World Cup is the priority, but Matildas also want Asian Cup success

The Matildas are trying to find the right balance in wanting to build their squad for next year’s Women’s World Cup, but also taste short-term success at the Asian Cup.

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson is chasing Asian Cup success. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson is hopeful he can avoid sacrificing Asian Cup glory in his bid to have a squad perfectly prepared for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil.

As the Matildas prepare to start their last Asian Cup tilt on Friday night against Indonesia in Mumbai, Swedish mentor Gustavsson admits he’s trying strike a balance between winning this tournament and using the experience to further build his squad’s depth ahead of the World Cup, which is being hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

If he can find that ideal equilibrium by not only guiding the Matildas to Asian Cup success for the first time since 2010, but building enough squad strength to result in a World Cup triumph next year, Gustavsson will be labelled a genius.

But if it’s a case of one or the other, the World Cup remains his priority.

There is also the danger the Matildas won’t win either tournament if Gustavsson tinkers too much with his team at the Asian Cup.

However, it’s a risk he seems willing to take.

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson. has promised ‘high-octane’ performances from his team at the Asian Cup. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“When I was employed by the federation (Football Australia), there was a very clear message presented to me,” Gustavsson said.

“We needed to look at the depth in the roster, and grow the depth, and also the main target was the World Cup in 2023 – but the Matildas in an Asian Cup, they haven’t won it since 2010.

“We’re all sitting here now and extremely motivated to try to do everything we can in the short term to try to win this tournament and lift the trophy.

“But at the same time … if we can do this in a different way than we’ve ever done before, so it’s not just the core group of players that have to play every single minute of the tournament, (and) we can use the depth in the roster in a way that we might not have done before, that will not just benefit the short-term result of the tournament, but also we can grow as a team leading into the World Cup 2023.”

Win or lose at the Asian Cup and next year’s World Cup, Gustavsson won’t change an attacking style that has drawn criticism in some quarters because it has led to far too many goals being conceded rather than scored.

“The thing that’s always going to be the same is the identity of who this playing group are,” he said.

“It’s always going to be a high-octane, high-pressing, attacking minded, aggressive type of football that operates on the same principles in terms of attacking and defending – get the ball back as soon as we lose it, press aggressively, (and) attack with a lot of numbers.

Originally published as World Cup is the priority, but Matildas also want Asian Cup success