'No one's been given guarantees': Arnold provides Socceroos squad update

With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ fast approaching, Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold has given an update on how his squad is progressing ahead of the November tournament. 

The countdown is on. 

We are under 100 days away from the start of the Socceroos' fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup. 

Only one international window separates 32 nations from the 2022 edition of the World Cup, the first to take place in November and December.

During that international window, the Socceroos will play New Zealand twice in September to mark the Centenary celebration of the first Australian "A" international matches and provide preparation for the tournament. 

Having taken a break after a taxing qualification campaign, Arnold said his team’s preparation for the looming World Cup was progressing well. 

“It’s getting closer and the planning is going very well,” Arnold told socceroos.com.au. 

“A crucial part of going to a World Cup is making sure we get the planning right. 

“The most important thing is that the boys have started their competitions again, they're back playing and a lot of boys are doing extremely well. 

It’s been nearly two months since our last game and I can’t wait for our next camp to come. It's a great thing that we can celebrate 100 years and it's a great opportunity for fans to say goodbye but for me, it's more about winning those two games and seeing where the players are at.

“With three days in between the two games, it will be an extended squad and there will be pretty much two teams that play in those two games.

“I want to give as many players as I can a chance to get in that 26 to go to the World Cup and we're already monitoring players as it is now.”

A number of Socceroos have made transfer moves in a bid for more playing time ahead of the World Cup. 

Mat Ryan left Spain’s top flight for Denmark, Martin Boyle returned to Hibernian while Aziz Behich also joined Dundee United in Scotland and Trent Sainsbury found a new home in Qatar.

READ: Mat Ryan signs for Danish champions F.C. Copenhagen

WATCH: Boyle, Sainsbury, Taggart & Duke all score

Arnold revealed that he stressed the importance of regular match minutes to his players straight after the Peru victory. 

“I said to the boys straight after the Peru match that the next four months was about getting them physically ready,” he said. 

"When we do get to Qatar, it’s a very short World Cup because the games come very quickly compared to the normal games every three days so the boys need to be in the best shape of their careers, the fittest they have ever been and be ready to go. 

“As I've said the boys, no one's signed the contract and no one's been given any guarantees. It’s all about form and it's all about them being ready. 

“It's great to see that a lot of them have moved clubs from where they weren't playing. For example, Maty Ryan wasn't playing at Sociedad last season. He only played five games and that was starting to become a bit of a concern so he moved to Copenhagen where he will probably get 24 games before the World Cup. Those types of things have been great.”

Arnold also said he has been in regular contact with his players, including Awer Mabil who recently made his La Liga debut. 

“I reach out to a lot of the boys weekly,” he explained. 

Awer is in great shape and he said he feels the best he’s ever felt. He's excited, he's doing well and that's exactly what we need for the national team. 

“The players are doing it on their own at their clubs so when we do come into camp, there is a great culture of mateship and that’s how you get the best out of them.”