Matildas squander chances, going down to Canada during international friendly

Once you get to the knock out phase, always very difficult to predict what will happen, especially playing at home. Matildas might still surprise.

I have been musing about why I am so worked up about Tony Gustavsson, and I have figured it out. It is because great coaching really does make a huge difference. A prime Australian example would be Ange’s team winning the Asian Cup. No great players, but as a unit they were formidable. In contrast, the Matildas have one great player, and some very good ones, but the coach has no clue about making a functioning unit from the players that he has. With Tony G in charge, we may get out of the group next year, but we will lose to the first good team we face in the knockout phase.

You say we have some great players, and a fair number of good to very good players. I think you are looking with your green and gold glasses on! I think we have just one indisputably great player [Sam Kerr]. We don’t see it for the Matildas because of the failings of the rest of the team, but she was spectacularly good for Chelsea last season. We have a couple of very very good players, neither of whom was on the field yesterday [Catley and Carpenter]. We have a few good but fallible players in defence [Kennedy, Polkinghorne, Williams (and the other keepers, Micah, Arnold, Whyman)]. Grant looks promising, Nevin should not be picked as she appears to be a thug. We have a very gifted but far from fully mature Fowler who may become very good to great - let’s hope that a WSL season helps her to improve so she can play in attack with Kerr. We have Raso and Vine, both of whom are good at right wing. Raso’s goal in the English FA cup final was a thing of beauty - I had no idea she was capable of such brllliance, Vine looks as though she is able to give international fullbacks trouble, and she usually plays intelligently for SFC. In attack we also have Foord [no brain], Gielnik, Crummer and Siemsen [all limited], and Simon [perhaps past it in terms of pace and fitness?] Most worryingly, we have an inchoate mess in midfield. Van Egmond is too slow in every possible way. Gorry is at least hard working and passes well at times. Not sure about the potential of Cooney-Cross yet, nor Chidiac. Perhaps Kellond-Knight will come back to full fitness and touch in time. Logarzo has always been hard working and could come back. Wheeler could pick up her game now she is playing in the WSL. Yallop should be in the squad, but is not going to frighten any opposition. There is no sense of who our midfield should be at this stage, nor what structure Gustavsson wants. So lots to be done to make the best of the somewhat threadbare squad, and I have seen nothing to suggest Tony G is the man to do it.

Having watched every game bar the final in the recent Euros, the difference that struck me with the Matildas v the top teams in the Euros like Germany and England, is intensity. Those two teams in particular, like Canada yesterday, are full on all game, quick on the ball, quick onto a loose ball or pass, always quick to try whatever they can to get the ball to a goal scorer, always a few options for goal scorer. We used to play with a lot more intensity but we didn't yesterday, and haven't for a while. Having said that, that could easily have been a different game if we hadn't missed a couple of sitters, or had someone to take a couple of other opportunities created.

Totally agree with you and Animal mainly. We rely on Kennedy for long balls out of the defence & there wasnt much opportunity for that parttly due to Nevins errors and Polkinghorne's lack of pace. Van Egmond will go all day but doesnt provide any impetus in midfield. Despite reports I dont believe Gorry had a great game (one headline pass but most of the others were poor) BUT she will have better days. Geilnik has never been first string so there was no reason Vine didnt start. I thought Cooney-Cross is showed more composure so a midgfield of her , Fowler , Gorry & Cateley could work. Add in Raso and/or Logarno there IS some hope.

Jupiter - You raise many good points in this offering. From the start of this game the Canadians showed an up - to - date knowledge of the modern game with one touch or two touch, control and pass, evident in all areas of their play. We on the other hand appeared to be in an endless endeavour of lobbing , or carrying the ball, towards Kerr. One of the favourites everyone seems to like is the youngster Fowler but as a midfielder ,she is not. Defence is a word that doesn't appear to be in her vocabulary and with her midfield partners also having problems,one with age, the other with over work (caused by these other inherent faults,) the supply line to Kerr is somewhat stilted and off target. If , as you say, the kid has good touch, the ability to pass both a ball and a man ,she should be tried up beside Kerr to give options to the ball carriers in midfield, who today, have to be tireless workers. This was not a good showing for the girls in front of an excellent crowd. Hope the Brisbane Roar officials were watching, they would be very happy with such a turnout. Cheers jb

I thought it was an entertaining game, but Canada looked far and away the better team. Looking beyond the closeness of the scoreline, Canada's greater capacity to retain the ball around the Australian box, to release strikers on goal, and to win the ball back on the halfway line were quite evident most of the match. Overall, the Canadians, demonstrated better touch, ball control and passing. A worrying sign for the Matildas is that this was not considered Canada's A team.

Some of those QLDers may need replacing soon.. Im still a fan of Gorry BUT one or two great passes offset by a lot of poor ones, Polkinghorne is getting far too slow & Van Egmond was rarely seen. Fowler who will become our best player took time to get involved but started to show her quality. Oh and Yallop made little impression too. Vine born in Shepparton started A League career at Roar but really developed when she returned to NSW.

re Remy.. yes I think Sydney Fc overfavoured her too..The Chilean girl was much more dangerous yet neglected at the grand final.

They played well in patches but Canada controlled the game. Polkinghorne not world class and she is getting far too slow. Fowler will become our best player. Vine & Courtney Cross now showing their potential.

“Central midfielder Katrina Gorry was also outstanding, with her passes opening up opportunities for the forward line.” I certainly dont agree with this..one or two great passes BUT many more poor passes. Its typical of most sport reporting tho.. one or two great moments OR one or two bad moments is all people remember.

A lot of the Matildas would struggle in the NPL at the moment. The NPL state league is improving , NPL clubs are now starting to raise money from the girls and getting their second dodgy income stream at the moment. Remy Siemsen I dont particularly rate she was front and center in W-leagues best team and scored moderately. However she would be better than a lot of the Matildas at the moment. Ibini its clear her fitness which was never any good has reached a new low. She is not slow I think she could be really fast if she actually bothered to train hard and get some fitness. She never looks like she fully stretches out to me. How she is getting selected now is completely beyond me. Sydney FC men its clear to me that I wouldn't have Wilkinson at any NPL level even, and La Fondre is not at top NPL level either. I dont know what happened to La Fondre players lose pace but he seems to gone backwards on all levels, touch, control , finishing.

I agree that Ibini should not be there. She is too slow both physically and in execution of thought. But to suggest from the list you gave that there is some hidden gem is wrong. I have coached some of those players and whilst decent, they are nowhere near international level. Like it or not we will have TG as the coach leading us into the WC. He has tried a lot of players over the past 18 months and has now put a red line through some. Eg: Remy Siemsen. She is another player who scores goals for fun at NPL level but totally out of her depth at international level.

"It was just (yet another) one of those days". Rather than rationalising 'those days' away, we need to stop having them. The Matildas in the first half were disjointed, unfocussed and uncoordinated. There was no pressing, just one-out runners working individually to no avail. For a time in the second half they looked much better, but they still looked a lot like a Sunday arvo scratch team with a few good players, compared to Canada's teamwork and organisation Emily van Egmond has been one of the Matildas greatest players, but I fear that the past tense (has been) applies. She never gets above a gentle lope, almost all her passes are backwards, her defence is almost non-existent, and she controls the ball into defenders rather than turning and finding space. She regularly converted fast-moving attacks into slow, bogged-down passing along the back. If Gustavsson thinks she is essential to the midfield, he'd better graft some rockets onto her. Chidiac was sitting on the bench, and would have been a far better option, while Cooney-Cross was already on the field and improved things greatly when she finally moved into midfield. Courtney Nevin is a seriously poor judge of tackling, and she should have been sent off for her elbow(s) on Leon. She is a repeat offender, and should not be back in a Matildas shirt unless her attitude changes greatly. Gielnick was anonymous for much of the time, and made some poor decisions with the ball. What a contrast when Courtney Vine came on, which raises the question of why she wasn't on from the start. While there was some good attacks, there were also some incredible wasted chances - Sam got the ball to the byline, and there were no Matildas in the middle, they were all back 20 metres loping along and watching to see what Sam could achieve. For long periods of the game, it seemed that the only tactic was to boot it to Sam and watch what she did, and the Canadians lapped it up. The goal came from a set-piece, where the Matildas failed to count up and mark the players at the far post, and then when the ball got there, didn't move up on the attackers, but stood and waited. The covering defender came from 8 metres behind Leon, so of course didn't get there in time. It wasn't all bad, Lydia had a good game, Charlotte Grant did well against a difficult opponent (Prince), the centre-backs were mostly in control, and Luik did well as a stand-in (but Tony, why is a 37 yo midfielder the stand-in central defender?). Mary Fowler and Katrina Gorry were pretty good, and Crumber did OK when she came on. Cooney-Cross worked hard, and Sam didn't have her best night, but considering the lack of support behind and beside her most of the time, you can't complain. Yallop also did well when she came on. Tony Gustavsson has now had the team for a large number of games. He does not seem to have yet come to grips with Australia's strengths (full-spirited play, quick transitions, self-belief) and has shown little sign of addressing our weaknesses (poor ball control, poor passing, poor decision-making in attack, poor organisation in defence/pressing). We have some great players, and a fair number of good to very good players, but he is selecting players who are not performing, and leaving out players who can really lift the team (e.g. Courtney Vine). There is no sign of a plan, and no sign of a guiding intelligence to get the players performing at their best. When a player swings an elbow right in front of the coach, and inexplicably is not sent off, why would you leave her on the field to do it again? This is not the mark of a coach who has a vision and is in charge, and I fear for the future. Prove me wrong, Tony, or go and let a real Australian coach take the reins before its too late.

Gustavsson must go! I understand that even the best coach is limited by the abilities of the players available, but it seems clear that he is incapable of making the best of the players that he does have to choose from. Keepers are adequate, none a world-beater but they are the least of our problems. Nevin should never be selected again. Should have been sent off against Portugal, and if the refereeing was fair dinkum, would have been sent off yesterday - is she Muscat’s love child? Grant was OK, didn’t push up as hard as Carpenter, but maybe not asked to. Kennedy/Polkinghorne/Luik are vulnerable to quick strikers, but the major defensive problems come from poor midfield organisation and selection. The international game has moved past Van Egmond. No urgency, her top speed is an ambling lope, she can’t turn to beat a player, her passing is mostly poor and backwards, she tackles from the wrong side. Should never be picked again [I know she gave a decent cross to Kerr for the first chance of the game, but that was an anomaly and doesn’t make up for the rest of her performance]. Having her playing means there are only 2 out of 3 midfield players engaged in the game. Gorry is much better, has energy and gave some excellent passes. Fowler must be in the team for her capacity to actually beat a player and find space, but I don’t think her defending is good enough for being part of a midfield 3. Why the heck did he play Cooney-Cross as a winger? He would have been better putting her in her usual position in midfield, and Fowler on the left up front. Kerr is of course amazingly good, but needs service. Gielnik’s limitations were obvious yesterday; Vine looked much more creative and threatening during her time on the field. And there is little sense of defensive organisation. The goal was beautifully hit, but terribly defended. The Matildas were clustered in a line at about penalty spot level, no-one moving out to pressure and block the ball. Similarly when Kerr pressured the goalkeeper, the rest of the team was not close enough to their players to put the screws on, and Kerr’s efforts were wasted. Sure, there are players to come back into the squad [Catley, Carpenter, Logarzo, Raso, Simon], but what makes me despair is that Gustavsson is so unintelligent in his coaching, and I have no hope of that changing. The Matildas would currently be cut to pieces by any of the last 4 teams of the recent Euros. I actually think they would be well beaten by the Spanish or Japanese under 20 teams.

Ibini has actually scored a goal in the state league since the previous call up. A single goal. What about the other 100 or so women ahead of her. its almost impossible for a new player to get a cap with this coach. There seems to be further issues with talent getting into the W-league. There is something unbelievable wrong when you have so many goal scorers and they are ignored. This coach is so bad it cannot be believed. This situation is so bad its beyond belief but no one is doing anything about it. It seem impossible to get into the Matildas and hard to get into the W-league. Is the PFA involved in this as well it seems an organisation dedicated to the status quo and keeping old players in the job. All the journos they are super lazy self serving event goers does anyone watch the state level at all. Name Team Goals Shea Connors APIA Leichhardt FC 14 American Ashlee Brodigan Northern Tigers FC 12 not capped Rola Badawiya Sydney University SFC ? not sure Australian no W-league Daisy Arrowsmith Bankstown City FC 11 not capped no W-league Laura Anne Murtagh Macarthur Rams Womens FC 11 not capped no W-league Ashlie Crofts Blacktown Spartans FC 10 not capped no W-league these I haven’t checked Emily Alexandra Minett Manly United FC 9 Charlie Jayde Rule Sydney Olympic FC 8 Holly Caspers Sydney University SFC 8 Maddie Bart Northern Tigers FC 8 Sarah yatim Sydney Olympic FC 8 Yuka Honda Manly United FC 8 Claire Louise Adams Emerging Jets 7 Claudia Louise Cholakian Sydney Olympic FC 7 Hannah McNulty Northern Tigers FC 7 Michelle Louise carney Illawarra Stingrays 7 Siobhan Edwards Bankstown City FC 7 Sophie Hoban APIA Leichhardt FC 7 Leena Lovely Khamis Macarthur Rams Womens FC 6 Rhianna Pollicina APIA Leichhardt FC 6 Sienna Saveska Football NSW Institute 6 Sophie Harding NWS Spirit FC 6 Tahlia macri NWS Spirit FC 6 Alicia Meuronen Illawarra Stingrays 5

Hopefully they can turn it around on Tuesday in front of a near sell out crowd, but you can’t keep hoping we’ll be better in our next game. Perhaps The Matildas need to go in the same direction as The Socceroos - an Australian coach who is familiar with our local game. Gustavson must be close to being asked to move on - how long does he have left on his contract?

Matilda’s played well. Canada are a class team. Gorry, Polkinghorn and Kerr are world class and, maybe, Fowler may get there but, we are in real strife! Another loss. Another loss. Against every top rated team (Sweden, USA, Spain, Brazil, Canada) we have lost. Gustav son is not going to get us even a quarter final WC finish.

Gustavsson needs to be locked up the bloke is a loony. Instead of finding players from Australias huge reserves of female talent he has players out of position, old players and useless players. Ibini couldnt score at state level she gets into the Matildas . liuk is a joke. crummer is not a midfielder , Nevin is a liability, Van Egmond was terrible as usual. Vine was only given 20 minutes. Cooney Cross is not a winger. Polkinghorne too old.Kerr and Gorry were great but Kerr could have done better shooting on the ground though her headers were great. Canada they missed an open goal . their chances were better than Matildas so you cant say they were unlucky it could have been 4-3. Its doom unless they get rid of this tool Gustavsson