Australia will return to an attacking game style under coach Graham Arnold, says Aziz Behich
SOCCEROOS fullback Aziz Behich has promised a return to the Australian attacking mentality, as Graham Arnold’s new-look national team prepares for its first hit out.
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SOCCEROOS fullback Aziz Behich has promised a return to the Australian attacking mentality, as Graham Arnold’s new-look national team prepares for its first hit out.
Likely to get the nod at left-back against Kuwait early on Tuesday (AEDT), Behich said the forwards selected by Arnold had the potential to “do some damage”, with the clock ticking towards Australia’s defence of the Asian Cup in January.
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Arnold is set to shed the emphasis on being hard to break down that predecessor Bert van Marwijk adopted at the World Cup in Russia, seeking goals from a variety of sources in the wake of Tim Cahill’s retirement.
For Behich – buoyed by a post-World Cup move to Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven - that means a licence to attack, and he played down the absence of Cahill and Mile Jedinak through retirement, and Mat Ryan and Aaron Mooy from injury.
“It’s definitely (more attacking),” Behich said. “I’ve never worked with Arnie before but I played against him in the A-League and his teams were always very difficult to defend against.
“It’s a really attacking game with the full-backs very high, which suits me. We have a lot of quality going forward who can do some damage - we showed we can defend well at the World Cup, now we’re focusing on hitting the back of the net more often.
“We’ve been working hard and nothing’s changed with the players who aren’t here. There’s a bit of fresh air with the new coaching staff.”
One of those attackers is the newly called up Martin Boyle, and though the Scottish-based winger won’t appear against Kuwait as he awaits international clearance, Behich has had the chance to appraise him close up during the side’s camp in the UAE this week.
“I’ve been rooming with Boyley, and he was telling me at the start how nervous he is,” Behich said.
“I told him that once he met the boys he’d realise how welcoming they are, and soon enough he was telling me that it felt like he already knew everyone.
“It makes the environment very comfortable so that newcomers can perform on the pitch, it’s a really tight group.
“I haven’t watched a lot of him play (for his club) but we saw straight away in training his pace, he’ll be a nightmare for defenders.”