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Much time has passed since the last Asian Cup. That is true in a literal sense \u2013 a COVID-enforced delay of the 2023 edition means five years will have gone when the Socceroos play the next instalment of the quadrennial tournament.<\/p>\n
But it is also the case when considering what has happened since January 2019: the retirements of Tim Cahill, Mile Jedinak and Mark Milligan, a global pandemic that shut down football, near-failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, Graham Arnold\u2019s near-sacking, Andrew Redmayne\u2019s penalty-shootout spectacular against Peru, the World Cup in Qatar and all of its historic scenes, Arnold\u2019s renaissance.<\/p>\n
It is little surprise then that, less than six weeks out from the start of the Asian Cup in Doha, the Socceroos coach is far more relaxed. That, five-and-a-half years into his tenure, he sees the task in an altogether different light to the 2019 tournament, when a team he had been overseeing for only a few months lost in the quarter-finals to host nation the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompletely, completely,\u201d Arnold said on Wednesday. \u201cLast time, we came in [and] had to deal with an old playing group after Russia [2018 World Cup]. I didn\u2019t know a lot of the players that well \u2013 obviously to say hello to, but coaching wise I had to completely change the culture after Bert van Marwijk. I had four months pretty much from when I took over in September or August to January.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis time I\u2019ve been working with these boys now for five years and [there are] younger players coming through with the Tokyo Olympics. Honestly, I do have one eye on the Olympics with this, for Paris it\u2019s very important that [Olyroos coach] Tony Vidmar gets his best team ready \u2013 I think it\u2019s been shown over the years how important the Olympic program is for the Socceroos. So for this Asian Cup, I feel a lot more relaxed.\u201d<\/p>\n
It feels somehow appropriate that Arnold is at CommBank Stadium to announce that the Socceroos will resume their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign against Lebanon on March 21. The last time Australia played Lebanon was also in Sydney, in his third match in charge. That night in November 2018 was Cahill\u2019s international farewell, and also the night Martin Boyle announced himself with a brace. Boyle missed the 2019 Asian Cup and then the 2022 World Cup due to injury but now finally appears in with a chance to perform on the big stage.<\/p>\n
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Graham Arnold has a lot to consider when selecting his Asian Cup squad.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n These are all just pieces of the puzzle representing a complex few years for the men\u2019s national team. And though Arnold has more certainty, there are still variables galore in this World Cup cycle, and most have to do with the side\u2019s membership in the Asian Football Confederation. The Socceroos have just experienced the region\u2019s unique geopolitical issues, having played Palestine in Kuwait instead of the West Bank last month.<\/p>\n Now the AFC\u2019s schedule presents a selection conundrum as Arnold prepares to name his 23-man Asian Cup squad this month, and it has a lot to do with that \u201cone eye on the Olympics\u201d. The Olyroos will attempt to qualify for Paris 2024 at April\u2019s Under-23 Asian Cup but, while clubs are required to release players for the Asian Cup, which falls in a FIFA international window, they are not obligated to do so for Olympic qualifiers.<\/p>\n It means Arnold has to consider the possibility that, should he select young stars such as Nestory Irankunda, Garang Kuol and Nectar Triantis for the Asian Cup, clubs may not be willing to release them to the Olyroos so soon after. Sandwiched between the two are the Socceroos\u2019 next World Cup qualifiers in March, home and away to Lebanon.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m working very closely with Tony to get everything right in terms of player selection for both,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cBecause this Asian Cup was meant to be over six months ago, and obviously the Olympic qualifiers have been moved from January back to April, so it\u2019s important that we get our planning and our preparation right.\u201d<\/p>\n Nestory Irankunda may not get a call-up to the Asian Cup if Graham Arnold prioritises his presence with the Olyroos.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n The problem would not exist had it not been for COVID-19, concerns over which prompted China to relinquish hosting rights, which were snapped up by Qatar. The tournament was rescheduled for January-February \u2013 in the middle of the European season, where many of the current Socceroos play.<\/p>\n \u201cIt suits the Middle East nations but I can imagine [Hajime] Moriyasu in Japan and Jurgen Klinsmann at South Korea are probably having the same issues we\u2019re having with clubs at the moment because all of our boys are playing in Europe,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cA lot of our boys, if they do come for the Asian Cup, they can miss eight club games, so it\u2019s quite a period there.\u201d<\/p>\n But the Asian Cup is important, and not just because Australia would like to emulate their 2015 home triumph under Ange Postecoglou. The 25th-ranked Socceroos have been gradually climbing the FIFA rankings since their World Cup round-of-16 appearance against eventual champions Argentina, and earning rankings points from a big tournament could play a crucial part in the third round of qualifying.<\/p>\n The third round of Asian qualifying for the expanded 2026 tournament will, for the first time, feature three groups of six, to be drawn from pots that split up the best-ranked sides so they don\u2019t have to play each other. The top two teams from each of the groups will qualify directly for the 2026 finals.<\/p>\n Australia are Asia\u2019s fourth highest-ranked side behind Japan (17), Iran (21) and South Korea (23), meaning they would not be the top seed in their group.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the way the World Cup qualifiers will be, at this moment we will be in pot two,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cOne, two and three are all [pot] one, and then we are the best-ranked second-pot team. So it\u2019s important, if we can, to do really well and get up to pot one.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you do well at the Asian Cup and your ranking goes up, it makes our World Cup qualifiers and draw better for us. That\u2019s the message to the players.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of who he selects, Arnold said: \u201cThe time of giving chances is pretty much over \u2013 that\u2019s what the last seven months have been all about.\u201d<\/p>\n He will be without striker Brandon Borrello (foot) and defender Ryan Strain (groin), while midfielder Riley McGree (foot) is racing the clock. But Arnold would not be drawn on specifics, including naturalised Uruguayan Bruno Fornaroli\u2019s revival as the A-League Men\u2019s top goal scorer with Melbourne Victory.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve known Bruno and what he can do for a long, long time,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think they\u2019re at their best at the moment, the A-League players, because they\u2019ve only had four or five games. I think the best is still yet to come for the A-League players.\u201d<\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary.<\/i><\/b> Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Watch every match of the<\/b> UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League<\/b> and<\/b> UEFA Europa Conference League<\/b> on Stan Sport. All the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand, with select matches in 4K UHD.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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