The Matildas head coach, Tony Gustavasson, has hinted on the eve of Australia’s historic World Cup semi‑final that the star striker Sam Kerr will again be used off the bench against England in Sydney.
Kerr returned from a calf injury as a late substitute in the last 16, before playing more than 60 minutes as the Matildas’ quarter-final against France went to penalties. With just four days between the games – and Australia’s attacking quartet of Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Emily van Egmond and Hayley Raso combining well – Kerr’s addition to the starting lineup would cause complications for the manager.
“When it comes to the lineup we’ll have a discussion tonight again about minutes,” Gustavasson said on Tuesday. “I think consistency and chemistry is key for any team that wants to be successful in tournaments. I have some tough decisions to make tonight – I have a lot of player availability.
“What we’ll do is look at always trying to start as strong as possible but finish even stronger. Meaning what kind of starting lineup do we want to have, but also what kind of finishing XI do we want to have – what kind of tool, game-changer, do we think we need in a game like this? Type of players – whether it’s speed or aerial presence or closing out a game.
“There’ll be some long conversations tonight and some tough decisions to be made. A lot of players deserve to start, but a lot of players also deserve to finish the game and win it for us.”
Gustavsson otherwise indicated that all 23 members of his squad were available for selection including the vice-captain, Steph Catley, who was seen with a heavily strapped thigh at training on Tuesday morning, and Kyah Simon, who is returning from a long‑term anterior cruciate ligament injury. “We’ll be meeting tonight to see the best starting XI and the best finishing XI,” the coach said.
Gustavsson admitted Kerr had played more than anticipated as the France match went to extra-time and penalties, but said his captain had recovered well and was “definitely” available for selection.
“She pushed through more minutes than we hoped for to be honest – one reason why we kept her on the bench because we were uncertain how many minutes she had coming back from that calf injury, but also the limited training minutes that she had. The way she pushed through was fantastic and impressive, both from a mental and physical aspect.”
The semi-final presents an intriguing tactical battle as a possession‑based England team comes up against a transition‑focused counter-attacking Matildas lineup. The Australians beat England in a friendly in April, but Gustavsson said the Lionesses would have learned from the defeat. “It will be an interesting tactical game in that sense, because are England going to stay true to their possession game or are they going to take away our transition game by playing a different style of football then they normally do and just adjusting in that sense? We are prepped for both systems, if they play 4-3-3 or 3-5-2. We have also played with three different systems in this World Cup, so we might be flexible and do something different as well.”
Gustavsson said his team had “reset and recovered” from the rollercoaster of the quarter-final and were ready to go against England. “We’ve looked at a lot of details in terms of prepping for England and it’s going to be an extremely tough semi-final but, with amazing support from our amazing fans, I think it’s going to be a fantastic game.”
Mackenzie Arnold, the Australia goalkeeper who became an overnight fan favourite with her penalty-saving feats on Saturday, also hailed the impact of the home nation’s support on the team. “The crowd will be massive for us,” she said. “They have really grown with us throughout the whole tournament.
“From the first game it has grown and grown. Even outside the stadium, seeing the support we’ve had all over the country has been unreal. They have been like the 12th man player for us.”
But Arnold insisted the team’s journey at this World Cup was not over yet. “The legacy we wanted to leave throughout this World Cup to inspire a generation, we have done more than that. We have done more than what we thought we would accomplish. We are not done yet, but to see the reaction we have received from the whole country – this is only the beginning and there is lot more to come.”
