‘What I expect’: Arnie lays down the law as star Socceroos duo passed fit for Asian Cup opener
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has demanded a performance worthy of a legitimate Asian Cup contender when Australia opens its tournament campaign against minnows India on Saturday night.
But there was no confirmation on whether skipper and captain Mat Ryan, who continues to wear a mask at training to protect the cheekbone he fractured last month, would start the match despite having trained fully in the lead-up to the game.
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While Arnold dubbed his side’s 2-0 friendly win last weekend over Bahrain as the “perfect” preparation for Asian Cup, he wants more boldness, class and energy shown by the Socceroos in their opening Group B match at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Qatar
“I want to see some more individual quality one-v-one situations,” Arnold said.
“Those ones can change the game, and I think that we do have the players here … that have great one-v-one actions, and individual quality, and I want to see that.”
Arnold mentioned the likes of attacking weapons Martin Boyle, Sammy Silvera, Marco Tilio and Craig Goodwin, midfielder Riley McGree and left-back Jordan Bos as the Socceroos’ potential game-breakers.
“Yes, 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,” Arnold said.
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