Matildas coach Joe Montemurro drops hint on Sam Kerr comeback in crucial last game before Asian Cup
Sam Kerr is racing the clock to play in Adelaide for the Matildas’ last game before the Asian Cup — and coach Joe Montemurro has provided an update on her fitness.
Sam Kerr trained with her Matildas teammates on Monday, but coach Joe Montemurro won’t make a decision on her fitness to play New Zealand in Adelaide on Tuesday night until closer to kick-off.
A calf injury saw Kerr miss Australia’s 5-0 demolition of the Football Ferns in front of a crowd of 20,519 in Gosford on Friday night.
Despite the big win, Montemurro admits he is still considering changes to his team as he searches for continuity in the last game the Matildas will play before the Asian Cup kicks off on home soil in March.
Kerr shapes as the most important piece of that puzzle, and Montemurro is hopeful she will line up at Coopers Stadium on Tuesday.
“She trained this morning and she’s tracking well,” the coach said on Monday. “We’ll assess things tonight and make a decision tomorrow whether she starts or not.
“She’s in the mix at the moment. She’s been training with us, she has been in the last two camps.
“We’re obviously looking at a lot of different scenarios leading into a tournament. We have to be prepared for many, many different scenarios, and Sam’s a component of that – like every other player.”
Kerr was named on the bench for Friday’s first game against New Zealand, but didn’t warm up with teammates before the game, or at halftime.
“She’s tracking well, she’s growing at Chelsea with match minutes, and she has really integrated well here, which isn’t a surprise because she’s been in the Matildas a long, long time,” Montemurro said.
“She’s been ticking boxes ever since she came in.
“Like every player, we assess their situation and where they’re at. We ask the players how they’re feeling also, because they know their bodies better sometimes.
“We’ve got all the statistical data, but we manage every player accordingly. They’re all at different levels and different scenarios.”
Goal scorer Katrina Gorry was a standout last Friday, while Kerr’s Chelsea teammate Ellie Carpenter got on the scoresheet alongside Amy Sayer, Haley Raso and Arsenal’s Kyra Cooney-Cross, who scored a screamer from 40 yards out.
It was a polished performance against a limited Kiwi outfit, but Montemurro still isn’t satisfied.
“We’ve been building an idea of football, because we believe it’s what we need to go ahead, not just at the Asian Cup, but as a nation and as an elite national team,” he said.
“We saw signs of it, but do we need more continuity? Absolutely.
“How are we going to find that continuity when they all go away tomorrow night? It might be difficult.
“We saw a good base the other night.
“I still need to see a couple of things that will give us the scenarios and ammunition ready for the Asian Cup.
“There’s a few tactical combinations I want to see, so there could be some changes.”
Five months into her move from OL Lyonnes to Chelsea, Carpenter expects the New Zealanders to bounce back after a historic defeat.
“I think they definitely won’t be happy with their performance,” she said after training on Monday. “I think we can expect a totally different New Zealand tomorrow evening.
“We’re prepared for that and we’re going to play our own game, our own style of play and bring it to them again.”
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Originally published as Matildas coach Joe Montemurro drops hint on Sam Kerr comeback in crucial last game before Asian Cup
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