{"id":22821,"date":"2023-11-09T10:34:06","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T10:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/arnold-wants-siege-mentality-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-11-09T10:34:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T10:34:06","slug":"arnold-wants-siege-mentality-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/arnold-wants-siege-mentality-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Arnold wants \u2018siege mentality\u2019 | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nSYDNEY:
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Portsmouth striker Kusini Yengi earned his first Australia call-up on Thursday as Socceroos coach Graham Arnold<\/a> looks to make a fast start to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n

Arnold named a largely unchanged 23-man squad for matches against Bangladesh next Thursday in Melbourne before facing Palestine in Kuwait on November 21.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old Yengi comes in to add firepower, having scored five times in nine appearances for Portsmouth, who play in England’s third tier.<\/p>\n

Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer, another uncapped player, also got the nod.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got to go out with that siege mentality to win every game,” said Arnold, who took Australia to the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup, where they lost 2-1 to eventual champions Argentina.<\/p>\n

“It’s about taking that energy out on the pitch and getting the job done,” he added.<\/p>\n

Arnold said he wanted to bolster his attacking options for games against opponents that should pose relatively little threat, at least on paper.<\/p>\n

The pacy Yengi stands 189 centimetres (six feet two inches) and has impressed since moving to Portsmouth in the summer from Western Sydney Wanderers.<\/p>\n

“Yengi is doing exceptionally well at Portsmouth,” said Arnold, whose side gave England a scare in a 1-0 friendly defeat at Wembley last month.<\/p>\n

“He gives us something completely different in size and speed, and I think that’s important for these two games.”<\/p>\n

As well as the start of World Cup qualifying, the Asian Cup in Qatar is also just two months away.<\/p>\n

“Experimenting is over,” said Arnold.<\/p>\n

“Now it’s all about getting the tactics right and getting the players on the pitch and their performance right, and winning those games at all costs.”<\/p>\n

Lebanon are the other team in Group I of the second round of Asian qualifying for the World Cup<\/a> in the United States, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n

The campaign doubles up as qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n