With less than 50 days to go until the Women’s World Cup in Canada, Australia’s Matildas return home after a long six week tour of Europe. Staying at the Australian Institute of Sport Centre in Italy, they have used the time to solidify partnerships and grow as a squad.
A credible fifth place in the Cyprus Cup was a good start to the tour, defeating the Netherlands (12), Finland (24) and Czech Republic (29), but losing to England (six) and Austria (26) was disappointing and brought the squad back down to the hard reality of World Cup football.
With Kate Gill and Ashleigh Sykes rested, a sluggish Australian side went down to Austria 2-1 and then looked strong against Scotland (21), but ultimately had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Australian Coach Alen Stajcic has kept an open mind with his squad selections bringing in youngsters, but also not closing the door on a number of long-term absentees, and of course returning injured players like Samantha Kerr will add another dimension to the team.
Stajcic will finish his team selections for the World Cup over the next six weeks in Sydney and Canberra, but of course will regret the recent retirement of veteran midfielder Collette McCallum.
The Matildas are looking very strong and it is obvious that the coach has worked hard to help build a positive, relaxed and supportive team culture. He has managed the team well, providing time to youngsters like Alex Chidiac and Larissa Crummer, meanwhile promoting a fast and attacking style of football.
This has arguably been the best preparation that any Matildas side has had prior to a major tournament, now the players are more experienced and have come a long way since making it to Quarter-finals of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Whether this is enough to tip the scales against group rivals USA (two), Sweden (four) and Nigeria (33) remains to be seen, but if there is a team that can do it, it is this one.
The Australians will have to be at their best to defeat the likes of the USA, but with the speed of Lisa De Vanna and the midfield partnership of Kerr and Gorry it is possible, but they will have to be mindful of the quick counter-attack and of course, defending against the lethal American set plays.
Most importantly, the Australians will require composure in the attacking third when the opportunity arises, something that has concerned Stajcic over the past weeks, but if they can do this they can defeat anybody on the day.
The Matildas start their FIFA World Cup campaign against the USA on the 8th of June.
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