Matildas The Matildas Thread

[swingdog]

Yep, we’re at the beginning of a rebuild but Gustavsson is sticking with the veterans became he’s judged on the World Cup.

We should have done what the US is doing though I’m less sure about our youngsters. What does Cooney-Cross bring to the team?

 

[Munga]

The players look pissed off tonight.

 

[nobbyiscool]

We’re going to waste this team and home World Cup

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Yep, can see us crashing out at the group stages the way it’s going. We should have given TG the bullet after the Asian Cup debacle, too late now.

 

[stax on the mull]

We sort of had a dominant first half in Match 2 but apart from the goal the best chances were snuffed out by tackles by their young defender No 21 Rose ..or we got into scoring positions and couldn't make the right decisions.

Foord showed a little bit of her old self but she still runs into dead ends. Vine's runs threatened but a couple of really lame balls undid her good work. Both of these players were supposed to be underdone - but in tournament you don't have that as an excuse when you have to keep backing up.

Fowler has the class but has still got to work on being able to have an impact for longer periods and as the game progresses she starts to give up possession.

Thought Grant played well over both games and is a youngster worth persisting with. She's got a bit of speed and won the ball off the opposition.

Other than that its the same squad of players that haven't been able to step up when needed or haven't been developed. There seems to be a loss of confidence as well and players not being in synch, misreading intentions and passes that go straight back to the opposition.

Gustavsson shouting at them from the sidelines but sometimes the players seem to be afraid to play the attacking pass when its on and take it backwards.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

They need to give Gustavsson the flick and put Jeff Hopkins in charge starting with Sweden game.

 

[swingdog]

We sort of had a dominant first half in Match 2 but apart from the goal the best chances were snuffed out by tackles by their young defender No 21 Rose ..or we got into scoring positions and couldn't make the right decisions.

Foord showed a little bit of her old self but she still runs into dead ends. Vine's runs threatened but a couple of really lame balls undid her good work. Both of these players were supposed to be underdone - but in tournament you don't have that as an excuse when you have to keep backing up.

Fowler has the class but has still got to work on being able to have an impact for longer periods and as the game progresses she starts to give up possession.

Thought Grant played well over both games and is a youngster worth persisting with. She's got a bit of speed and won the ball off the opposition.

Other than that its the same squad of players that haven't been able to step up when needed or haven't been developed. There seems to be a loss of confidence as well and players not being in synch, misreading intentions and passes that go straight back to the opposition.

Gustavsson shouting at them from the sidelines but sometimes the players seem to be afraid to play the attacking pass when its on and take it backwards.

My God, Rose is exactly the sort of defender you want coming through - tall, strong, skilful, fast and reads the play well: everything we lack in our backline.

Agree on Foord. As a defender, all you really need to do is stand in front of her. She does that little acceleration with the outside of the foot controlling the ball but it rarely leads anywhere. Despite all the action, she actually covers the ground slowly with the ball in front of her allowing the defence to get set and cover her passing options.

I liked Vine when she was on but she is very much a work in progress. Needs to make better and quicker decisions in the final third. With Raso back, I'd prefer a front three of Vine, Kerr and Raso. Attack with the ball at their feet, not constantly looking for headers.

Grant, by comparison, looked much closer to being international ready. Will cover for Carpenter, who will probably struggle to be fully fit. If she is fit, a backline of Carpenter, Grant (shifting to CB), Polkinghorne (not my favourite but miles ahead of Kennedy) and Catley is not too bad.

Fowler and Gorrie amongst the few of our players comfortable on the ball in tight spaces. Fowler's passes are sublime but she needs to work on her propensity to go missing. Needs to impose herself more on the play.

Surely van Egmond's time is up. My preferred midfield would be Gorrie (Wheeler as back up) sitting behind Fowler and Chidiac. Interesting comment from Gustavsson in the post-match interview that the changes in the last 15 minutes made a difference (bringing on Wheeler and Chidiac). Might spell the end for the midfield which has been so static for so long. Would have also been good if he had recognised this at the 60 minute mark.

I've said it before, I can't see this team getting beyond the last 16 next year. It's the World Cup after that I'm interested in.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

 

[Munga]

Rose is unbelievable. She will tear apart a few more forwards.

 

[Angry Red Bull]

I read just recently that of the last 18 games against a top 20 teams we have won only ONE game. That, quite frankly, is a damning statistic.

I've posted here before that our backline with Kennedy and Polkinghorne is old, way too slow and gives up easy football too often. In short we are brittle in defence. We mostly dominate any team in the first half whoever we play and our second half the press drops away dramatically, we become lazy and the ever present weaknesses in defence both as a group and individual skills are always exposed. There is never any expectation we can survive a whole game without giving up two goals. You can't win against top opposition doing that. I simply can't have Polkinghorne. Her basic skills are in my opinion weak and she is a naive defender. Are the habitual second half fades a product that when a game becomes more open as they usually do in that second stanza our stability at the back is woefully exposed.

Is it fitness? Shouldn't be at this level. Is it lack of discipline and concentration around maintaining the press? Possible. The reality is that at top level most teams get exposed at the back by extending too far and being caught on the rebound. We instead dominate and often score too so should be able to be more composed at the back yet we have the second half fades all the time.

The coach should be able to identify and arrest this problem but he hasn't been able to. Do we need an energiser bunny in the team and in the middle of park? Perhaps. Do we even have one?

It's getting painful to watch them dominate early and should be 2-3 in front and then fade and give up goals second in a whimper. New personnel maybe. Just too weak at the back. No composure or solid dependable structure even when in front and unextended when it should be easiest

 

[swingdog]

I read just recently that of the last 18 games against a top 20 teams we have won only ONE game. That, quite frankly, is a damning statistic.

I've posted here before that our backline with Kennedy and Polkinghorne is old, way too slow and gives up easy football too often. In short we are brittle in defence. We mostly dominate any team in the first half whoever we play and our second half the press drops away dramatically, we become lazy and the ever present weaknesses in defence both as a group and individual skills are always exposed. There is never any expectation we can survive a whole game without giving up two goals. You can't win against top opposition doing that. I simply can't have Polkinghorne. Her basic skills are in my opinion weak and she is a naive defender. Are the habitual second half fades a product that when a game becomes more open as they usually do in that second stanza our stability at the back is woefully exposed.

Is it fitness? Shouldn't be at this level. Is it lack of discipline and concentration around maintaining the press? Possible. The reality is that at top level most teams get exposed at the back by extending too far and being caught on the rebound. We instead dominate and often score too so should be able to be more composed at the back yet we have the second half fades all the time.

The coach should be able to identify and arrest this problem but he hasn't been able to. Do we need an energiser bunny in the team and in the middle of park? Perhaps. Do we even have one?

It's getting painful to watch them dominate early and should be 2-3 in front and then fade and give up goals second in a whimper. New personnel maybe. Just too weak at the back. No composure or solid dependable structure even when in front and unextended when it should be easiest

If we go into the World Cup with Polkinghorne and Kennedy as our CBs, we will lose. Both far too slow.

The Far Post podcast (The Far Post on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com › podcast › the-far-post) noted that defence has long been a weakness of the Matildas.

I can't work this out - where are the quality defenders in the domestic competition? It's damning that Jade Rose, who starred for Canada, is only playing for her university, not in an NWSL side and can still outclass our defence.

Why do we think we can just chuck a couple of midfielders in the back line to get the job done? My theory is that we don't value defence in the Australian game. On a small scale, our junior club has regularly provided players for the NPL and I can pretty much predict which players they are going to take. NPL coaches are looking for mids and attackers, never defenders. They then shape the mids into defenders.

There's all the talk about the Matildas being an exciting, attacking side but that's not what wins big tournaments.

 

[Angry Red Bull]

Having played 30 years and much of it at the old stopper role I agree completely. We are often being beaten by simple through balls.....no build up or deception just through balls. Terrible. Of course all the opposition know our weakness and exploit it too now. Ultimately I think it's only going to change with new personnel in defence and probably an energiser bunny sort to keep pressing in the midfield. I may have to get into habit of turning the games off at half time

I watch the video on angeball with two attacking wingbacks pressing forward and I can't rationalise how that can possibly work being so thin at the back. But it's obviously based on interceptions and turnovers through the high press and strong ethos in recovery. Still struggle to see how it works but he gets impressive results. It's not something I would have remotely considered in my era. Always thought that the spine was what made or lost games. Things change I guess.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Squad named for the friendlies against South Africa (in London) and against Denmark (in Viborg):

Name	Position	Club	Caps (goals)	Junior club/member federation
Mackenzie Arnold	GK	West Ham United	29 (0)	Burleigh/Football Qld
Steph Catley	Defender	Arsenal WFC	102 (3)	East Bentleigh, SE Cougars/Football Victoria
Alex Chidiac	Midfielder	Racing Louisville FC	19 (1)	Croydon Kings/Football SA
Kyra Cooney-Cross	Midfielder	Hammarby IF	18 (0)	Ballarat City / Football Victoria
Larissa Crummer	Forward	Brisbane Roar	26 (4)	Peninsula Power / Football Qld
Caitlin Foord	Forward	Arsenal WFC	102 (22)	Warilla Wanderers / Football NSW
Mary Fowler	Forward	Manchester City	28 (8)	Leichhardt / Football Qld
Emily Gielnik	Forward	Aston Villa	55 (11)	Redlands United / Football Qld
Katrina Gorry	Midfielder	Vittsjo GIK	83 (15)	Mt Gravatt Hawks / Football Qld
Charlotte Grant	Defender	Vittsjo GIK (on loan from FC Rosengard)	8 (0)	Cumberland United Women's FC / Football SA
Sam Kerr	Forward	Chelsea WFC	112 (59)	Western Knights / Football West
Chloe Logarzo	Midfielder	Kansas City Current	54 (8)	Carlingford Redbacks / Football NSW
Aivi Luik	Defender	BK Hacken	38 (1)	Palm Beach SC / Football Qld
Teagan Micah	GK	FC Rosengard	10 (0)	Brisbane Blue, Brisbane Central / Football Qld
Courtney Nevin	Defender	Hammarby IF	13 (0)	Oakville Ravens / Football NSW
Clare Polkinghorne	Defender	Vittsjo GIK	146 (12)	Wynnum Wolves, Capalaba / Football Qld
Hayley Raso	Forward	Manchester City	62 (9)	Banora Point / Football Qld
Kyah Simon	Forward	Tottenham Hotspur	111 (29)	Quakers Hill, Hills Brumbies / Football NSW
Emily Van Egmond	Midfielder	San Diego Wave	121 (30)	Dudley-Redhead / Northern NSW Football
Cortnee Vine	Forward	Sydney FC	6 (0)	Peninsula Power FC / Football Qld
Clare Wheeler	Midfielder	Everton WFC	11 (0)	Adamstown Rosebud / Northern NSW Football
Lydia Williams	GK	Paris Saint-Germain	102 (0)	Tuggeranong, Woden Valley / Capital Football
Tameka Yallop	Midfielder	Brann	108 (12)	Mudgeeraba / Football Qld

23-player squad finalised for CommBank Matildas October Internationals

A 23-player CommBank Matildas squad has been named to take on South Africa and Denmark for two int

www.matildas.com.au

Pretty uninspiring squad, TBH. No Alanna Kennedy (who was included in the last squad for the games at home to Canada) and no Princess Ibini (she was a late call-up for the injured Raso, who has reclaimed her spot in the squad).

 

[Munga]

No Alanna Kennedy

Wow... a few years late, but we'll take it. Dropped or injured?

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Wow... a few years late, but we'll take it. Dropped or injured?

Kennedy is injured.

 

[Munga]

Kennedy is injured.

Ah. Oh well. The sooner someone else cements her position the better.

 

[stax on the mull]

 

[stax on the mull]

Squad named for the friendlies against South Africa (in London) and against Denmark (in Viborg):

Name	Position	Club	Caps (goals)	Junior club/member federation
Mackenzie Arnold	GK	West Ham United	29 (0)	Burleigh/Football Qld
Steph Catley	Defender	Arsenal WFC	102 (3)	East Bentleigh, SE Cougars/Football Victoria
Alex Chidiac	Midfielder	Racing Louisville FC	19 (1)	Croydon Kings/Football SA
Kyra Cooney-Cross	Midfielder	Hammarby IF	18 (0)	Ballarat City / Football Victoria
Larissa Crummer	Forward	Brisbane Roar	26 (4)	Peninsula Power / Football Qld
Caitlin Foord	Forward	Arsenal WFC	102 (22)	Warilla Wanderers / Football NSW
Mary Fowler	Forward	Manchester City	28 (8)	Leichhardt / Football Qld
Emily Gielnik	Forward	Aston Villa	55 (11)	Redlands United / Football Qld
Katrina Gorry	Midfielder	Vittsjo GIK	83 (15)	Mt Gravatt Hawks / Football Qld
Charlotte Grant	Defender	Vittsjo GIK (on loan from FC Rosengard)	8 (0)	Cumberland United Women's FC / Football SA
Sam Kerr	Forward	Chelsea WFC	112 (59)	Western Knights / Football West
Chloe Logarzo	Midfielder	Kansas City Current	54 (8)	Carlingford Redbacks / Football NSW
Aivi Luik	Defender	BK Hacken	38 (1)	Palm Beach SC / Football Qld
Teagan Micah	GK	FC Rosengard	10 (0)	Brisbane Blue, Brisbane Central / Football Qld
Courtney Nevin	Defender	Hammarby IF	13 (0)	Oakville Ravens / Football NSW
Clare Polkinghorne	Defender	Vittsjo GIK	146 (12)	Wynnum Wolves, Capalaba / Football Qld
Hayley Raso	Forward	Manchester City	62 (9)	Banora Point / Football Qld
Kyah Simon	Forward	Tottenham Hotspur	111 (29)	Quakers Hill, Hills Brumbies / Football NSW
Emily Van Egmond	Midfielder	San Diego Wave	121 (30)	Dudley-Redhead / Northern NSW Football
Cortnee Vine	Forward	Sydney FC	6 (0)	Peninsula Power FC / Football Qld
Clare Wheeler	Midfielder	Everton WFC	11 (0)	Adamstown Rosebud / Northern NSW Football
Lydia Williams	GK	Paris Saint-Germain	102 (0)	Tuggeranong, Woden Valley / Capital Football
Tameka Yallop	Midfielder	Brann	108 (12)	Mudgeeraba / Football Qld

23-player squad finalised for CommBank Matildas October Internationals

A 23-player CommBank Matildas squad has been named to take on South Africa and Denmark for two int

www.matildas.com.au

Pretty uninspiring squad, TBH. No Alanna Kennedy (who was included in the last squad for the games at home to Canada) and no Princess Ibini (she was a late call-up for the injured Raso, who has reclaimed her spot in the squad).

Some changes to this initial squad of players with Van Egmond, Yallop, Wheeler and Simon all ruled out of the upcoming games with injury.

Players added to the squad are Siemsen, Checker and M. McNamara.

Should likely give a bigger opportunity for Cooney-Cross and Chidiac in the midfield.

None of the new injuries are defenders, although Gustavsson's recently used Yallop at right back, but two of the changes are for defenders so there could be a chance that at least one of Checker or McNamara getting some starting game time in defence with the squad shuffle.

CommBank Matildas call in trio as injuries force squad changes for October Internationals

Forward Remy Siemsen and defenders Emma Checker and Matilda McNamara have been added to the CommBa

www.matildas.com.au

Also of interest, defender Angela Beard was recently invited by Stajcic to the Philippines training camp in Costa Rica. Mother was born in Cebu, Philippines.

 

[stax on the mull]

ACL for Kyah Simon which would likely rule her out any chance of World Cup Selection.

 

[stax on the mull]

This South African team aren't providing the Matildas with much opposition here and we're getting by with a 3-0 scoreline at half time with below standard play.

Too many loss of ball control and passing errors for me that a good opposition would pounce on. Looked a bit better in the last 10 min with Catley pushing forward and Foord and Cooney-Cross getting involved down the left.

Very few passes going forward through the middle. Working it down the left and right flanks but when there's a chance to cross into the box, there's either no-one there or its misdirected or cut off by their defence before it goes into a dangerous area.

Good for Vine to score her first and 2nd goal for the Matildas.

 

[Munga]

The SA crowd sound great. Chalk and cheese from those bloody vuvuzelas!

 

[jhong]

I dozed off during the second half but I though the coach yelling for tempo contributed to the sometimes sloppy passing in the first half . The result looks ok on paper but the performance was meh . Good in patches and ordinary for other times . Will get a better idea next match , though I won’t hold my breath that it will get better.

 

[stax on the mull]

Good scoreline against Denmark.

Don't know what the quailty of the Danish team was that played us and I saw how they got their goal in the first minute, and how much space there was in the box, some miscommunication there early in the game for the defenders. I though maybe Luik could have closed down the space.

I could only get a stream via Danish TV about 10 minutes before half time.

We came out in the 2nd half and must have had 95% possession in the first 10min. Totally dominated them.

Work rate (Gorry, Grant) and speed (Raso, Vine) of some of our players were incredible and we kept the ball and also played into the box in different ways, not just relying on hiking it down the wings and hoping to hit Kerr with a cross.

Gorry was everywhere. Also liked Luik and Cooney-Cross and the subs came on (Chidiac, Fowler) and gave us something extra. Last 10 minutes we subbed off Kerr and put in an extra defender (Nevin) - but we still created a few more chances in that final part of the game -even though we were winding down the clock. Unusual thing was Fowler playing with her shirt tucked into her pants. Catley didn't quite have the same pinpoint delivery as the other night with the crosses although I did see a replay of the chance she created in early in the game for Kerr.

Foord was more dangerous than Kerr from what I saw - although Kerr got some headers on target but straight into the gk's hands. Foord scored the 1st, but the 3rd goal (which came from the kick-off straight after Gorry hit a long range one for the 2nd) is as good as it gets from a striker - trapping it and spinning around for the shot.

 

[stax on the mull]

Gorry's goal is pretty good. First impression was the Denmark GK reacted late and misread it, but it does dip slightly at the end. Also liked the pressure from Chidiac to win back the ball.

 

[jhong]

Disappointed this wasn’t shown on FTA . Good result.