balance that excitement with keeping calm and relaxed?
MM: This is what everyone dreams about but you need to keep relaxed as well. I have been working extremely hard at training and I’m desperate to get some game time.
Q. You narrowly missed out on the team for 2010 did that spur you on to make the 2014 World Cup Squad?
MM: It all changes with different managers and I was lucky that Holger gave me a chance and I have managed to take that chance. The qualification campaign made me even more determined.
Q. You burst on to the scene for the Asian Cup in 2011, how does the build-up to the World Cup compare?
MM: The World Cup is a lot bigger. The Asian Cup was a very quick build-up so it was quite different.
Q. You face three of the toughest teams in World football, most would suspect that would cause you to play very defensively but so far it doesn’t seem like that will be the case?
MM: We will take the game to our opponents and that is the hallmark of Ange’s teams. We will be brave and take it to teams. We know what to expect from the three teams we will be facing but they don’t know what to expect from us, as we are new team with a new coach. We are going to give it a red-hot go and everyone believes in what we are trying to do.
