The Socceroos are in the midst of an incredible 11-match winning streak, and a positive result against Japan tomorrow puts them on the brink of qualification for Qatar, even with several matches still to come.
But despite that run, coach Graham Arnold said he wasn’t reflecting on the accomplishment.
“I expect 12 straight tomorrow night, so why celebrate or reflect on something that’s not over?” Arnold said.
Japan’s campaign has already fallen into relatively precarious territory, taking just three points from nine to start the final qualifying stage.
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The Samurai Blue’s sluggish start means a draw would keep Australia six points clear of arguably their biggest rivals, and a win for the visitors would push the gap all the way out to nine.
Arnold said that Japan’s slow start to World Cup qualification wasn’t an indictment, but rather a reflection of the improvement of others.
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“There’s a lot of people that underestimate the quality of a lot of the Asian sides,” he told reporters ahead of Australia’s clash with Japan tomorrow night.
“You can’t take any opposition lightly at all, and for me, that’s what I’ve been driving here with the boys.”
Currently, both Australia and Saudi Arabia are a perfect nine points from nine with no other team having gained more than three. The top two in the group stage go straight to the World Cup, with third entering the play-offs.
“Every team has strengths in Asia. The places that you go, the conditions that you can play in, and how quickly, with the travel, you have to play those games,” Arnold said.
“For us, we haven’t been able to play at home for nearly two years now and that’s just the way it is.”
Australia are fresh off consecutive win number 11, which was a ‘home’ game against Oman in Qatar.
It’s now been more than two years since the Socceroos last played a match on Australian soil, but the ability to carve out results without any sort of support has only made the team stronger.
“It’s brought the team’s morale very, very close together,” Arnold said.
“You can hear the laughing and the joking and the fun that they’re having at the same time and for me, that’s one of the most important things. When you’re playing for your national team that’s the icing on the cake in your life and your career, and you’ve got to enjoy it.”
Arnold said there “probably won’t be any shocks” in the system that Japan play, and praised their movement and energy.
“It’s about making sure we’re aware of what their strengths are, and making sure we nullify those strengths,” he said.
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