Summary
Thank you for joining me this afternoon. We’ll be back for the friendly double-header with Korea in April. Catch you then… but in the meantime, here is Mike Hytner’s report of the Matildas’ 2-1 defeat to Colombia.
Updated
These are tricky times for the Matildas. They have reached a level of prominence in Australian culture that they have used to enormous public benefit, but the performances and results that earned that goodwill have deserted them. Moreover, with coaching and selection policy as it stands, it is hard to see where the turnaround is going to come from.
Accompanying that goodwill has been a lack of external scrutiny, but with results and performances as they are, those tough conversations are becoming unavoidable. Andy Harper spent most of his TV analysis biting his tongue, but his frustration at the process that has led to this point was obvious.
It is going to be another big year for Football Australia. Fixing their prized asset is now an urgent priority.
