Former Matildas’ coach Ante Milicic says European switch has changed women’s football in Australia and is full of praise for his now opponents
Ante Milicic will draw on his knowledge of the Matildas system as he prepares to battle with his former team on Friday night, in his first appearance as China head coach.
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A great deal has changed in the short time since Ante Milicic coached the Matildas - but he credits one major move as the cause for the team’s success.
Milicic coached the Matildas for a 17-month stint, which included the 2019 World Cup, stepping down in 2020 to take on a role as head coach of A-League’s side Macarthur.
Just three weeks ago he was appointed as the new head coach of the Chinese National Women’s team.
His first game in charge will be against the Matildas in Adelaide on Friday night.
Milicic was full of praise for what the Matildas had managed to achieve since Tony Gustavsson took the reins - including their fourth placed finishes at the Tokyo Olympics and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
When Milicic was in charge the Matildas didn’t play in front of sold out stadiums and certainly not at Adelaide Oval.
“I’m so happy for the girls first and foremost because they deserve to be in the situation that they are in, not just the results that they’ve had but also individually as players and the way their careers have gone.”
Milicic said he believed one of the biggest drivers of success for the Matildas was having so many players starring in top leagues across Europe.
“I remember when I was in charge it was at the time called comfort zone clubland football.
“It was half a year in Australia and half a year in America. It was summer, you were speaking English, you were dominating those leagues,” Milicic said.
“I really felt that as a team, as individuals, as players, they needed to make that switch to Europe.
“And if you just look now at the last round of the English league and how many Australian girls were starting and playing and dominating - that puts them in a scenario where they can take that club form into an international team.
“At the same time professionalism levels have gone up, they’ve changed Australian football with the World Cup.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the direction that they’ve taken.”
Milicic said having intimate knowledge of the Matildas would aid his preparation for the upcoming two-match series.
While teams will be playing to win, Milicic is using this as an opportunity to get to know his new players and see what they can do.
His ultimate mission is to get the Chinese women’s team back in their Asian Cup winning form - just in time for the next edition of the tournament to be held in Australia.
“There’s always pressure, particular when you’re working as a national team coach in a foreign country but it is no more than the pressure I put on myself,” Milcic said.
“I have my own expectations on what needs to be done but I’m just taking it step by step and preparing as much as possible.”
Matildas will play China PR at Adelaide Oval at 7.40pm (Adelaide time) on Friday.
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Originally published as Former Matildas’ coach Ante Milicic says European switch has changed women’s football in Australia and is full of praise for his now opponents
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