- Foord says Matildas are trying new things
- Gustavsson expected to start Matildas stars
- Sides will meet again on Wednesday (AEDT)
Matildas and Arsenal superstar Caitlin Foord has urged fans to see the ‘bigger picture’ after an inexperienced Aussie line-up was thrashed 5-0 in a friendly by Canada.
Gustavsson fielded six players with fewer than 20 caps in Langford on Saturday (AEDT), with the experimental line-up put to the sword by slick opponents.
The defeat was the heaviest the Matildas have recorded in 17 months, but Foord has doubled down on the game style, insisting that the team is building.
‘It was a tough game. The new conditions that we’ve come (to Canada) to, a lot of us haven’t played on turf for a very long time,’ Foord said.
‘The spin on the ball, the bounce on the ball isn’t something we’re used to.’
Caitin Foord says it’s important to see the bigger picture after the thrashing to Canada
Foord says the Matildas squad is trying new things and building for the future
‘I mean, we’re trying to, I guess, trial new things, and that’s in a way a new playing style. We haven’t had many training (sessions) doing it, let alone competition matches against the top opponents.
‘Come to the tournament, I think it’s important to be flexible with kind of what game plan you have, so to have another one in our toolbox, which we’re trialling, will be massive.’
The star forward explained that the team has a big picture mindset that will pay off in the long-run.
‘(These are) games to build to what the bigger picture is. That’s the Olympics and the next games, which is Olympic qualifiers,’ she said,
‘For us it’s kind of learning and trialling and error with new things to build towards the bigger picture.’
Meanwhile, Gustavsson will turn to his best available line-up for Australia’s second friendly against Canada but remains adamant his younger players learned crucial lessons from their 5-0 loss.
He accepted criticism for throwing young players in the deep end but stood by his selections.
‘They were extremely professional in this last game to go all in and try things,’ he said.
Coach Tony Gustavsson is expected to field some of the Aussie big guns for the next match
‘It was a credit to the experienced players and my support staff to create a safe space for these young players to be out there and play.
‘Some people probably go, ‘Hey, is this fair to the players to give them this type of experience?’.
‘They love it. This is what they want. They want to play against top teams. They want to learn.
‘As long as I make sure I create a safe space for them to get this experience, it’s what they need.
‘Then I wanted to balance that with the opportunity to have some continuity as well in a line-up.
‘Because this might be the only camp before the Olympics when we can play a top-ranked nation. It’s difficult scheduling now with all the teams being locked in to schedules all the way up.
‘I wanted to really try young players against a top team but also get some continuity and consistency.’
Sam Kerr and Mackenzie Arnold are injured, while Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter and Clare Hunt didn’t feature in the first game against Canada.
The latter quartet, plus Mary Fowler, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Alanna Kennedy and Hayley Raso, all appear likely to start on Wednesday (AEDT).
Katrina Gorry missed training through illness but is also in the mix.
Source From: Football | Mail Online
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