Subway Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic said he has been “very happy” with Daniel Arzani after throwing the gauntlet down to the Melbourne Victory star.
The Socceroos will face Indonesia in 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifying in Sydney on Thursday night and Arzani is back in the mix thanks to his form in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
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At the time, former Victory boss Popovic was critical of Arzani’s training, labelling it “poor”.
Fast forward to this month’s qualifiers on the road to next year’s showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Popovic was asked if he had seen what he wanted from Arzani in training.
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“He’s been very good. Very good,” he replied in his pre-game press conference.
“He is doing a great job so far in training. I think all the players have, so I’m not singling him out.
“Obviously in October he wasn’t good. You asked the question back then and I answered it. You ask it now and I tell you he’s doing very well.
“Does that mean he will be in the squad for the game? No that doesn’t mean he will be in the squad because there’s 26 players fighting for positions to play to be an impact player ready to come on and that’s what you want.
“But I’m very happy with his contribution so far.”
| Total A-Leagues Ep.20
