Matildas The Matildas Thread

[stax on the mull]

Just before that 3rd goal, that switch across the defence to play out was so slow and predictable, that ended up with Arnold kicking it out in a hurry. Then they just controlled possession and cut through our defence with a set of passes from one side to the other.

I'm listening to a Spanish commentary. The woman said "la matildas defensa...." then I didn't get the next bit. Whatever the spanish is for "is crap".

 

[stax on the mull]

I don't know if you need two tall central defenders against these quick passing Japanese forwards.

 

[stax on the mull]

4 changes.

ON: Galic, McNamara, Heatley, Grant

OFF: Fowler, Foord, Kennedy, Catley

I would maybe have shifted Catley to central defender.

 

[stax on the mull]

Now Gorry off for Van Egmond. And they score on the set piece. Another soft goal. Arnold caught out. 4-0

 

[stax on the mull]

Cooney-Cross off for Prior. I guess that means Heatley goes to midfield and Hunt and Prior two big defenders. Cooney-Cross maybe the best performer.

Japan have created plenty of goal scoring chances. Grant hit the crossbar.

 

[stax on the mull]

That Grant shot that hit the crossbar was the nearest we got to scoring. 0 shots on target. Japan had 18 shots vs 1.

 

[Ram-Man]

That Grant shot that hit the crossbar was the nearest we got to scoring. 0 shots on target. Japan had 18 shots vs 1 on goal.

That was the closest thing we had to a highlight.

Eminently forgettable match. Fair play to Japan, far too good. A professional, well drilled team of players who seemed to enjoy playing the game.

 

[giggler99]

How has this squad become so poor?

 

[stax on the mull]

The changes Sermanni made just seemed perfunctory. 4 came off 4 came on, just like he said everyone would get a run, no real thought to combinations on the pitch.

There's some players near the end that need to be moved on that Sermanni has known since he was coach over a decade ago, so there's probably some sentimental selection there. I'm thinking of Yallop, and Van Egmond.

Micah should be ahead of Arnold as GK, but I don't think the GK stocks are that good when Chloe Lincoln is the 3rd keeper. She's young but makes heaps of errors in the A League.

Fowler had little impact in the hour she was on. I did hear her coach at Man City on the weekend say they had to monitor her hamstring injury - but reports were she trained well. Stacked up against this tournament, possibly club football is her no 1 priority right now and maybe the hamstring talk from clubland was a heads up not to overuse her in these 3 games.

I thought Raso had a lousy game.

Fowler, Cooney-Cross and Carpenter should be the core of the team going forward and they should build the team around them.

Foord, Catley, Gorry, Kerr have just a few years left as first choice players. Maybe some bench time as they get older.

All the rest of the spots are up for grabs.

Kennedy is another one that's in the same category as Yallop and Van Egmond. Hunt seems to have lost a lot of confidence since moving to play in England. Had an own goal on the weekend against Arsenal and previously around Christmas there was a game where she was subbed off at half time after a defensive calamity.

 

[swingdog]

You made a point earlier about us playing two tall defenders.

It’s something we seem to have been doing for years and I never understand it. The opposition strikers are usually the fastest players in their team and we constantly lineup with the two slowest against them

 

[stax on the mull]

You made a point earlier about us playing two tall defenders.

It’s something we seem to have been doing for years and I never understand it. The opposition strikers are usually the fastest players in their team and we constantly lineup with the two slowest against them

Yeah, I don't know. The next best defender is the recent debutant Prior who is probably the tallest of the lot.

It didn't look like we could play much through the midfield to create chances so maybe the old school thought was a hope that the tall players might be a threat on set pieces.

 

[Pres]

Hunt looked fantastic in the WC with great reading of play/anticipation. I did not see this game but she has never looked as good since. Has looked very slow out there on occasion.

stax on the mull did Galic or Grant show much in the time they were on? Big wrap for both.

 

[stax on the mull]

Hunt looked fantastic in the WC with great reading of play/anticipation. I did not see this game but she has never looked as good since. Has looked very slow out there on occasion.

stax on the mull did Galic or Grant show much in the time they were on? Big wrap for both.

Not much for the 30 or so minutes they were on. Just glimpses. We really didn't possess the ball and were defending Japan's threats on goals, so there wasn't a lot of creative play where we strung together passes for players to come into the game.

Would like to see that lead up play again to see what happened with the only shot on goal we had which came from Grant going forward. She struck it from near the edge of the box and hit the crossbar to give you some indication of where she was.

Sermanni made a couple more changes after Grant came on, so maybe she was more of a wing back towards the final phase of the game. Can't remember much from Galic other than she won a free kick in a contest and she was positioned in an attacking midfield role.

 

[stax on the mull]

Don't think Galic and Grant have been getting much game time for their club sides. I see Grant named as a sub for Tottenham a lot and sometimes comes on late.

 

[BStaff17]

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Hopefully more positive then friday

 

[stax on the mull]

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Hopefully more positive then friday

What would be your preferred line up against the USA?

 

[stax on the mull]

Goal in the 1st minute to USA and one disallowed. Could have been both offside, but a shaky start. USA changed 11 players in their starting line up.

1-0 at half time. Matildas in the game but when USA turn our possession of the ball over they find direct paths to goal and look much more dangerous.

Grant and Foord combining quite well on the left side. Grant running hard to make overlapping runs. Carpenter and Raso on the right creating some half chances but the attempted balls inside have been cut off. McNamara not being found in space and struggling with tight checking.

Be interesting to see which changes Sermanni makes. Would like to see Torpey on the right maybe, or another striker coming in central and McNamara moving to Raso's role.

 

[stax on the mull]

63 minutes Heyman and Murphy on for McNamara and Fowler. 1-0 USA.

2-0 USA 67 minutes.

 

[Pres]

That was a quality goal that second USA score

 

[stax on the mull]

That was a quality goal that second USA score

Yeah it was. What's the formation now with the changes.

73 Torpey and Van Egmond on for Foord and Catley.

 

[Pres]

Magnificent cross Raso

 

[Ram-Man]

Back in it. Great work Raso. Clinical finish from Heyman!

 

[stax on the mull]

Now that was a good cross by Raso. Good goal Heyman.

(Edit: I must have had a slightly delayed coverage as I watching the CBS stream on youtube and there was a cross by Raso into the box that was cut off by the USA defence in the middle of the penalty box about a minute or so before she put that ball on Heyman's head so I wondering if you guys were being sarcastic.)

 

[stax on the mull]

80 Freier and Prior on for Cooney-Cross and Kennedy.

 

[Satan]

thanks for posts