Socceroos defender Trent Sainsbury says the Socceroos won’t get carried away by one win, adamant they still have plenty to do to prove the doubters wrong.
Friday night’s 4-1 drubbing of Kuwait may have given the side the perfect start to their AFC Asian Cup tilt but it was just the third victory in 13 games under coach Ange Postecoglou.
It’s why there’s no chance the side will be taking their foot off the gas against what should be a desperate Oman in Sydney on Tuesday night.
“We’re going to be desperate also,” Sainsbury declared on Sunday.
“We’re at home, we have a point to prove and we want to get that three points.
“As a team we’ve been copping a bit of criticism in recent games. Now we’re on home soil and we’re going to show the fans what we’re made of.”
It’s not just the team that has something to prove but Sainsbury himself, after he got the nod to start in central defence to partner Matthew Spiranovic, ahead of close mate Alex Wilkinson.
“It gives me a great deal of confidence from Ange to put me in the team,” Sainsbury dais.
“Hopefully I did enough to keep that spot and make it my own. There’s plenty of players that are pushing me for my spot and competition for spots is great.
“The more games (Spiranovic and I) play together the better understanding you get. If we keep working and continue to play well during the tournament hopefully we can both nail down the spots.”
With just three full days between their first and second group match, Sainsbury said much of the preparation for the Oman match has focused around ice baths, massage and recovery in the pool.
When they do manage to get on the park on Monday, there is sure to be some work on defending set pieces given the way Kuwait opened the scoring from a corner in Melbourne.
“We’ve had little discussions about it but we haven’t done it as a whole team,” Sainsbury said.
“The team conceded the goal, not just the defence. But we’re going to have a look at it and see what we can come up with.
“We got off to a great start against Kuwait but this games just as equally important if not more so.
“If we get that three points we’re through so it’s a massive game for us and Australia.”
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