Australia coach Arnold calls for tighter defence

Australia coach Graham Arnold has warned the Socceroos they urgently need to tighten their defence if they want to win the Asian Cup, which begins next weekend.

Australia finished off their tournament preparations with a 3-0 win over Singapore on Saturday but Arnold was less than impressed by his team's rearguard.

The result might have been different had Singapore capitalised on goalscoring chances they created in a scoreless first half after opening up Australia's defence.

The Australians showed their attacking prowess after the halftime break, captain Mark Viduka scoring twice and replacement Harry Kewell once but it was their defensive lapses that Arnold was more concerned about.

"Our attacking play was fantastic but we've got some work to do in defence. I was not happy with that side of things," Arnold said.

"Singapore tested us and we were very unlucky. We have a lot of work to do."

Australia have been training in Singapore for the past week to acclimatise to the heat and humidity of south-east Asia.

Arnold said Saturday's match showed his team still had a long way to go if they wanted to win the tournament but there were some encouraging signs.

The Socceroos improved as the match went on while Kewell, who played the last 30 minutes, had an immediate impact in his first international since last year's World Cup in Germany.

"I'm delighted for Harry. I gave him the captain's armband for the last couple of minutes as a reward for what he's been through," Arnold said.

"He was fantastic when he came on. He gives you another dimension."

Kewell said he was still working his way up to full match fitness but was feeling great after a long spell on the sidelines with injuries.

"I can't expect to walk straight into a team after 11 months. I've got to work hard for my position and I'll do that," he said.

Australia are in Group A at the Asian Cup alongside Thailand, Oman and Iraq.