Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson demands fast start against Thailand

Fresh from thrashing Sweden, the confident Matildas must not take a complacent attitude into Tuesday’s match against Thailand.

The Matildas will line up against Thailand on Tuesday night. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson admits his team’s biggest challenge against Thailand on Tuesday will be to avoid complacency following Australia’s weekend thrashing of Sweden.

Fresh from their 4-0 thumping of the nation ranked second in the FIFA women’s rankings, the Matildas are backing up against a Thai outfit that’s No.41 in the world.

That’s almost 30 spots lower than the Australians, who should comfortably dispose of their opponents at Central Coast Stadium.

That’s provided the Matildas’ heads aren’t still in the clouds after Saturday’s win against a Swedish side that wasn’t at full strength.

“It was a very good feeling after the game and we enjoyed it as well,” Gustavsson said.

“We need to show up (against Thailand) as well.

“Can we get our mindset right and not be complacent?”

The confident Matildas must avoid complacency against Thailand. Picture: William WEST / AFP

The answer to that might be seen from the opening whistle if the Matildas fail to adhere to their coach’s request of a fast start.

“The challenge that we’ve given ourselves is can we start off fast? Can we be on the front foot early on in the game?” Gustavsson said.

“I would love to see us flying from the beginning, with that mindset we had against Sweden, with our regains, our transition games (and) our runs because what can tend to happen when you play a well-organised team like Thailand and there’s less space is that you stop running.

“We are a running team, so we need to run.”

Gustavsson said “patience” would also be crucial on Tuesday night.

“Not patient playing slow but patient to believe the goals are going to come and (with) breaking them down,” he said.

If selected, veteran defender Clare Polkinghorne will join Cheryl Sainsbury as the most capped Matilda of all time with 151 appearances.

Polkinghorne’s long-time national team central defensive partner, Manchester City’s Alanna Kennedy, will again be sidelined with a shoulder injury.

“Alanna’s doing better. She’s progressing in training every day. She had her first training session (on Monday) as well which is fantastic,” Gustavsson said.

“It was a bonus to have her in this training environment. She’s not available for any game time but she looked really good, and we had the opportunity to do some extra individual work as well, position specific, so again I’m very grateful for City releasing her to us as well.”

While Kennedy is unavailable, Alex Chidiac could make her return from injury.

“She trained fully (on Monday),” Gustavsson said.

“I’m going to get updates to see if and how many minutes she could be available for.”

Originally published as Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson demands fast start against Thailand