‘No excuses’ says Metcalfe as Socceroos move camp to Doha

It is an exciting time for the Subway Socceroos squad as they return to similar surroundings in Doha to prepare for their opening AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ match against India on Saturday.

Midfielder Connor Metcalfe (cap #611) said the mood in the camp is high and everyone is thrilled to get going in Qatar.

READ MORE: Our History vs India
READ MORE: How To Watch: Australia at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™

“We're all excited, all the boys are pretty relaxed, we had the day off yesterday, just got the recovery in and today as well was pretty relaxing,” he said.

“So yeah, looking forward to it and the hotel is lovely and I think everyone's excited.”

Looking back on the Bahrain game, Metcalfe agreed with Graham Arnold in that it was the ideal warmup fixture for the Asian Cup.

“It was a tough game but, I felt like we played really well considering the conditions of the way they played," he said.

“There's stuff we need to work on, but we'll get that done this week and prepare for the weekend.”

For Metcalfe it will be his first major tournament for the Socceroos and that makes the experience all the more special for him.

“I'm ready to go I can't wait to start this campaign off to be honest, it is my first real tournament with the national team and I'm just really excited to see how we go,” he said.

“For me personally, I'm representing my country and that's unbelievable, even when it's a friendly or for qualifying matches, but when it's a tournament, it's just feels like it's just different, each game really matters, and I just can't wait to play.”

Looking towards the India match and the rest of the group stages, Metcalfe explained what he felt the team needed to do better.

“For us it would just be really taking our chances and being as just a lot more dangerous, because I know that we've got the quality to do it, and I think it's just about executing it,” he said.

But for Metcalfe, the focus now is doing the country proud and he said, “there's really no excuses”.

“This hotel is amazing and I'm sure the facilities at the football pitch will be unbelievable as well, so we've got everything we need to go out there and smash it.”

Every AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 match will be live on Paramount+

READ MORE: How To Watch: Australia at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™