Subway Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold spoke to the media via zoom from Doha, after Australia learned its opponents for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qatar™ on Thursday.
The Aussies have been pitted in Group B alongside India, Syria and Uzbekistan with the tournament set to take place between 12 January and 10 February 2024.
Read the full transcript of his main points below.
READ MORE: Australia's AFC Asian Cup 2023 Match Schedule Confirmed
Being ready for our Group B opponents
We're going to have to do our homework straightaway on Uzbekistan, Syria and India. Again everything is about getting ourselves right. I think that we get our preparation and planning right, making sure the players are ready for it. Obviously, on the tactical side, we will be ready for all those three nations but you know, it's too early today to look further down the draw. All I'm focusing on is that group stage and making sure we do well in that group stage and win the group. And then when you win the group, it makes the next step a little bit easier, before you go into the quarter finals and that's important.
Meeting fellow international coaches at the FIFA Coaches Forum
It was a fantastic couple of days for me I have to be honest. To sit there with the coaches and discuss many things moving forward as well with FIFA about the next World Cup and past issues, but to be able to sit and socialise a little bit with those type of coaches was great fun. One thing that comes across really well was you do understand why they probably achieve what they achieve.
And that is because they're great people first and foremost and they know how to get the best out of people and you know they were very complimentary of the Socceroos and what we did at the World Cup. But as I did myself yesterday, I ripped the page out of my diary and the date of yesterday and it's a whole new chapter and I think the the coaches review really put the final nail if I can say that in that campaign. It's over now. And obviously there's great memories there. There's nothing really that we can look at that is too negative, but we can learn from and move forward now the next campaign.
Interaction with Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni at forum
He came over to me and gave me a hug and said how much they appreciated the game against us. He felt we were the hardest game for them at the World Cup but also, he loved the way we played and the players' attitude, the fight and the grit in our performance and as I said he was very, very complimentary to us.
Learnings from the previous Asian Cup experience in 2019 to now
I look back and obviously what we could have done better and I've learned from it. I look at it in a totally different way today. I was only four months into the job. You know I had retirements of Timmy Cahill and Mile Jedinak and an ageing group. So I didn't really have as much knowledge as I have now about Asian Football at the time because as I said, I've been back in club coaching for eight or nine years. So all those type of things were new to me and no doubt I made mistakes.
But you know now is a completely different story. We've got more of a settled roster, more of a settled team. Been in the job now for five years. I've learned a lot about Asian Football. Obviously, what's going to be crucial is we get our preparation right, our planning right. As I said, I've been with these boys now for five years but we've got a very important six months ahead. You know with obviously the planning, the preparation, we've got friendly games. We've got World Cup qualifiers in November. So we've got a very busy program in front of us but you know, personally myself, I will go into this tournament with much more belief in myself as well that now knowing Asia much better than what I did. My expectations will be even higher.
Groundwork crucial for successful Asian Cup
All that belief and expectations comes from the head coach and comes from myself and as I said the staffing is nearly settled for me. The players know exactly what my expectations are and what I expect from them. So they showed at the World Cup, what their level is, and I expect that again. So we go into this tournament, as I said with more of a settled roster, but I've got six months to make that roster bigger as well. I intend to do that over the next three camps, three windows where we've got some, friendly games that are still important because of our rankings. But I also give that opportunity to other players that we need to look at because yes, this Asian Cup is first and foremost, on my mind. It's our first step and our first goal is to go there and be successful, but also in the back of my mind is also the World Cup and qualifiers for 2026. Making sure that we get everything right is important.
Managing the relationships with clubs to release players for the tournament midseason
Obviously the club's probably won't be too thrilled about it, but as you said they have to release the players and you know for once nearly all the A-League players will be 100% fit ready to go, because it'll be in the middle of the A-League (season). So it's a timing that, obviously because of the conditions, the weather here in in Doha in January, makes it possible for the players' welfare with the heat that also you can't do it in June or July because of those temperatures. But you know, the boys will no doubt be ready for these games. So it'd be halfway through their season, so they'll all be top fit and at their peak and ready to go and I expect that they'll be ready for that.
Speaking to the older players about their Subway Socceroos futures
It's not my job to retire players really. It's a mutual agreement because of my respect that I have for players and I know how difficult it is. But all the older players I've outlined to them, let's do one step at a time. And that one step is the Asian Cup. Most of them are 30, 31 years of age. They've still got definitely 12 months in them. But you know, I'm not going to push away the older players now that you know could be on the edge of not making the next World Cup straightaway because who knows they could do it. So at the World Cup, you saw some of the older players, the best players in the World Cup in (Lionel) Messi and (Olivier) Giroud and these guys are 35, 36 years of age. And also what's important is the older players' leadership around the younger boys. If you're going to bring younger players through and give them the opportunity to play well you need the boys, some senior boys out on the pitch to show good leadership and help them.
So as I said, yes, I've had the conversation with the older players. There's none at this moment that are saying, they don't want to be part of the Asian Cup and that's all I want them to focus on is up until March next year. Then we can have a conversation after the Asian Cup with some of the older ones. So whether you know it's time to move on or move forward or continue. So, as I said, I like that side of it to be the player's decision with a conversation for myself then rather just retiring them.
Facing England at Wembley in October
You're already putting a smile on my face because you know the Socceroos have never played at Wembley. I spoke to Gareth Southgate the other day at the coaches review and they're expecting a full house because the number of Australians that live over there or being part of Australia. So you know that rivalry, that cricket rivalry will come back with Australia versus England in the Ashes. And this will be a great opportunity for us on the football field to do the same. So we're looking forward to it, it's one step at a time. It's making sure that we get the players ready for that but now already, the players are hugely excited to play there.
AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ - Australia's Group B Matches
Australia v India
Date: Saturday, 13 January 2024
Venue: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Kick-off: 2:30pm local, 10:30pm (AEDT)
Syria v Australia
Date: Thursday, 18 January 2024
Venue: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha
Kick-off: 2:30pm local, 10:30pm (AEDT)
Australia v Uzbekistan
Date: Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Venue: Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha
Kick-off: 2:30pm local, 10:30pm (AEDT)
A PDF version of the Match Schedule can be found HERE.