In the opening match of the World Qualifier 12, the Chinese team ushered in a strong opponent - Australia. Restricted by the epidemic in their own country, the Australian team encountered many difficulties in the preparation process, but its head coach Arnold in an interview, still firmly said that they will go all out, and strive to win all three points in the first game. He said bluntly, "The match against China is a must-win for us. I expect to get at least six points in the first two games."
Arnold traveled to Dubai, UAE directly after leading the Australian National Olympic Team to the Tokyo Olympics. However, the Australian team's first home game could not be scheduled on home soil due to the Australian government's requirement that all arrivals must first be quarantined for 14 days, which caused a lot of problems for the team's preparations.
The Australian team also faces an unprecedented challenge in terms of player recruitment. Despite this, Arnold is confident of leading the team. He said, "We are likely to extend invitations to about 65 clubs and players with the aim of playing them in the 12-team tournament starting in September. The cycle of international match days designated by FIFA will not be changed due to the epidemic. We expect all the players called up to be in place, but there may be various conditions for the players to be in place due to the epidemic and the policies of each country or region on epidemic prevention and quarantine."
Arnold further explained the reason for the confidence, "We are fortunate to have about 30 players overseas who are doing well. Wherever we play, these overseas players can focus on competing. They want to come back to Australia and want to compete domestically, but if we have to rely on home-based players and start all of those home-based players, they might not compete because they have to be quarantined when they return."
Arnold emphasized, "We are ready. There are five to six days of concentration before the tournament, and then we get everyone ready." He revealed that during his time in Dubai, he has worked on two main areas: firstly, conducting an in-depth study of the rival Chinese team; and secondly, keeping an eye on the status of the overseas players.
Arnold said, "Overseas players have been doing well recently. For example, Tommy Rogic has reappeared and scored for Celtic, Mabiel has started scoring against Celtic in the Champions League; Martin Boyle has rediscovered his scoring touch with Herbots. There's a lot of good news like that. So we have a lot of very good players and I'm very optimistic about the future."
Arnold is even more excited about the fact that with Hrstic's impressive performance in the Top 40, Australia will be able to further diversify their playing style and have a wider selection of midfielders. In addition, Tommy Rogic and Mooy will return to the squad during the 12-team tournament.
Arnold said, "We have great midfielders like Mooy, Rogic, Hrstic and others like that. Tommy (Rogic) plays at No. 8 under Postecoglou, but I could play Rogic at a false No. 9, and then we have players like Jackson Irvine so that we have enough depth in the midfield."
Arnold said, "I can't wait for Australia's training camp to start immediately and to see all these players back. I'm not even a little bit worried about not being able to play at home."
Arnold is not worried about his side's match against China being moved to a third venue. He said, "We have played eight WC matches so far and we are one of the only two teams in the entire 40-team tournament to have won all eight matches, seven of which were away from home. What else does that give me to worry about? Right now, I'm positive and optimistic about the next two games. I expect to get six points in the first two games."
