New coach Ante Milicic excited by upbeat atmosphere in Matildas squad
It’s the extremes that have struck Ante Milicic. In a handful of days the new Matildas coach can see at every turn the differences between the two senior national teams, in ways he never expected.
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It’s the extremes that have struck Ante Milicic. In a handful of days the new Matildas coach can see at every turn the differences between the two senior national teams, in ways he never expected.
From the silences of Ange Postecoglou with the Socceroos to the constant laughter of the Matildas. From the unquestioning receipt of tactical information by the men to the demands to know why from the women.
At the men’s World Cup Milicic was assistant coach with an Australian team being rapidly overhauled with a new generation. In June he will be head coach at the women’s World Cup of a side with legitimate aspirations to win the thing.
For a man allegedly walking into a “cancerous” and “dysfunctional” culture, Milicic insists he has found a lot to like since he arrived in camp only last Saturday.
“They are the best,” he says of his new squad. “They are laughing all the time. I love working with them. They want to learn. They have the information and we just have to drag it out of them.
“They are good players. I am reviewing training sessions, they are moving, they are coming off, they are on angles. They can play.
“It’s different, yes. With the boys, at meal time, it’s all quiet, you don’t hear a word. Them, they are laughing and giggling and stay half an hour after the meals.”
There were many reasons he was approached to succeed Alen Stajcic, and no doubt part of it came from the fact he was already on the FFA payroll. But it’s also about his understanding of the unique characteristics of an Australian dressing room, whatever the gender.
“This group the way they were, they needed an Australian coach,” he said. “Because (otherwise) you don’t understand them and by the time you understand them, by the time you get to know how the staff work, it’s too late. You are playing catch up.
“Little things, we are Australians so we like the outdoors and the beach. So I can’t take them to Germany for a pre-World Cup camp where they would be in the forest on a bike. Aussies get bored.
“In 2009 with the Young Socceroos in Port Said, I could tell we were going to lose because the place wasn’t exciting for them. They weren’t mentally stimulated.”
Milicic hasn’t spoken to Stajcic, despite the circumstances of the latter’s removal, even though they go back 30 years to when they were in an U15s side that drove 53 hours to Perth in a bus strike.
But then, as he points out, he didn’t speak to the previous incumbent in any role he has taken on. He has his own ideas, not least around how the team will play.
“They're such good, instinctive players,” he said. “They have so much individual freedom, I don't want a weight on their shoulders like they have to second guess where to be running.
“An athlete like Sam Kerr might go into areas you don't want her to, then you see it works. Particularly in attack, I don't want too many restrictions. It's like telling players pass, pass, when she can beat two players and score. Be relaxed because ultimately I'll be responsible.
“I want them to understand why we want to play the way I want to. One thing I noticed, you talk to the boys, they understand. ‘Yep,’ that’s it. With the girls they have to understand why.”
Originally published as New coach Ante Milicic excited by upbeat atmosphere in Matildas squad
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