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Graham Arnold is cuddling up to his Socceroos players and their clubs to help create a harmonious environment, and he hopes, a winning one.

After finally landing the job he trialled a decade ago, Graham Arnold isn't about to die wondering as Socceroos coach.

On Tuesday morning (AEDT), Arnold will lead Australia into his first match as the appointed boss of the national team, 11 years after his interim stint.

Then, Arnold was Guus Hiddink's assistant after the 2006 World Cup, kept on as continuity from the Dutchman's heroic efforts in helping the Socceroos into the knockout phase of the World Cup.

It didn't go to plan.

Arnold led the Socceroos to the 2007 Asian Cup, the tournament which exposed just how much Australian football had to learn.

Australia were dumped out of their first Asian championship after losses to Iraq and Japan, amid reports of in-fighting and poor preparation.

He was relieved of his duties by Pim Verbeek, later returning to club coaching with Central Coast Mariners.

This time around both Australia and Arnold have wised up.

The 55-year-old returns more sure of himself as a coach, with two A-League titles to his name and a horizon-widening stint in Japan.

And Football Federation Australia's investment in the national team means barely a dollar is spared in preparing the Socceroos.

It's why the Socceroos are in Kuwait this week, acclimatising to the region in which next year's Asian Cup will be played, in January in the United Arab Emirates.

And it's why Arnold hasn't seen his family in seven weeks.

"My wife, she said to me 'you're married to football and you're having an affair with me'," he laughed.

Arnold has spent the last month, between national team camps in Turkey and Dubai, touring the continent meeting with the club coaches of his national team players and watching them play.

Brendan Rodgers at Celtic. Neil Lennon at Hibernian. Chris Hughton at Brighton. Mark van Bommel at PSV Eindhoven. To name a few.

"I think I went to 12 to 13 clubs, met 12 to 13 managers, did about 1600 miles in seven or eight days to get round the UK and see all the boys," he said.

"It was more about communication between myself and the managers so if a player has an injury or there's a problem, we can talk about it."

Arnold said those conversations helped him navigate the tricky exclusions of Aaron Mooy and Mat Ryan from his camp.

Both might have played in Kuwait but given their looming absence for the Asian Cup, Arnold has chosen to stand the pair down.

"A lot of coaches commented that I was the first national team manager they've seen watching (club) training. It sounds crazy," he said.

"It means also a lot for the players that I was making that effort to be there for them.

"I learned that from when I played. The clubs don't make it that easy for the players, they make it sometimes a confrontation and you don't want that."

In turn, Arnold's players have lavished praise on their new coach.

Mark Milligan said the feeling in camp led him to re-commit to the national team for the Asian Cup, and potentially beyond.

Mat Leckie has called it overwhelmingly positive.

Robbie Kruse says Arnold is "a father figure" and has "created a family culture" compared to the four-year reign of Ange Postecoglou.

"I never worked under Arnie before but a lot of the boys have already bought into what he's brought to the table," Kruse said.

"Ange is a very distant kind of coach. He's got his own methods but as players you like to get feedback.

"He's (Arnold) been excellent. He talks to the boys. The boys have a laugh ... it's been a great start."

That much was evident from training in Kuwait, which ran overtime as a keepings-off style drill got out of hand.

The Socceroos, split into teams, balanced their desire to win a meaningless warm-up game with good-natured banter that showed their closeness.

Jackson Irvine squealed in agony when a desperate Josh Risdon touch stopped his side from winning.

Kruse berated Alex Gersbach when the full-back's mistake drew the game out.

Arnold joined in.

He invited Trent Sainsbury to a game of rock-paper-scissors to split a marginal call.

And he delivered zingers from the sidelines, asking Risdon "do you play for the Wanderers?" when his touch let his side down. Risdon smirked.

Amid the jokes, Arnold flips the switch when asked about the Kuwait match.

The result shouldn't matter, but Arnold has upped the ante by saying publicly he expects to win and see his side make a statement.

Reminded of Australia's poor record in the Middle East, and the oppressive conditions that await Australia a the Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Arnold is agitated.

"Why do you have to bring that up? We don't even put that in their mind," he said.

"Every Socceroos team I put out will go out expecting to win every game, no matter who they play."