Kuwait first up for Arnold's Australia

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will begin the preparations for their Asian Cup defence with a friendly against Kuwait next month as new coach Graham Arnold looks to build on the work done at their just-concluded training camp in Turkey.

Kuwait first up for Arnold's Australia

(Reuters)





Arnold succeeded Dutchman Bert van Marwijk after the Socceroos were dumped out of the World Cup group phase.

The former national team striker, in his second stint in the job having led the side for a year after the 2006 World Cup, said the camp had focused on building an attacking-style of play as he looks to replace the retired Tim Cahill.

"The fresh faces in camp did exceptionally well, they added a lot of energy to the training sessions and plenty of enthusiasm," he said of the five uncapped players he invited to the camp.

"We worked hard to add attacking layers to the strong defensive base the Socceroos had at this year's World Cup.

"The players understand what we need to achieve and it was valuable to have the time with them in Turkey, without the pressure of a game, so I am confident that we will take further strides forward during the October window."

The team will have another training camp in the United Arab Emirates before the match against Kuwait in Kuwait City on Oct. 15. They then face fellow Asian Cup finalists South Korea in Brisbane on Nov. 17 and Lebanon in Sydney three days later.

Kuwait did not qualify for the 2019 tournament, which is being hosted by the UAE.

Football Federation Australia have said the Lebanon match would be used to honour the 38-year-old Cahill, who called time on his international career after playing at his fourth World Cup in Russia.













(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Peter Rutherford)


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world