Asian Cup suspension gave me new perspective, says Sainsbury

Trent Sainsbury has made the most of his one game suspension with the Socceroos stopper revealing the enforced time on the side-line has allowed him to gain a new perspective ahead of the Asian Cup knockout rounds.

A contentious caution late in Australia's 3-0 win against Palestine meant Sainsbury was forced to miss the Socceroos final group game against Syria after accumulating two yellow cards during the group stage.

Despite Sainsbury's absence, The Socceroos did enough to progress with a 3-2 win against the Syrians to secure a second place finish in Group B behind group winners Jordan.

While disappointed he was forced to miss out on the crucial clash, Sainsbury said watching the game from the stands has helped him develop a better understanding of coach coach Graham Arnold's game plan.

"Obviously It wasn't nice to be on the outside looking in on an important match but at the same time it has given me a new perspective," Sainsbury said.

"I was able to identify some of the key passes which can be made during the game and most of all see what the coaches see.

"It was also a bit of a refresher for me and hopefully I'll be able to take that into the next game."

Sainsbury's suspension forced a defensive reshuffle for Graham Arnold with Socceroos captain Mark Milligan returning to the heart of the backline against Syria after playing the first two games of the Asian Cup campaign in midfield.

The former Inter Milan defender said the performance and result in the last match was proof of the Socceroos squad's strength.

"It's important to have good depth in the squad at a tournament like this," he said.

"Anything can happen, whether it be a suspension or an injury but at the same time we have boys who can step up and take some leadership into the game.

"It showed the other day with the boys handling the situation well and coming away with a win." 

A round of 16 clash against Uzbekistan on Tuesday (AEDT) is the next challenge facing the Socceroos and the pressure is on the reigning Asian Cup champions to ease past an opponent they have a favourable record against.

Sainsbury is expected to return to the line-up for the do-or-die clash while injured speedster Mathew Leckie is also a chance to play his first minutes of the tournament.

"It's nice to see him (Leckie) come back. He was looking very strong and quick out on the training paddock today so I expect him to be back very soon," Sainsbury said.

 "If he does get to play a part in our next game it will be great for us as it an extra weapon in our arsenal which will hopefully help us go further in the competition."


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3 min read
Published 19 January 2019 10:14am
By Nick Houghton

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