- Matildas ended their year on a sour note
- Another defeat against Canada
- Steph Catley says bad form is ‘bad’
Steph Catley has admitted the dismal end to 2023 for Matildas is ‘bad’ as pressure mounts on Tony Gustavsson after another defeat to Canada.
Defeated 5-0 last Saturday when they fielded a second-string team, a near-full-strength Matildas team fell short again in Vancouver on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to the reigning Olympic gold medalists.
Although the Australians had a few second-half chances, they rarely threatened in a lackluster final performance of a year, which was highlighted by reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We have done something very important and left a legacy in our country,” said Catley, who wore the captain’s armband in place of Sam Kerr.
“It’s been a great year for us and it’s sad to end on a low note.”
The Matildas suffered another defeat and ended their year on a sour note
Manager Tony Gustavsson is under pressure with questions about his recent decisions
Matildas coach Gustavsson’s desire for his side to adopt a new style of possession-based play to give them more versatility ahead of next year’s Olympics did not yield results, with Canada rarely in trouble for more than 48,000 fans.
“We try a few different things, a few different ways of playing, and sometimes it has growing pains,” Catley said.
“There are times in the game when we can’t control it, but when we do it looks pretty good.”
As expected, Gustavsson fielded an almost completely different 11 to the team that started the weekend’s embarrassing defeat.
Goalkeeper Teagan Micah was the only player to hold her spot, and that was only due to the injury-forced absence of first-choice custodian Mackenzie Arnold from the squad.
Apart from the absence of Arnold and captain Sam Kerr – who was also left out of the 23-man squad due to injury – Wednesday’s starting side was the Matildas’ best possible line-up.
Despite Australia fielding a much stronger team, the Canadians were the deserved winners.
Midfielder Quinn put the hosts ahead in the 40th minute when she was the first to react to teammate Kadeisha Buchanan’s shot which hit the crossbar after the Matildas failed to clear a corner.
‘A set piece cost us and that is not good enough from our team. There’s a lot to think about and improve on,” Catley said.
Matildas’ memorable World Cup led to Swedish mentor Gustavsson being linked with the now-filled job with the US women’s national team and the coaching position of the Swedish men’s national team.
Steph Catley made an honest admission that Australia’s poor recent results are ‘bad’
However, Gustavsson dismissed the ‘speculation’ despite reports that he had held talks with the Swedish Football Association.
“There will always be speculation, especially when you do good things like the Matildas have done,” he said.
‘I just focus on the job I have. I’m focusing on the Matildas, and this preparation period has been huge for us.
‘I fully committed every minute, and the same goes for the players. This was a very good moment for us and we learned a lot.”
Gustavsson said he would ‘definitely’ still be Matildas’ coach for February’s two-legged Olympic Games qualifier against Uzbekistan.
