Matildas interim coach is planning for future series despite no end date to his reign
Despite Football Australia not giving him an end date to his interim coaching period, Tom Sermanni is planning for future series in the top job, as Hayley Raso pushes for the ‘right appointment.’
Interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni is preparing as if he will still be in the top job for the She Believes Cup in February as Hayley Raso called on Football Australia to “make the right appointment” before an Asian Cup at home.
Sermanni said he hadn’t been given any indication from Football Australia as to whether this international window, which finishes this week with two games against Chinese Taipei, would be his last in charge.
He is preparing as if he will be sticking around for another two months and if that
eventuates he is likely to be reunited with super striker Sam Kerr.
“I’m just doing the interim job and I’m going to do it until somebody at the FA comes up and says to me the time is up,” Sermanni said.
“I’m in the interim role, I think the federation is looking for something that is a longer-term person.
“I couldn’t say if I will or won’t be but I’m preparing like when we leave here and we start reassessing what we do that I’ll be looking forward to the She Believes Cup.”
Matildas winger Raso, who scored Australia’s only goal against Brazil at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday night, said a new coach needed to be found sooner rather than later.
“We’re in a period now where we’ve got time, so I think first and foremost it’s about getting a coach in,” Raso said.
“After that, we’ll probably start working on philosophy, finding our feet, but we’ve got time to be able to work on these things that we need to and I suppose we’ll take that time before the Asian Cup.
“It’s important to get a coach in and to start finding that balance and working under their philosophy.
“At the same time, we need to get the right appointment.”
Raso was one of eight Matildas players released from camp on Monday. She is set to fly back to her European club as the rest of the Australian squad continues on to Melbourne to prepare for back-to-back clashes against Chinese Taipei.
Unlike this window, the next one will play a crucial role in the Matildas’ preparation for the 2026 Asian Cup.
They will compete in the US-hosted She Believes Cup for the first time alongside Japan, which is a top contender in Asian football.
The return of Kerr should help solve the Matildas’ problems in front of goal.
Raso said Kerr had been greatly missed during her almost 12-month ACL rehab.
“Everybody knows what Sam Kerr can bring to a team,” Raso said. “We’ve missed her as a person and as a player.
“We’ll welcome her back with open arms back into the team and we’re looking forward to it.”
The two games against Chinese Taipei in Melbourne and Geelong will be a chance for a number of fringe Matildas players to show what they can do.
It is something Sermanni said hadn’t been done enough in the past and was part of the reason he opted to give goalkeeper Teagan Micah her first start in almost 12 months.
“The important thing for these games from this perspective is to look ahead at what the team might look like come the Asian Cup,” Sermanni said.
Micah, 27, was the first-choice goalkeeper at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but a severe concussion in December 2022 while playing club football left her on the sidelines for six months and ruled her out of the 2023 World Cup.
It paved the way for Mackenzie Arnold to step up and she impressed then-Australia coach Tony Gustavsson in the lead-up to the World Cup and then the nation when she made save after save to help the Matildas through to the bronze medal playoff.
Despite a few minor injuries, Micah has been in top form for English WSL club Liverpool.
She found out on Saturday, the day before the clash against Brazil on the Gold Coast, that she was going to be given her first national team start in almost 12 months.
Micah had a blinder and the loss against Brazil could have easily been 4-1 instead of 2-1 if not for her crucial saves.
She said a new coach meant a second chance for players like herself who were fighting to get back into the starting side.
“It’s a fresh slate,” Micah said. “A lot of people haven’t played for a long time so it’s good to see a lot more rotation and a lot of players getting up and stepping up to take their chances. It’s an even playing field now.
“One thing I’ve learned over the course of my years in the Matildas is the No.1 is never really set.
“It’s always in and out, it’s always about your most recent performance, so for me it’s just one game at a time.”
The Matildas play Chinese Taipei on Wednesday in Melbourne.
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