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And a link to the article in question. Kerr is the only Australian to crack the top 50 (which is a bit of a joke, given that Carpenter is the starting right back for Olympique Lyonnais, probably the best club in the world).

 

swingdog

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Kerr and Carpenter through to next round of Champions League, though God knows how PSG didn’t score.

And a friendly coming up against Germany.
 

stax on the mull

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Playing Germany late night Sat/early morning Sun on April 10/11 (depending on where you are in Australia) and Holland early Wed morning on April 14
 
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Only players in Europe and potentially countries other than Australia will be considered for selection. I expect players like Chidiac and Checker are busy trying to line up a club overseas to put their names forward.
 

stax on the mull

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Fowler should be a certainty to get some opportunity even though that forward half is the one area of abundance for the Matildas. She's scored 4 goals playing for Montpellier in France (a couple coming on as a sub.) which is pretty good going for an 18yo in her first season in the French 1st division.. Montpellier being in 5th spot on the ladder, well behind PSG and Lyon with half as many wins.

I read the coach Gustavsson said that he won't experiment until after the Olympics.

Dylan Holmes has gone very well for Adelaide this season - she might a contender for the midfield. If they're not picking W-League players for these 2 games then I wonder what the status of players such as Yallop and Geilnik is. I know Polkinghorne just left for Europe, not sure about those two from Brisbane whether they're still in Australia - and with Gorry out having a baby - the midfield could be a bit light.

Van Egmond prob the leading midfielder now. Kennedy hasn't been playing as a central defender for Spurs like she does for the Matildas. They could play her in the role that Kellond-Knight used to play and go with Roestbakken, Polkinghorne, Carpenter and Catley as the back 4. I think Catley has just recovered from injury.

Kyah Simon maybe can drop back into the midfield/forward along with Harrison who I think is also playing in Holland and there's Luik playing in Spain who's just turned 36yo.

I think we can rustle up a defence and midfield that at best will do a job- but needs to improve. Our one strength is in attack with Kerr & Foord in great form.
 
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stax on the mull

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Raso scoring a hat trick for Everton on Sunday in Barclays Women's League and Kerr 2 for Chelsea. Kerr scoring a lot of goals with her left foot recently. One tonight and the hat trick she scored the other week were all off her left.

Watching some of the W-League match today - one young local based player who might still be in the mix for Tokyo would be Cooney-Cross. Pity she won't get game time in these upcoming matches in Europe - but I guess she can press for selection with good performances in the W League finals.
 
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stax on the mull

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Listened to the Far Post podcast from yesterday, it seems Catley won't be available, (although I'm reading she's close to recovering from a hamstring at Arsenal.)

Geilnik apparently signed to go to Europe and possibly a few others will including Yallop and Micah (though injured). There's only one GK over in Europe at the moment with Arnold injured - so might call up another GK from the US college system.

Also injured might be Roestbakken and Kyah Simon. Logarzo not getting any game time.

Laura Brock playing as a central defender in French 1st Division.
 
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Looks like Emma Checker found a club in Iceland in time to get called up, and Gielnik and Polkinghorne left the Roar for clubs in Europe. Four uncapped players in the squad: Dylan Holmes, Alex Huynh, Indiah-Paige Riley and Beatrice Goad.

 
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stax on the mull

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Looks like Emma Checker found a club in Iceland in time to get called up, and Gielnik and Polkinghorne left the Roar for clubs in Europe. Four uncapped players in the squad: Dylan Holmes, Alex Huynh, Indiah-Paige Riley and Beatrice Goad.


Good to see Amy Sayer's name there. She was a standout player and captain of the Young Matildas and played a few times for the seniors before a serious foot injury. I read prior to the start of the season that she was going to be unavailable for Sydney FC for the entire W League season and I thought she might have re-injured.

Beatie Goad is another one who disappeared from the W-League after being a regular member of that first Melb City championship team.

Both of these girls are academically high achievers and would have good careers outside of football.

Probably picked 23 players so they could cram in some proper match simulation in this lead up week with the new coach.

I heard Clare Polkinghorne this morning on the radio say she hadn't met Gustavsson, except for video conference calls - so I would think that would be the case with a lot of the squad that weren't in the UK.
 

swingdog

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This is disappointing and odd:


I would have thought they're all coming from countries where Covid is rampant so, does it matter? Even if your club didn't have any cases, the players aren't in hubs and are moving around infected cities.
 

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Hammered 5-2 by the Germans and it could have been double figures as the Germans hit the cross bar twice and Williams had to pull off some fine saves to keep the scoreline close.

Deeply unimpressed with Gustavsson. Supposedly watched tape of the Matildas back to 2010 and he rolls out the exact same formation as Milicic did, but tried to shoehorn Raso into right back while Goad came on early for an injured Roestbakken and got utterly exposed at left back for the second goal when she ran to the wrong player and the player she should have marked scored from a good cross. She was constantly under pressure and, apart from that mistake, played alright.

Polkinghorne and Kennedy are far too slow to be the centre backs and yet Gustavsson left Polkinghorne to be exposed for the first 87 minutes while Kennedy went into midfield to be replaced by the glacially slow Brock.

Kerr, Foord and Van Egmond looked like they had never played with each other before and barely touched the ball. Foord tried a stupid backheel just before she was subbed.

Germany were missing some great players and lost four players just before kick off due to Covid. We didn't have Catley and Carpenter, Simon or Logarzo and Germany were smart enough to attack the full backs.

Australia won't win anything with this current set up. It didn't work under Milicic and it won't work under Gustavsson. I hope he realises that before we get bundled out of the Olympics.
 

stax on the mull

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Thought Goad was ok. And Fowler had some good touches, kept the ball and played where others just got rid of it.

Raso couldn't play that position and Van Egmond didn't do much in the midfield. There were a couple of chances for the forwards but a lot of them couldn't bring the ball down close when they received and invited the opposition defenders to take the ball off them with their heavy touches.

I was expecting 5-0 but apparently it was also a very weakened German team with 4 players removed from the starting line up on game day due to Covid.
 
Goad played alright but her mistake was a fundamental error and shouldn't be glossed over. I'm sure Gustavsson was preaching a certain message about not giving away an easy goal, keeping it tight and then hitting Germany on the counter, but two minutes into the second half, the Germans score again and the floodgates opened. It's an international friendly, yes, but you can't be making those mistakes at the highest level because teams like Germany, the US and the Dutch will make you pay. Hopefully she will learn from that. Personally, if Catley can't play, I would have Angie Beard at left back but she clearly couldn't get a gig overseas lined up in time.

But the larger issue is that we seem to be persisting with the pairing of Kennedy and Polkinghorne at the back. It is ripe for exploitation. Every time the Germans for the ball behind them, we were in trouble. Germany's first goal came because they were caught out and Luik could do nothing but tee up a shot for the German.
 

swingdog

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Hammered 5-2 by the Germans and it could have been double figures as the Germans hit the cross bar twice and Williams had to pull off some fine saves to keep the scoreline close.

Deeply unimpressed with Gustavsson. Supposedly watched tape of the Matildas back to 2010 and he rolls out the exact same formation as Milicic did, but tried to shoehorn Raso into right back while Goad came on early for an injured Roestbakken and got utterly exposed at left back for the second goal when she ran to the wrong player and the player she should have marked scored from a good cross. She was constantly under pressure and, apart from that mistake, played alright.

Polkinghorne and Kennedy are far too slow to be the centre backs and yet Gustavsson left Polkinghorne to be exposed for the first 87 minutes while Kennedy went into midfield to be replaced by the glacially slow Brock.

Kerr, Foord and Van Egmond looked like they had never played with each other before and barely touched the ball. Foord tried a stupid backheel just before she was subbed.

Germany were missing some great players and lost four players just before kick off due to Covid. We didn't have Catley and Carpenter, Simon or Logarzo and Germany were smart enough to attack the full backs.

Australia won't win anything with this current set up. It didn't work under Milicic and it won't work under Gustavsson. I hope he realises that before we get bundled out of the Olympics.

Haven't had a chance to watch it yet but that sounds about what I was expecting. Our problem is depth. Carpenter goes out and we have nobody that can play right back other than throwing Raso into an unfamiliar role. This happened with Polkinghorne at the World Cup.

Polkinghorne and Kennedy have always been slow - watched a match against Chile in Melbourne where they were constantly getting caught out. Again, we have nobody coming in? This speaks to development. There seems to be a focus on getting the Golden Generation together but there's little underneath.
 

stax on the mull

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We've always been short of good defenders. Actually don't think there's much better than Kennedy and Polkinghorne and the latter is at the end of her career - will need replacing regardless of whether she maintains her spot. Checker looks a bit slow too, although she set up a nice cross for Gielnik's goal.

Kennedy played in front of the backs in the latter part of the 2nd half as the defensive mid. I don't think she's slow - maybe slow to react. Polkinghorne has slowed down a lot but she's generally quicker to see the play unfold. Luik was playing central defence in the first half - she pretty much gave an assist for the first German goal, but mostly played ok, but also slow. Brock came on, she is big, but a bit clumsy. Huynh came on for a central defence role.

With all the changes in 2nd half there were a bunch of players out there who were all unfamiliar with each other's game and some playing in positions for the 1st time.
 
Luik was meant to be the defensive midfielder but ended up in her box for the first goal because Polkinghorne was left in the German dust. Polkinghorne is a great W-League defender but she isn't of international standard any more.

Having said that, it's hard to think of who could come in for her. Milicic tried McCormick and she's worse than Polkinghorne. Checker got a gig this morning but as a right back, not as a centre defender. Brock seems to be back in favour, but she doesn't have pace.

I agree that the depth seems paper thin, but I do think there are potential options in the W-League that aren't currently available.
 

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