In both the France and Denmark matches, Australia have looked overawed for the first 15-20 minutes before settling into the match.

Now, with a place in the final 16 resting on the result against Peru and France beating Denmark, van Marwijk has told the squad to hit the ground running this time.

“The first 15 minutes against Denmark was not good, the rest was good,” he said.

“We have to start the way we played after 15-20 minutes – that’s very important… then you have to be yourself.

“You must have the body language that you have confidence and trust and that you are 100 per cent concentrated, that you know exactly what to do.

“That's very important.”

Van Marwijk appears set to keep the same tactics he has been perfecting since he took over at short notice in late January.

But he will be forced into a change in strikeforce through the dislocated shoulder injury to Andrew Nabbout.

“We will play the same type of football, only when the players has to be replaced then that will change something,” he said. “You don't have 23 exact same players.

“I have confidence in all my players. The only thing is that we have to reward ourselves for the work we do and the way we play, what we showed the world. 

“Everybody is positive, now we have to reward ourselves, the players know.”

Van Marwijk – who is tipped to join his Socceroos coach son-in-law Mark von Bommel in an advisory/assistant role at PSV in the Eredivisie after the World Cup – insisted he did not need top stars to get results.

“I am not a type who thinks the whole day I am proud,” he said. “I have tried to explain that if you can organise a good team, you don't always need the best players. 

“We proved if you work hard and work and believe in something and work always on details and the way you want to play and you repeat that everyday then you see that.

“Everybody is talking about it. We can reach a level. When a country like Australia plays against France, out of 10 times, you will lose eight or nine times.

“Now we have to create a situation where it is not eight or nine, but five or six. I think we are there. 

“When you see them play against Denmark, the players are in the top competitions – but we were the better team and we had 55 percent of the ball.”

With everything resting on the final two games being played simultaneously, van Marwijk is taking nothing for granted.

Peru are already eliminated, but the Socceroos won’t rule out the South Americans going all out to restore some pride at their first World Cup in 32 years.

But van Marwijk is also hopeful France will be determined to put on a top quality performance too with an emphatic win over Denmark to reinforce their claim to be world champion contenders.

“The players of France also have their own pride,” he said. “They won twice but they didn’t play well .

“they want to prove to the whole world they are one of the best teams. I believe they will do their upmost best.”

And on Peru, he added: “The opponent is an emotional team so you can expect everything. We have to trust our way of playing.

“I think that's the key so there is nothing to do with forcing some things.
Forcing things is only in the second half, and it depends on how the situation is.

“I don't think you must force something from the beginning. We must first get our natural rhythm that we play.”