One game at a time for Arnold, but Socceroos are here to win

The Subway Socceroos are now just two days out from their Asian Cup opener against India at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, in Al Rayyan.

Currently, India is ranked 102nd in the world while Australia are 25th, but for Graham Arnold, that hasn’t had an affect on the preparations going into the game.

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“It's one game at a time and our full focus is just on India, getting our game plan right and performance right,” he said.

“What's crucial is our energy, when we go out there on the pitch. I want movement off the ball all the time, runs in the back of people and making sure that the energy is right, and as I said, full focus is just on this first game of India.”

As well as movement off the ball, Arnold wants the players to back themselves in one-on-one situations, to help break down the defensive line of India and other teams in the tournament.

“I want to see some more individual quality in one v one situations, those can change the game,” he said.

“I think that we do have the players here - Boyle, Silvera, Tilio, Jordy Bos, Craig Goodwin, Riley McGree, these guys have great one v one actions and individual quality, and I want to see that.”

He added: “We will get nations that will sit back and try to frustrate us, so it's important that we're patient, and we stick to what we're good at, and that's moving the ball quickly, penetrating in behind and boys showing individual skill.”

The squad features a good mix of experience and newer players, and that is something that is exciting for Arnold.

“I am excited by this squad, we’ve got a lot of young players that bring a lot of energy, but I've said it before the most important ones are the senior ones and their leadership.”

That leadership has helped the current group gel together in Qatar, and for Arnold, the base in Doha is a home away from home.

“The fact that we're here in Doha where we don't have to get on buses to go distances to train or get on aeroplanes to change sites for games, means we're just settled in,” he said.

“I think it's a fantastic place for Qatar to have these types of tournaments, the boys and the staff have settled in really well.”

Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1745354863104377304

Arnold didn’t reveal much on the starting line-up plans for the India match, but he did say Matty Ryan and Riley McGree have been back to full training which makes the entire squad fit and ready to go.

Looking past the India match, and at the Asian Cup in full, Arnold said whilst the team is taking things one game a time, the Socceroos are here to win.

“Our expectations are high, and I always put high expectations on the boys, and they’ve shown over the last year against top opposition our standards and I expect them to be retained,” he said.

“The tactical side is very important, and we'll get that right, but also, it's down to the individual mentally to be prepared to go out there and put on his best performance, and that's what I expect.

“We're here to win seven games.”

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

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