Tom Sermanni uncertain about how long he will be in charge of Matildas in interim capacity

Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni is unsure if his temporary tenure will extend beyond this week’s two-game series against Chinese Taipei.

Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni is unsure if his temporary tenure will extend beyond this week’s two-game series against Chinese Taipei; however, he is preparing to be in charge for February’s She Believes Cup in the US.

Australia’s stint under Sermanni continued with a 2-1 loss to Brazil on the Gold Coast on Sunday night.

It the was the second time in four nights that Brazil had beaten the Matildas, with the South Americans having also won 3-1 in Brisbane last Thursday.

“I know everybody looks at the result, but from my perspective, you’re looking ahead at what the team might look like come (2026) Asian Cup time for example,” Sermanni said.

“I saw some promising signs from players that haven’t had a lot of game time.”

Fringe players are set to get more opportunities is the series against Chinese Taipei, which starts in Melbourne on Wednesday night, with eight of the squad’s stars returning to their European-based clubs this week.

Interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni is unsure about the length of his tenure. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

They include attackers Caitlin Foord (Arsenal) and Hayley Raso (Tottenham) as well as captain Steph Catley (Arsenal), who was a late withdrawal on Sunday night after experiencing “tightness in her lower leg” during the warm-up.

“We’ve got to very conscious of the overall welfare of the players,” Sermanni said.

“We don’t want them going back broken from our camps because that sours the relationship with clubs, but we’ve also got to think of the players.

“Players like Steph and Caitlin Foord, they’re getting into their 30s now. They are playing a huge volume of games at the highest level, so we just need to be careful.”

Sermanni said he didn’t know if he had coached the squad’s departing players for the last time.

“(I’m) interim coach (for an) unspecified time,” he said.

“I’ll do the job until such time when somebody at FA (Football Australia) comes and says to me that your time is up.”

20th Matildas goal ✅
1st in her hometown 🏟️@HayleyRaso 🏡#Matildas#AUSvBRApic.twitter.com/C311x5WRda

— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) December 1, 2024

Sermanni, who also coached the Matildas in two previous stints in a full-time capacity, reiterated he was not interested in becoming previous national women’s coach Tony Gustavsson’s permanent replacement.

However, in the meantime, he will plan accordingly in terms of the Matildas’ preparations for February’s four-nation She Believes Cup, which also includes host country USA, Colombia and Japan.

“When we leave her (after the series against Chinese Taipei), and we start reassessing what we do, part of my planning will be to look forward to the She Believes Cup,” the veteran mentor said.

Raso stressed the need for FA to make the “right appointment” in finding a permanent successor to Gustavsson.

Originally published as Tom Sermanni uncertain about how long he will be in charge of Matildas in interim capacity