Gustavsson’s puzzling selections and management style puts Matildas future in question

Is Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson heart still in it? Some key team powerbrokers are concerned.

Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson. Picture: Getty Images.

The hype the Matildas generated with their stunning World Cup run has carried on with record crowds for the A-League Women’s and Olympic qualifiers, but it has also papered over a nagging problem for the team — its coach.

Scratch the surface of the squad and you’ll hear strong rumblings about whether Matildas’ mentor Tony Gustavsson is the right man to lead the women through to the Paris Olympics.

Currently there is a review of the Matildas’ World Cup campaign and already there are whispers of concern around the management of injuries particularly those to superstar Sam Kerr and fellow striker Kyah Simon.

The murmurs of axing the coach is nothing new.

Around this time last year the Matildas had a dire record of 13 losses in 26 games with just eight wins.

There were public calls by the likes of former Socceroo Robbie Slater in July — citing Gustavsson’s odd selection choices and management of Kerr’s injury — that if the team did not get through the knockout rounds of the World Cup then he must go.

The situation was kicked down the road as the losing tide turned and the Matildas rode a tsunami of public support into the World Cup semi-finals. But if you talk to those around the Australian side they’ll tell you that it was a “strong team effort” guided by Kerr’s leadership that steered them there.

It was achieved despite Gustavsson’s puzzling selections such as continuing to pick star Ellie Carpenter, who had just returned from an ACL injury and wasn’t at her best, rather than making a “courageous” move and bringing on Charli Grant who was in form and had game time under her belt.

Despite the doubts, the players rolled on but often looked to their captain for sound advice.

Rather than feeling sorry for herself, after picking up an untimely calf injury, Kerr took on an unofficial role of captain/coach and many say it was she who “drove” the Matildas to fourth place in the World Cup. She actively mentored those who needed it and was there on the bench giving guidance when there was none coming from elsewhere.

The skipper, aided by Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord, lifted morale and the team thrived.

But the Matildas need and deserve more than a captain/coach lifting them through the most crucial moments – they need and deserve a coach who wants to live here in Australia and has a sharp eye on the game’s grassroots and next generation of stars.

A person who lives, loves and breathes the Matildas and is proud to wear the emblem on their chest.

The current national coach lives in Sweden. It doesn’t fit the bill. The events of the past week has put a spotlight on Gustavsson’s loyalty to the game in Australia.

There are many who have wondered if his heart is still in the job especially after he was linked to the vacant US position.

There are some too who are annoyed that Football Australia had not done more to secure the services of Chelsea coach Emma Hayes. Kerr is a fan of Hayes’ leadership. The duo between them have won 14 major trophies at the Women’s Super League club.

On Wednesday it was announced that Hayes will take up the US job in May.

It’s a missed opportunity. Hayes, say some close to the Matildas, would have been an incredible fit for the Australian team.

“Why didn’t they throw money at her? Are we still dealing with a boys’ club?” Asked one critic privately. They are good questions.

Why didn’t FA proactively chase down a gun coach like Hayes, in a time where its incumbent has shown keen interest in coaching another country?

What are FA’s long term plans for the Matildas — a team that has potential to do so much more on the world stage? Especially with their core group of players at their peak and playing at the best clubs in the world?

Football being football, not everyone agrees. Some believe Hayes would not have been the right fit, that she was overlooked in favour of Gustavsson in 2020 for good reasons. They instead believe that a local coach should be the priority not a foreigner. An Australian coach with a hunger for Australia to win a gold medal.

There is a push for a coach to be based in Australia, to foster the next generation of Matildas and to capitalise on the popularity of the team which is at astronomical levels.

At last week’s Olympic qualifier against Iran, Gustavsson’s tactics were again under the spotlight. His decision to start Kerr on the bench, in her hometown, seemed odd. But then again it also was very on brand for his decision making that at times has swung from gobsmacking to entirely predictable.

But like the Matildas do, as they have for a long time now, the team closed ranks and rolled on. They have proved time and time again over the past 12 months how good they operate as an outfit.

Gustavsson is contracted until the Paris Olympics, for which they are yet to qualify. Australia can seal a berth for next year’s Games via a playoff against world No.50 Uzbekistan in February.

Until then, Gustavsson is safe, unless someone in FA is brave enough to make a change with the Matildas’s long term future in mind.