Caltex Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold says the national side is perfectly poised for an enormous 2020 after a year of widespread change.
With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the Copa America and the continuation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar qualifying campaign on the horizon, Arnold is preparing for a defining year which will put his forces to the test on multiple fronts.
But Arnold says the new-look Caltex Socceroos are prepared for what the world is about to throw at them, all thanks to the mass-upheaval in the national camp which defined a transitional 2019.
“For me mentally right form the start in my job... it was all about transition,” Arnold told RSN Breakfast Club.
“It was all about creating more depth in the Socceroos and giving more people the opportunity to show what they can do.”
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That opportunity came for multiple aspiring Aussies at the start of 2019, in a testing AFC Asian Cup campaign which the Caltex Socceroos ultimately bowed out of in the Quarter Finals.
The Green and Gold failed to defend their Asian crown but that didn’t phase Arnold, who had his sights set on longer term goals which he believes the Caltex Socceroos are only now reaping the rewards from.
“The Asian Cup in January wasn’t a failure in my eyes, Arnold said.
“We brought some good players through; (Awer) Mabil stepped up, Chris Ikonomidis stepped up.“
“It gave the opportunity to a player like Jackson Irvine who didn’t get much of a chance to start under Bert van Marwijk beforehand.”
From the AFC Asian Cup onwards, Arnold was brave in his squad selection throughout 2019, bringing in five debutants over the calendar year: Sydney FC’s Andrew Redmayne and Brandon O’Neill, Portsmouth’s Ryan Williams, SC Freiburg attacker Brandon Borello and Fleetwood Town’s giant centre back Harry Souttar.
As these players earned their first caps for the national side and bedded into Arnold’s squad, the Caltex Socceroos boss kept a close eye on both them and his established players, as he worked to discover the assets each individual player brought to his squad.
“For me to get to know the players, as a coach you can always sit and watch them from afar and see technically they’re good, tactically they can do the right things in a game plan and physically what their output is,” Arnold said.
“But the hardest thing to do in coaching is get to know them mentally, unless you work with them every day and see how their attitudes are, the energies they bring into camp and the energy they bring to the team.
“For me, that was the most important thing to do over the first 12 months.
“I’ve felt with the World Cup Qualifiers so far we’ve been doing well, but there’s a lot more that I expect from this team, there’s a lot more these players can give.
”The addition of Martin Boyle and Souttar that were not part of the Socceroos in the Asian Cup, the loss of Aaron Mooy at the Asian Cup – and you can see what he’s doing now [for Brighton & Hove Albion] – it’s very promising for the future ahead.”
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The search for a new leader continues
Arnold is preparing to take the Caltex Socceroos into an exciting new year without a designated captain as the search goes on for the right player to fill the gaping void left by seemingly eternal leaders Tim Cahill, Mile Jedinak and Mark Milligan who have all retired under Arnold’s tutelage.
But the search for a new leader is already in full swing, as Arnold has given a number of his senior players the chance to lead their country into battle over the course of 2019.
“That’s already begun [the captaincy search],” Arnold said.
“From what I saw before I took charge of the team, Timmy and Mile were very, very strong leaders with Mark Milligan as sort of the back up at the time.
“As soon as I got to that first camp in Turkey and got into the job it was more about building a leadership group, to see who is ready to step up into those leadership roles.
“Again, if I talk about the transitional side of things over the last 14 or 15 months, I’ve given four or five players the opportunity to captain the nation, to see how they handle it and see their performance.
“The last two games Maty Ryan has been captain and done it very well, when I gave Mathew Leckie the captaincy against Kuwait he stepped up and scored two goals, did a great job, Sainsbury has been a captain in the past on and off, Aziz Behich I gave the captaincy to against South Korea.
“We’ve built a leadership group within the team and they take ownership of some off-field decisions, so therefore I feel now... we’re in a great state.”
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Shaking up South America
As 2019 comes to an end, a new year of exciting opportunity awaits for the Caltex Socceroos. With the extensive changes made to the outlook of the national side over a transitional year, Arnold says his side can now look forward to the fruits of their labour; taking a settled squad into the 2020 Copa America and beyond.
“I just see [the Copa America] as a great life experience for everyone,” Arnold said.
“Of course we’re going to go there and give it a great shot, I expect to go there and win a few games.
“Top four in each group [of six] go through to the Quarter Finals; that’s our first goal to get into the Quarter Finals and I can’t see why we cant.
“On the playing side of it, it’s a great opportunity to see players and see how they perform, and be ready for that next phase of World Cup qualifiers.”
Arnold looking forward to more home games in 2020
While 2019 was about putting roots into the soil, Arnold believes next year will see his budding Green and Gold side grow in stature and take the national team to the next level.
“2020 is a huge year for Australian Football. In terms of national teams, the Copa America, and for life experience for a lot of those players who have never played in South America to play against different styles and a different way is a great opportunity for all.
“All you want is a great relationship between [the players] and the fans, we’ve got wonderful fans.
“The fans this year saw [the Caltex Socceroos] once in the whole year against Nepal down in Canberra – it’s nowhere near enough.
“The Socceroos now this year have at least five or six games here in Australia, that will draw the fans closer to them.
“At the same time, player’s performances also catch the eye of the fans and that’s how they make themselves heroes.
“The fans will get to recognise a new generation of players coming through, I’ve got great belief in the kids coming that are through, you see a lot of good young boys in the A-league performing well, I think we’re looking healthy for the future ahead.”
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