Matildas The Matildas Thread

[swingdog]

Fair to say, Gustavsson has been a pretty good squad development coach and a poor match day tactical coach. Today, his squad development has been poor as well.

 

[ep2018]

Can the coach just f off already? He went for the US job and missed out, and apparently has applied for the Sweden job?

 

[jhong]

Another “ Experimental team “ another thrashing. Thought it was pretty disrespectful to the Canadian team as well although they won’t complain. 5-0 , winners are grinners etc .

 

[stax on the mull]

Is it correct that the Olympic squads are only 16 players as stated on the broadcast? That's like the starting line-up and 5 on the bench and one those is a GK. Seems a bit bare.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Disgraceful selection by Gustavsson and he has form doing this. What will Hunter and Rule gain from this cluster* of a performance? Absolutely sweet * all.

Instead, they get picked on by Canada and must be feeling devastated that their first appearance for the national team was such a disaster. Hope they don't go the same way as Nash did after she debuted against the USWNT and we see them again.

Zero point in playing a Frankenstein's team that will never play again. All due respect to Luik and Polkinghorne, but we have to be kidding ourselves if we think they are going to play a role in the Olympics or the next World Cup or the Asian Cup. Hell, Gustavsson talked Luik out of retirement.

Yallop looked like she couldn't be arsed and her failure to retain possession and her refusal to track back when she turned the ball over led directly to the goal shortly after half time.

Nevin goes wandering around the penalty box and lets her opponent get a free shot on goal that Micah can't stop at her near post.

Just piss off to Sweden, Gustavsson you fraud of a coach.

 

[stax on the mull]

Is it correct that the Olympic squads are only 16 players as stated on the broadcast? That's like the starting line-up and 5 on the bench and one those is a GK. Seems a bit bare.

Apparently it's 18 spots, thought maybe that would include 3 GK's. Limited spots for newbies in any case.

I get the criticism that Andy Harper makes about blending in youth and experience, and some of the players out there didn't have much of a chance to show their worth, and you get a predictably horrible performance for 65 minutes, but there's also a counter argument to say that players can give a false impression of their ability and seem better than they actually are by just cruising through with the good players around them taking up most of the slack.

On today's performance Polkinghorne, one of my all-time favourites looks like she's at the end. Shocking early error - controlled the back pass and was probably looking to play it around Prince but got caught with her foot still on top of the ball. Too slow, as is Luik.

 

[swingdog]

Apparently it's 18 spots, thought maybe that would include 3 GK's. Limited spots for newbies in any case.

I get the criticism that Andy Harper makes about blending in youth and experience, and some of the players out there didn't have much of a chance to show their worth, and you get a predictably horrible performance for 65 minutes, but there's also a counter argument to say that players can give a false impression of their ability and seem better than they actually are by just cruising through with the good players around them taking up most of the slack.

On today's performance Polkinghorne, one of my all-time favourites looks like she's at the end. Shocking early error - controlled the back pass and was probably looking to play it around Prince but got caught with her foot still on top of the ball. Too slow, as is Luik.

I think you have to pick your team based on your opponents and your game strategy.

Don't mind a team of mostly new players against Iran etc, but you have to have a more blended approach against the good teams. You need it for team morale and for working out a playing style.

For the first 65 minutes, Australia had no plan to go into attack. There was no link between defence, midfield and attack and players like Hunter will have learned nothing about what it means to play in a Matildas formation.

 

[stax on the mull]

Hunter will have learned nothing about what it means to play in a Matildas formation.

Hunter would have learnt something because she wasn't even in the squad a week ago, and Rule and Sayer played full games and got the last 25 minutes with some of the better players.

 

[stax on the mull]

Because the squad for the Olympics is only 18 players, I reckon some of the decisions today might well have been to look at how some of the older players performed, and which players they think should be cut, more so than which young ones should come in.

I've come up with 16/18 names already that would seem likely to be in the Olympic squad, and the last 2 (or 3 depending on the goalkeeping situation) would come from those who have made the squad recently.

Goalkeepers:
Arnold, Micah, Williams (maybe there's only 2 GK's...i'm not sure)

Defenders:
Hunt, Carpenter, Catley, Kennedy, Grant

Midfielders:
Wheeler, Cooney-Cross, Gorry, Van Egmond

Forwards:
Foord, Kerr, Fowler, Raso

The Rest:
Polkinghorne, Yallop, Nevin, Luik, Sayer, Chidiac, Vine, Siemsen, Hunter, Rule

Plus maybe Logarzo if she has a solid run in the A-League. I don't think there'll be any other bolter from the A League or from the Young Matildas at this stage.

 

[jhong]

Australia puts out the best available team on the park for the second match and it shows early .

 

[jhong]

The feed is crap , and we are down 1-0 . It’s actually unwatchable atm .

 

[jhong]

We are turning the ball over far to much leading to opportunities for Canada . It’s also killing our forays forward .

 

[Munga]

Poor performance

 

[jhong]

One sub in 90 min , sad way to end the year . Forwards on the bench , nah let’s send Kennedy forward. Trying to play through the middle won’t work if we keep turning it over . Can’t be bothered listening to the coach explain this .

 

[swingdog]

Re-hashing the criticisms from the first game - he either plays all the kids at once or plays his favourites.

Go know what we'll do if, say Gorrie goes down during the Olympics and Wheeler is asked to step up and play with KCC when she's hardly ever had the opportunity to do that.

The issue is Gustavsson hardly ever gets any media heat (with one or two exceptions). Cringe listening to "leading voices" like Sam Lewis referring to the coach as "Tony".

 

[stax on the mull]

I don't think we lacked intensity today, just think Canada had more to play for and won the battle by sustaining their pressure for longer and played with more control of the ball, helped by being able to win back possession after the first 25 minutes of domination by the Matildas.

Their coach obviously planned for Foord not to be the major threat that she was during the World Cup game. They had a quick player this time to play on her in Rose, and even when Foord got the ball out wide and cut inside, a 2nd player would come to close that down. On the flanks Riviere and Lacasse kept Catley and Carpenter worried enough with the threat of runs that could get behind our defence.

Overall problem was a lack of chances created and I think all the shots were from long range. That being said, I thought Fowler, who saw less of the ball the further the game went, was in a couple of spots to shoot from distance in the first half but was too unselfish. A couple of corners in the first half fizzled without a threat, one too close to the goalkeeper that was easily dealt with, and the other a foul conceded.

Thought the best chance was early in the game when Carpenter got to the goal-line and cut the ball back to a central position in the box, but Van Egmond lacked a bit of strikers' anticipation, and a few other times she seemed a bit flat-footed in reading the play in the position she was playing, not finding the right spots, or not on the same page.

Gorry was the only subbed player and that might only have been because there was the suggestion from the commentary that she'd been carrying an injury. Would have preferred Wheeler to come on and replace her as I don't think Van Egmond is a 90m player at international level and a fresh Yallop didn't really add much late in the game, although she had the clearest scoring chance from a turnover.

 

[giggler99]

Qualifier at Marvel in Feb!

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Yeah, got tickets. Up in the nosebleeds on level 3. Some of the ticket prices are insane.

I still remember driving out to Epping to watch a Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar A-League Women's game four years ago (in a couple of days, actually) and wandering over to the players post-match to help my oldest get signatures and selfies with Polks, Hayley Raso and a few other players. I actually had a chat with a Brisbane Roar US import and her parents after the game, while Polkinghorne asked me for directions to the airport! Wouldn't have been played in front of more than 100 people.

Women's soccer has come a long way in four years, that's for sure.

 

[giggler99]

Well done Melbourne!

 

[giggler99]

Steph Catley interview on the Howie Games Podcast

 

[nobbyiscool]

Well done Melbourne!

Shiiiit. I missed out!

That's awesome that they sold out though, the Matildas continue to be Australia's most important national team.

 

[bok_party]

Kerr has done her ACL apparently

 

[Satan]

Kerr set to miss rest of season with ACL injury

Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr sustains an anterior cruciate ligament injury at a club training camp in Morocco.

www.bbc.co.uk

Faaark

 

[damicky]

Terrible news to wake up to

 

[ep2018]

Damn. Chances of an Olympic medal are gone now and even qualifying will be much harder. Hopefully a speedy and healthy recovery.