Australia and France are arguing about subs ... again

Australia and France are arguing about subs ... again. At least these ones aren’t nuclear-powered.

The two World Cup quarter-finalists have taken very different approaches to the use of substitutes - and, unsurprisingly, have contrasting views about how much that will matter come crunch time on Saturday night.

Herve Renard and French star Eugenie Le Sommer front the media on Friday.Credit: Reuters

The Matildas have used only 17 of their 23 squad members, the lowest of any team at the tournament, while coach Tony Gustavsson has handed his bench players an average of just 19 minutes per game - which is, again, fewer than any of their rivals.

Les Bleues, meanwhile, have made a concerted effort to spread the love, partly to stave off any hint of a classic French major tournament mutiny.

All players bar France’s two reserve goalkeepers have taken to the field, and only one - first-choice custodian Pauline Peyraud-Magnin - has been out there for every minute. Only two, Grace Geyoro and Kadidiatou Diani, have played more than 300 minutes, compared to eight of Australia’s players, and of those used by France, just two have played less than half an hour in total.

While Renard admitted circumstances had permitted him this luxury - in their final Group F match against Panama, they were all but qualified for the knockout round, and thus had greater scope to use his subs - he believes it could be an advantage France has over Australia, not just physically but in terms of squad harmony.

Tony Gustavsson speaks with Sam Kerr before her injection off the bench against Denmark.Credit: Reuters

“Yes, it can be the difference at the end of the game for the last 15, 20 minutes - you never know. We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” he said.

“It was important for some ladies from the squad to participate because every day, they are making a lot of effort to be in the first 11, and it’s not easy to spend your time on the bench for so many games - even if all of them would be happy if the French national team is going very far. In terms of team spirit, I think it’s very important.

“And I always repeat, you can have a big part of this tournament even in a few minutes. In football, there is so many stories like this. So it’s very important for them to stay focused and concentrate.”

The suggestion was put to Gustavsson that his reluctance to change his line-up - for which he has been criticised - could count against the Matildas when the chips are down, and the legs are heavy.

He wasn’t having it.

“Not at all,” he said. “Reason why is we’re extremely fit. We’ve shown that. There’s no coincidence that we have that running [ability]. Total metres is one thing, but what’s really interesting is the high-speed metres and the sprints - and they are off the charts compared to some other competitors.

“We’re fit, we’re fast. We know that. If you look at the schedule that the players are playing now, it’s nothing different than what they’re doing in clubland, in terms of the games, amount of weeks.

“And the funny thing with this team is every time we have shortened time between two games, they amp up the high-speed meters the game after. The most intense game we have played so far in terms of sprint and high-speed metres was the game we had less recovery time. They bounced back extremely well.

“That’s also a mindset thing, but I also want to say one more thing: it’s also thanks to the fans. The way the fans support us during the games and how loud they are, it carries us.

“We always play a pressing game and a high-octane game with a lot of sprints, a lot of running. You need that encouragement when you start fatiguing a little bit. A player will always be tired at the end of the game, especially with extra time, no matter how fit you are. But to push through that when you feel tired, you need to fans as well, especially as much as we run.”

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