Socceroos won’t become distracted by Japan’s form slump, says Souttar

The Socceroos have the chance to do something they’ve never done before — defeat Japan in the land of the rising sun.

Scottish-born Souttar (C) has been representing Australia since 2019. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The Socceroos are refusing to become distracted by their storied rivalry with continental nemesis Japan in the lead-up to Tuesday night’s 2022 World Cup Qualifier.

The Aussies touched down in Tokyo this week ahead of their fourth meeting with Japan in as many World Cup qualification campaigns.

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In recent times, the Blue Samurai have had Australia’s measure — the Socceroos haven’t tasted victory against the Japanese since 2009 and have never beaten them on their home deck.

But Tuesday’s match presents the best opportunity in recent memory for the Aussies to snap the dry spell, and also to extend their record-breaking World Cup qualifying winning streak.

The Australians sit atop their World Cup qualifying group and will draw ever closer to qualification with another win on Tuesday.

The Socceroos are in the box seat to earn automatic qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Japan has struggled to find its rhythm, losing two of its last three clashes.

Most recently, the Japanese suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Saudi Arabians, who have only qualified for one of the last three World Cups.

Lose again on Tuesday, and Japan faces a tough road to automatic qualification.

The Socceroos insist, though, that while they are aware of the Blue Samurai’s current predicament, they haven’t allowed themselves to become caught up in thinking about their rivals’ desperation.

“We’re aware of every result in the group. I think it’d be silly of the lads not to look at the different results,” defender Harry Souttar told reporters on Sunday.

“But (Japan’s) form hasn’t been discussed by anyone. It’s all about ourselves.

“We know that they’re a good team and they’ll pose threats. We’re not stupid enough to think that they won’t carry a threat but we carry threats as well.”

Those threats helped the Aussies to enter the history books this week.

With their 3-1 win over Oman, the Socceroos set a new record for the longest winning streak (11 games) in a single World Cup qualifying campaign.

But Souttar said Australia was focused less on the milestone and more on improving upon what coach Graham Arnold called an “erratic” start to the last game.

“We weren’t at 100 per cent the other night, but the good thing was that we came away with three points nowhere near our best,” Souttar said.

“We know the levels we can get to and hopefully we can get to them on Tuesday.”

Souttar (L) says the Socceroos are focusing only on themselves ahead of the clash with Japan. (Photo by Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)

Due to local Covid-19 restrictions, the Socceroos have had to become kings of the road and win ten of their 11 straight wins away from Australia.

While Souttar conceded Australia hasn’t always performed to its potential in the jet-setting streak, he credited “family culture” for helping the side get the three points even when the chips were down.

“The family culture is massive, it’s a real thing that we’ve got,” he said.

“I think there’s a real family culture that helps us in the tough moments.”

Partner that with a “game-by-game” mentality, and the Socceroos have a winning formula.

“(It’s) one of the reasons we’ve done so well,” Souttar said.

“We’ve got 11 wins but we want to go for 12, we’re not happy with a 11, we’re always looking for the next one.”

Australia’s World Cup Qualifier against Japan commences at 9:14pm (AEDT) on Tuesday night.

Originally published as Socceroos won’t become distracted by Japan’s form slump, says Souttar