Aaron Mooy keen to prove doubters wrong with Australia

Australian midfielder Aaron Mooy is calling on his Huddersfield Town experience to produce a strong performance against France. The Socceroos are regarded as the underdogs heading into their opening World Cup game versus France but Mooy has refused to dismiss the team’s chances of picking up a positive result.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Mooy talked up his experience with Huddersfield, who picked up a shock win over Manchester United last season. The 27-year-old added that the Socceroos may have to adopt a similar approach on the playing field whereby they have to build up the frustration by restricting Les Bleus from scoring.

He said: “At Huddersfield we were never in a rush when we played the big teams. The more time they’ve got with the ball, the more chances they’ll create. It’s totally different to last year in the Championship. I learned a lot. We were never expected to win or get a point against them, just take your time and it upsets their rhythm a bit. There was lots of game like that for Huddersfield this season. It’s really tough, you don’t have the ball much, you’ve got to stay in the game, try, and create some chances.”

Australia have been pitted against France, Peru and Denmark in Group C of the World Cup and without doubt, they can be regarded as the weakest nation in this bunch. As such, the Asian champions should be eyeing a bit of luck on the playing field but for this, they may need to provide a solid base from the back which has often proved a weakness.

Meanwhile, their opponents France also have plenty of questions to answer following their disappointing 1-1 draw to the United States prior to the tournament. Les Bleus were typically held by a nation, who are on a transition phase and the pressure will most likely mount, should they fail to secure a comfortable win over Australia.