Women’s World Cup: Cashed-up rivals out to poach Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson

Football Australia faces rich opposition to retain the services of Tony Gustavsson. The Matildas coach is off contract after the Paris Olympics.

The Matildas take a stroll around Sydney’s Darling Harbour on Wednesday before the semi-final showdown against England. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Football Australia faces rich opposition to retain the services of Tony Gustavsson. The Matildas coach is off contract after the Paris Olympics and one cashed-up rival ­nation is already making noises about pinching him.

Gustavsson won two World Cups and an Olympic gold medal as an assistant to USA, the team licking its wounds and probably looking for a new coach after bombing out of this year’s tournament. Gustavsson’s former boss in America has implored her governing body to throw an offer, and the cheque book, at the Swede who answered Australia’s call in its hour of need.

Two-time World Cup-winning coach Jill Ellis worked alongside Gustavsson during a golden ­period for the Americans. She piled praise on him for the side he has built in Australia after starting the job when the Matildas were floundering in 2020.

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Ahead of their World Cup semi-final against England, Ellis said: “I watched them play against France in the warm-up game, and I remember going, ‘This is a well-oiled machine. They’re going to make a deep run in this tournament.’ You could just see it. The way they stepped together and moved together. It just reminded me a lot of our team in 2019. We were a very well-oiled machine, prepared for any situation.”

The world No. 1 Americans lost in the round of 16 to Sweden, their worst result at the tournament. Gustavsson had never been the coach of a senior national team when Football Australia took a punt on him three years ago.

He said this week that time with Ellis was instrumental in his development. “Those experiences were extremely valuable in learning tournament football. It’s very different than week-in, week-out in a league,” Gustavsson said. “I’ve been a club coach as well, but playing tournaments is completely different. It’s about finding a way to win in the game right in front of you. If I look back from 2019 to where I am now, my mantra is I want to get better every day, not just one day older. I sit here one day older, but hopefully one day better as well.”

Gustavsson’s success and reputation for pouring his heart and soul into his players means he can write his own cheque after the Olympics. The problem for Football Australia is that it doesn’t have the funds available to powerhouses such as the US and ­England. America could have snaffled Gustavsson in 2019 but they overlooked him to pursue Vlatko Andonovski. It’s doubtful Andonovski will stay in the job after such a disastrous World Cup.

Ellis said Gustavsson deserved praise for navigating the Matildas’ World Cup journey without captain Sam Kerr. She said his tactical shift of Emily van Egmond, a regular midfielder for the San Diego Wave, to the forwards as a “false nine” had flown under the radar as a selection masterstroke.

Asked if the US should chase Gustavsson, Ellis told ESPN: “He should definitely be a strong candidate. I don’t think people are giving him and his staff enough credit for having navigated most of this tournament without arguably one of the best players in the world.

“Most of us as coaches would not have said Australia was even close to being a contender without Kerr, so that’s pretty remarkable what they’ve been able to navigate as a staff. I know … Emily van ­Egmond plays in a deeper role in the midfield. To move her higher up the pitch was a great solve and added a little bit more control.

“To retool that team – it certainly needed to happen. While fans aren’t patient, while media aren’t patient, Tony very much understands.”