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SOCCEROOS RAMP UP ASIAN CUP PREPARATION WITH GRITTY WIN OVER BAHRAIN

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The Socceroos have officially kickstarted the preparations for the upcoming Asian Cup later in January with a tight 2-0 win over Bahrain in the UAE. Coach Graham Arnold took the opportunity to bleed some new faces into the squad, with the most notable debut being Bolton Wanderers star Gethin Jones. Midfielder Jackson Irvine took the armband in place of injured skipper Maty Ryan, as his availability for the tournament remains in doubt. Despite could be a seen as a disappointing showing in a warmup game, Arnold saw plenty of positives from the clash. “It was a great hitout,” Arnold told Paramount +. “It was quite a physical game, and playing against these types of nations, (and) how they sit back, as much as you can do presentations and train and get ready for it, it’s always great to play against opposition that play that way. “It was the perfect game that we could have had leading into the Asian Cup. “These types of nations, especially against us, they always sit back and they always t
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‘No excuses’ says Metcalfe as Socceroos move camp to Doha

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  Midfielder Connor Metcalfe (cap #611) said the mood in the camp is high and everyone is thrilled to get going in Qatar. “We're all excited, all the boys are pretty relaxed, we had the day off yesterday, just got the recovery in and today as well was pretty relaxing,” he said. “So yeah, looking forward to it and the hotel is lovely and I think everyone's excited.” Looking back on the Bahrain game, Metcalfe agreed with Graham Arnold in that it was the ideal warmup fixture for the Asian Cup. “It was a tough game but, I felt like we played really well considering the conditions of the way they played," he said. “There's stuff we need to work on, but we'll get that done this week and prepare for the weekend.” For Metcalfe it will be his first major tournament for the Socceroos and that makes the experience all the more special for him. “I'm ready to go I can't wait to start this campaign off to be honest, it is my first real tournament with the national team a
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