In the recently announced draw for the Asian qualifying round of the World Cup, Australia were drawn in Group B with China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Vietnam. In an exclusive interview with national media "my football", Australian national team manager Graham Arnold revealed that the team is quite pleased with the result of the group.
With a particular emphasis on the clash with Japan, Australia are not only looking forward to playing the top-ranked team in Asia, but skipper Arnold is excited to be reunited with Japan coach Morihiro Ichi, a former Sanfrecce teammate from Hiroshima. Arnold recalled: "I think the draw is pretty ideal and every game in the Top 12 will be a tough test. The fact that we are grouped with strong teams from the Middle East and East Asia is certainly a good challenge."
The article mentions that even though Australia advanced to the group stage in the 2018 FIFA World Cup by finishing third in the group, the experience was fresh in their minds. Arnold said that facing two old rivals, Japan and Saudi Arabia, again would be a big advantage for the team.
It is worth noting that Australia played seven of their matches away from home in the World Qualifiers. Arnold said: "The whole team is very happy with the results of the group, we are full of confidence and believe in these young players. We're getting used to playing away from home, especially in the Middle East where we've played a lot of matches," Arnold said. The players are getting more comfortable playing away from home, which is great."
Arnold concluded by emphasizing, "It's always a relief when things clear up and now we can start planning for the Big 12. The key thing is whether or not we can host the Top 12 in Australia, which we may or may not be able to achieve. That will be one of the things that Football Federation Australia will have to be clear about next week or after: whether we will be playing at home or whether we will have to travel overseas for the tournament."
