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Just like the seemingly mismatched shorts and jersey combination worn by the Matilda’s in their quarterfinal against Sweden, there was something not quite right about their final appearance at the World Cup.
At this level, defensive mistakes are going to be punished, but the performance by the Matilda’s against the Swede’s should not be seen as being characteristic of this young side’s ability.
Here are five things we have learnt from the Matilda’s performances at the 2011 World Cup.
Tom Sermanni may be an Australian version of Arsene Wenger
Faith in a youth based policy and an average squad age below 25? Check
Defensive lapses undermining some otherwise encouraging performances? Check
Good eye for spotting and nurturing young talent and not being afraid to blood them? Check
Tom Sermanni has now taken the Matildas to three World Cups (1995, 2007, 2011) and has picked up a major trophy along the way (something which Wenger hasn’t managed to do in the last few years).
He gambled by taking a very young squad to a World Cup, but it has delivered returns in a big way and made a mockery of those who predicted turbulent times during a time of generational change for the team.
With an increasing talent pool to choose from the developing W-League, Sermanni’s greatest achievement may be yet to come – setting up the system and the foundations for success in the future.
Cheryl Salisbury’s don’t grow on trees
One of the points that will be picked over in the post World Cup analysis of the Matilda’s performance will be the frequency of the lapses by the defence.
The central pairing of Carroll and Uzunlar didn’t have the best of tournaments and probably did not play to their ability, but ensuring there is improvement across the back four will be a priority.
Errors at the back are often the best remembered because they can directly lead to goals and a leaky defence makes winning games much harder.
There was always going to be a big gap to fill after Cheryl Salisbury retired from the game and you cannot expect players to replace overnight the experience, pose and skill that comes with having over 150 caps for your country.
But Sermanni and his coaching team will need to find a player to be the new rock at the back who provides calm to the players around her. This is the type of player upon which the Matilda’s defence must be built.
Ellyse Perry’s future may be further up the park
David Beckham was blonde, a marketer’s dream, with a right foot which he used to spray accurate long and short passes to teammates all over the pitch.
Australia has a player who is blonde, a marketer’s dream, with a right foot which she uses to spray accurate long and short passes to teammates all over the pitch.
It is a testament to Ellyse Perry’s ability that her strike in the quarterfinal was hit with her weaker left foot (and with her goal she achieved what many others have failed to do – Fozzie was, for once, lost for words), but the facet of Perry’s play that has impressed me the most when I have watched Matilda’s games on TV or watched her play in person for her club Canberra United is her range of passing and distribution.
For club and country, Perry plays at right back with a licence to go forward, but perhaps her talents could be better utilised if she was unshackled from most of her defensive duties in the midfield.
Perry admitted in her post match comments that her defensive efforts may not have matched the same heights as her sublimely taken goal, but there could be a future for her to use her range of passing to influence play from positions deeper in the oppositions half as well as taking on a greater share of the free kicks.
Like many of the players in the squad, Perry is still maturing as a player and there is no doubt that fans of football in Australia will be watching the development of her career with great interest.
The Matildas are on their way to becoming Australia’s premier female national team
The Matildas have come a long way from having to make calendars to raise much needed funds for their sport.
Whilst they are not the number one female nation sporting team (a title arguably held by the Diamonds, Opals or Hockeyroos depending on who you talk to), their efforts in recent years both on and off the field have raised the profile of the women’s game in this country.
In addition, unless my ears were deceiving me, the sell out German crowd in the quarterfinal were cheering louder for the Australians than the Swede’s, so unless there was a selective editorial policy at SBS to turn up the crowd noise when Australia had the ball (let’s not go there), it would fair to conclude that the squad have been excellent ambassadors for their country during the tournament.
The administrators of the women’s game in this country must build on this momentum, take advantage of the opportunities and ensure that it is converted into tangible backing.
I can’t think of a better partnership than one between the Matildas and Sanitarium because there are some members of the squad who would actually meet the age requirements to be a ‘Weet Bix kid’.
Now is the time to grow the women’s game and help to ensure that the potential that exists becomes a reality for women’s football in Australia.
This team is one to watch for the future
In the quarterfinal, it was great to watch Caitlin Foord sprinting up field in the dying minutes of the quarterfinal, on a surging run into space, in a game what was probably a lost cause at that stage, because she looked as if she was enjoying every minute of her experience.
In the Norway game, Kyah Simon demonstrated that she could finish off a move as well as start one and that in a pairing with Lisa De Vanna, she could be the perfect foil.
If the coaching staff can match her raw talent and athleticism with a more mature footballing brain, then there are going to be some very worried defenders around the world.
With this young squad arguably going to get better over time, Australians have had the opportunity to see the core of the team not just for the next World Cup but possibly the next two beyond it.
The player that could break Cheryl Salisbury’s record of 151 caps for Australia may have taken to the field during this World Cup and if that player is part of a team that can compete and possibly win more major tournaments, then even the former Australian captain would probably be happy to see her record broken.
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