The character trait that has Socceroos boss Graham Arnold drawing comparisons with Ted Lasso

Socceroos boss Graham Arnold has drawn comparisons to fictional coach Ted Lasso due to his elite man management skills.

While Arnold’s expert knowledge of the world game is obvious, close friend and former assistant Phil Moss can see plenty of similarities between the pair.

Ted Lasso is a hit American TV series, where Hollywood actor Jason Sudeikis plays the role of Lasso, a former college NFL coach who is parachuted into a role with English Premier League club, AFC Richmond.

After a brutal start, Lasso’s methods soon win over the playing group and results follow.

‘Arnie would be the first to say that Ted Lasso resonates with him,’ Moss, an assistant coach under Arnold at the Central Coast Mariners (2010-2013) and then at Sydney FC (2017/18), said.

Ted Lasso is a hit American TV series, where Hollywood actor Jason Sudeikis plays the role of Lasso, a former college NFL coach who is parachuted into a role with an English Premier League club, AFC Richmond

‘Like Ted, he finds the silver lining in every cloud and is big on positive reinforcement, notably focusing on things that players do well…and then finding an honest way to address the things that players need to improve on.’

Moss went onto pinpoint why Arnold has been so successful as a manager, which began fulltime with Northern Spirit in the now defunct National Soccer League in 1998.

‘He genuinely cares about people,’ Moss told Fox Sports. ‘He treats them like human beings first and foremost.

‘He brings the family on the journey, so it’s not just about the player, it’s about the human being, the family behind the human.

‘Once you’ve got that in a good place and you’ve built a really strong relationship and trust is high, then you can get the best out of the footballer.’

Arnold’s success in Qatar has the football world talking.

Widely tipped to be whipping boys in Group D, Arnold has engineered remarkable back to back wins over Tunisia and Denmark in Doha.

Two clean sheets from skipper Mat Ryan saw the Socceroos finish group runners up behind France – and set up a daunting assignment with Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Sunday (6am, AEDT) in the round of 16.

But Arnold wouldn’t have it any other way.

‘We’ve been named the ‘invincible underdogs’ around the world. Everyone is an underdog until you have success,’ he said.

‘Nearly everyone in the world, at some stage in their life, has been an underdog. 

‘Australia’s the underdogs. We love that. We love our backs to the wall and no one giving us a chance.’