By Vince Rugari
The Socceroos will need to get past both Saudi Arabia and Japan to reach the final of the Asian Cup after Graham Arnold’s men were saddled with a difficult but manageable draw for next year’s tournament.
Arnold was back in the familiar surrounds of Doha for Thursday night’s ceremony as Australia landed in Group B, alongside India and two tricky foes in Syria and Uzbekistan.
Graham Arnold’s third Asian Cup assignment with the Socceroos is a tricky one.Credit: Getty
On face value, the group is tough enough, but it is the broader machinations of the tournament that present the biggest threats, as the Socceroos have landed on the same side of the draw as two of Asia’s perennial powerhouse nations.
Assuming all the favourites top their groups and win their initial knockout matches, Australia is on a collision course with Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals and then Japan in the semis. The Socceroos lost to both during their qualification mission for last year’s World Cup.
But as Arnold pointed out, there are no easy draws at the pointy end of international football, and if the Socceroos are good enough, which their stirring performances in Qatar suggest they should be, there will be no reason to fear the challenge in front of them.
“Very happy with that draw,” Arnold said.
“Qualifying for a World Cup is important, but this is just as important to me and for the nation. You always have to go into these tournaments with expectations to win it. We’ll give it a great shot.
2023 Asian Cup draw
Group A: Qatar, China PR, Tajikistan, Lebanon
Group B: Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, India
Group C: IR Iran, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong China, Palestine
Group D: Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, Vietnam
Group E: Korea Republic, Malaysia, Jordan, Bahrain
Group F: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyz Republic, Oman
“Obviously, having the familiarity with playing here in Qatar will help us as well. It’s been a home away from home for the Socceroos over the last couple of years, due to COVID, but also with the World Cup qualifiers and the World Cup.
“We’re very comfortable here. We’re familiar with the stadiums, the surroundings, and we’re looking forward to getting this Asian Cup under way.”
It would take a disaster of epic proportions for the Socceroos to stumble in the group stage. India, ranked 101 in the world, should be no match for the Socceroos.
However, Syria have given them plenty of headaches in recent times, most notably in a two-legged World Cup qualification play-off in the final weeks of Ange Postecoglou’s reign as coach back in 2017, when an Omar Al-Somah free kick famously rattled goalkeeper Maty Ryan’s left post. Had it gone in, Australia would have missed the World Cup.
They met again at the last Asian Cup in 2019, where the Socceroos only just squeaked home, after which Australia went on to face Uzbekistan in the round of 16, scraping through on penalties.
Omar Al-Somah’s free kick nearly saw Syria knock the Socceroos out of World Cup qualifying in 2017.Credit: AP
China were the original hosts for the Asian Cup, but pulled out due to the country’s zero-COVID policy, with Qatar and their suite of brand-new stadiums parachuted in as a replacement. The timing of the tournament has also been pushed back, with the first match to be played on January 12 – right in the middle of the European season.
With a spot in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico virtually assured by FIFA’s expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, including eight slots for AFC nations, this tournament looms as the biggest challenge of Arnold’s new contract period.
Arnold has had two previous cracks at Asian supremacy, but has failed to progress the Socceroos past the Asian Cup quarter-finals on each occasion.
In 2019, the Socceroos suffered a shock first-up defeat to Jordan but recovered to get out of their group, only to lose 1-0 to the UAE in the quarters after an errant backpass from Milos Degenek was duly punished.
Arnold said the team was in a very different position now.
“Last time it was with an older group of players and I had to find some youngsters, but this time we’re more settled as a group,” Arnold said.
“I’ve been in the job now for nearly five years, so I’m very familiar with all the players and what they expect from us and my expectations from them. We’re going into this tournament with a great mindset and looking forward to doing well.”
Arnold was also at the helm of the national team at the 2007 edition during his first stint as coach, but despite boasting an experienced, high-quality squad – filled with “golden generation” players who starred at the previous year’s World Cup in Germany – Australia managed just one win, against Thailand in the group stage, before they were knocked out of the round of 16 by Japan in a penalty shootout.
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