Socceroos boss Arnold excited for future

Graham Arnold has expressed his excitement for Australia’s future after watching his side secure a last-gasp 1-1 draw against South Korea on Saturday.

Arnold kicked off his second stint in charge of the Socceroos with a 4-0 away win over Kuwait last month but looked to be heading for an underwhelming defeat in his first game back on home soil when Hwang Ui-jo took advantage of some generous defending after 22 minutes to put South Korea ahead.

There was late drama, however, as Massimo Luongo tapped in from close range three minutes into stoppage time to salvage a draw.

Australia are preparing for the Asian Cup in January and Arnold has seen enough from his side in his two games in charge to suggest the future is bright.

“You can see we’ve got pace and you’re talking about playing against a team that beat Germany at the World Cup,” he told a media conference.

“We’re going to build strongly and I’m excited for the future.

GOOOAAALL! Mass Luongo scores a 94th minute equaliser 

: @FoxFOOTBALL #AUSvKOR #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/7lQgTF7VUb

— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 17, 2018

“What we want is depth, and the pool is getting deeper.

“The kids are coming. You can see the young boys on the bench and they add energy.”

Arnold believes his side were comfortably the most threatening team and deserved their late leveller, adding: “Overall the intent the players showed was outstanding.

“I thought our pressing was great. We made them turnover possession a lot.

“I’ve got a dressing room in there that is proud of the performance and I’m very proud of them as well, but there is so much improvement in this team and we will continue to work on that and go forward.”