Subway Socceroos forward Brandon Borrello believes that every player in the squad is putting their best foot forward during the team’s intensive training camp in Abu Dhabi.
The Western Sydney Wanderers attacker was speaking to the media as the team prepares for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
He also touched on the improvements that he is looking to make in his own game, and the way he is taking things one game at a time.
The purpose of the camp
The boss [Tony Popovic] is very specific on detail, so we’re getting that drummed into us now, and the style of play. It’s a new bunch of boys. We’ve got players returning that have been a part of the squads for a while, and then we’ve got new players as well. So it’s a combination of staying fit, and understanding the style that we want to play leading into Japan and the Saudi [Arabia] game. It’s been very, very intense, but there a lot of things to learn and to build on from what we did against China PR.
Competition for places in the squad
Everyone’s trying to put their best foot forward, because the squad’s not been picked yet. We’re just trying to do as much as we can in this amount of time that we get to spend together.
On having Western Sydney Wanderers teammates in the training camp squad
I’ll give a quick shout-out to the Wanderers boys in camp. We’ve got [Alex] Gersbach, [Alex] Bonetig and obviously Nicolas Milanovic. So it’s been great to have that number of Wanderers boys in camp. I’ve never been in a camp with my club teammates before, which is wild when you think about it. But regarding Nic [Milanovic], he’s a great footballer, a great professional, and he’s young, so he understands that there is a lot to learn, especially in this environment, to get familiar with the national team set-up. He is a very switched-on kid and has fitted in really well. He’s enjoying training. He looks sharp, so I guess all he has to do is just carry on the way he’s been playing at club level for his country.
What the boss wants to see
Clearer decision making in terms of off the ball – when to press, when not to press – and then with the ball, just making sure you still make the right decisions like when to hold the ball up, when to play forward, when to bounce. This is what this camp does. The more you feel comfortable, the more the fluidity comes – and that’s just a matter of time. It’s been good so far, all the feedback. We have constant video sessions. There are one one-on-one groups as well, just to go through the positioning of players. So there’s a lot of information to take in. The quicker you absorb that, the better you are for it.
Being in an attacking state of mind
The way we put that amount of goals in against Indonesia [5-1], who are a good side – it’s progression from the back. It’s filtering through to the midfield, to the front third. When that all becomes fluid, who knows what’s going to happen and what our limits are? We’re very underestimated as a country, attacking-wise.
Taking things one game at a time
The mindset is: we play Japan, and that’s it – until Japan’s done, then we go and play against Saudi [Arabia]. It’s just taking one game at a time. It sounds cliche, but it drowns out the noise. Our focus is Japan right now, and then we’ll reassess where we are for Saudi.
SUBWAY SOCCEROOS’ FIXTURES | JUNE FIFA MEN’S INTERNATIONAL WINDOW
Subway Socceroos v Japan
Thursday, 5 June 2025
Perth Stadium, Perth
Kick-off: 7.00pm local / 9:00pm AEST
Tickets: Available via Ticketmaster
Broadcast: 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Saudi Arabia v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday 10 June 2025
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah
Kick-off: 9.15pm local / 4.15am AEST
Broadcast: Paramount+
