Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson takes blame for Matildas’ early Asian Cup exit

The Matildas scored 18 goals in their opening Asian Cup match but didn’t make it past the quarter-finals and that could have repercussions.

The Matildas are out of the Asian Cup. Picture: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images

Prior to the Asian Cup, coach Tony Gustavsson said to judge the Matildas once they got into “tournament mode”.

However, after being bundled out in the quarter-finals by South Korea, the judgments surrounding Gustavsson‘s tenure at the helm have begun to permeate as Australia fell way shy of their objective of Asian Cup glory.

Despite being ill served by the VAR and conceding as a result of a Ji So-Yun screamer against the run of the play, the Matildas came up short in their first real test of the tournament, squandering several gilt-edged chances to put the game away.

As a result of their early exit, Gustavsson said he was prepared to take on the resulting criticism from fans and pundits alike.

“I‘m happy (for them) to criticise me, which I think is fair, but I also think that to do that by looking at the performance as well so it’s a fair criticism,” Gustavsson said.

“Criticise me for what I could’ve done better because that’s what the game is about. I’ve been around the game long enough for two decades to know it’s not going to be on me now and I take full ownership of that,

“Obviously, I am going to look at what I could have done differently as well. It’s a little bit too early to say that I could have done differently.”

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson is under the pump. Picture: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images

Now, the Matildas will have to lick their wounds and shift their focus towards a crucial 18-month block ahead of the Women‘s World Cup on home soil next year.

When questioned about whether he believes he will be the person to take them forward, Gustavsson said it wasn‘t his position to decide but was prepared for the challenge if he was to remain in the hot seat.

“I‘ve been around long enough to know those questions are going to come from all over the place and that’s fair, that’s OK,” Gustavsson said.

“I‘ve said from day one, I’m a very passionate person. I will always give 100 per cent, I will always try to do the best I can. Whether I’m the right person for the job is not my job to say.

“What I can promise is that I’ve been around long enough to come back from situations like this and learn from it and do better and that’s what I’m going to do if I get the chance to do it.”

Sam Kerr couldn’t get Australia over the line at the Asian Cup. Picture: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images

Sam Kerr was among the brigade to miss several big opportunities for the Matildas, namely in the second half when she missed an open goal that would‘ve given her side the lead late in the contest.

Gustavsson went into bat for his star striker, shielding the responsibility for the loss from Kerr onto his own shoulders.

“Sam is a rock star. She is our captain, our skipper. She always carries the team on her shoulders” Gustavsson said.

“It‘s not her fault. It’s a team performance. It’s a team losing against a team. Sam is a phenomenal player that always carries the team on her shoulders, so this is not about Sam losing the game, this is about us as a team losing a game,

“If someone should be criticised it should be me, not Sam.”