Arnold hails Socceroos’ ‘perfect’ preparation
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold rated his team’s 2-0 defeat of Bahrain as the “perfect” preparation for Australia’s Asian Cup campaign, which starts next Saturday night against India.
An own goal from Bahrain defender Amine Benaddi and a Mitch Duke header secured the Socceroos victory in their Asian Cup warm-up clash in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
“It was a great hit-out,” Arnold told Paramount+.
“It was quite a physical game and playing against these types of nations, (and) how they sit back, as much as you can do presentations and train and get ready for it, it’s always great to play against opposition that play that way. It was the perfect game we could have had leading into the Asian Cup.”
Arnold gave Perth-born, Wales-raised Bolton Wanderers defender Gethin Jones his Socceroos debut, playing him at right-back in a starting back four that also included Cameron Burgess, Harry Souttar and Jordan Bos.
Midfielder Jackson Irvine captained the team in the absence of regular skipper, goalkeeper Mat Ryan, who is yet to fully recover from a fractured cheekbone he suffered last month.
Ryan’s unavailability also allowed Adelaide United gloveman Joe Gauci to earn his second Socceroos cap.
Apart from one sharp save in the second half, Gauci was rarely called into action against a Bahrain side that hardly threatened the Socceroos.
“These types of nations, especially against us, they always sit back and they always try to hit us on the counter attack,” Arnold said.
“It was important we had our rest defence strong, that we didn’t bomb too many players forward and get caught out on the break.
“They only had one shot at goal for the whole game, which is good.”
In attack, the Socceroos were at times clunky but that didn’t stop them taking the lead in the 35th minute when Benaddi turned the ball into his own net after fluffing his attempt to clear a dangerous, low cross from winger Craig Goodwin,
Goodwin was also involved in Australia’s second goal in the 61st minute, when he headed a far-post cross from midfielder Aiden O’Neill into the path of Duke, who nodded the ball home from close range.
Duke and Goodwin were later replaced as Arnold made six second-half changes as he further got players ready for next weekend’s Asian Cup Group B battle with India in Qatar.
The other starters to come off were Jones, Burgess, attacker Sammy Silvera and midfielder Connor Metcalfe.
The six players used off the bench were defenders Nathaniel
Atkinson, Kye Rowles and Aziz Behich, attacking pair Marco Tilio and Kusini Yengi and midfielder Riley McGree, in his international return from a foot injury.
“I made a number of changes, and used players who hadn’t played for quite a while,” Arnold said.
“It just shows you that (with) those six boys I brought on, how much depth we are creating and building.
“That’s pretty much what I’ve been trying to do for the past four years as well, build depth for the Socceroos because of the old-age group we had.
“You can see some of the younger boys coming on, they’re doing well, (and) they’ve got that experience.”