Interim coach Tom Sermanni has delivered a truth bomb after he declared the Matildas haven’t planned well enough for the future, as he prepares to field a squad missing plenty of Australia’s biggest stars against Taiwan.
After a strong team suffered two losses to Brazil in Queensland across four days, an effectively second-string line-up will take on Taiwan at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Wednesday night, then GMHBA Stadium in Geelong on Saturday night.
The likes of Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Ellie Carpenter, Hayley Raso, Alanna Kennedy and Teagan Micah all left local shores after Sunday’s game against Brazil.
Tottenham pair Clare Hunt and Charli Grant plus FC Twente’s Daniela Galic will depart on Thursday and skip the final game.
The Matildas are looking to respond to back-to-back losses to Brazil, who defeated them 3-1 in Brisbane then 2-1 on the Gold Coast.
It presents opportunities will for A-League Women stars and fringe Matildas such as Emily Gielnik, Chloe Logarzo and Alex Chidiac, along with youngsters like Galic, Sharn Freier and recent impressive debutant Natasha Prior.
In comparison, predecessor Tony Gustavsson debuted 23 players across his tenure – but only Cooney-Cross, Hunt, Grant, Micah, Clare Wheeler and Cortnee Vine became regulars.
The Swede then maintained a consistent starting XI of experienced players in major tournaments.
Interim coach Tom Sermanni has declared the Matildas haven’t planned well enough for the future, as he prepares to field a squad missing plenty of Australia’s biggest stars against Taiwan
Injured skipper Sam Kerr was sorely missed in the recent defeats against Brazil as she continues to recover from a ruptured ACL
Experienced mentor Sermanni was quick to point out the downside of a stable squad as Australia builds towards hosting the 2026 Asian Cup.
‘The Matildas have had a very consistent squad for four years and what’s happened with that is it hasn’t allowed opportunities for other players,’ he said on Tuesday.
‘And one of the key things as a national team coach is you’ve got to play for the present, but also plan for the future. And I think, in all fairness, I don’t think we’ve planned well enough.
‘So part of the task for me and whoever comes in on a permanent basis, has to be that we are doing of both.
‘That encompasses looking at other players (while) trying to balance everything else, namely getting results and good performances.’
Sermanni promised to field a ‘balance’ of experienced campaigners and fresh faces against their opponents, who are ranked 41st in the world.
‘One of my aims is to give opportunities to as many players that I can,’ he said.
‘But I don’t want to make any guarantees about that, because a football match goes in many different ways, and you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen.’
Mary Fowler also didn’t play the South Americans as she stayed in England, citing her mental health (pictured, with boyfriend Nathan Cleary)
Sermanni also hopes his eventual replacement will continue to balance chasing positive results with developing a fresh crop of players.
‘Hopefully there’s continuity. I think that’s important,’ he said.
‘When I step away, the coach that comes in, he or she will hopefully rely on the staff that is (already) here, as well as perhaps bringing in their own.
‘But I think that part of the continuity is important for the program.
‘If you look at the overall picture, I think what’s very important in a job like the Matildas is that once the head coach comes in….they are also the head coach of the Matildas program.
‘That encompasses a lot of other roles, apart from just doing the national team. Hopefully, whoever that person is, comes in and will, or should certainly, rely on the expertise that’s already here.’
