Matildas coach's grim admission with 'legacy' at stake

9 months ago 83

Beleaguered Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson says Australia's FIFA Women's World Cup run volition beryllium a nonaccomplishment if the squad crashes retired successful the radical signifier of its location tournament.

Fronting the media connected the eve of Australia's do-or-die lucifer against Canada successful Melbourne, Gustavsson admitted not reaching the knockout signifier would beryllium disastrous.

"I decidedly deliberation it's just to accidental it's a nonaccomplishment if we don't get retired of the radical [stage]. I mean everyone present understands that," helium said.

Tony Gustavsson watches connected arsenic Australia takes connected Nigeria successful Brisbane. (Bradley Kanaris via Getty Images)

"Of course, we privation to get retired of the radical being a location World Cup.

"I'm the archetypal to admit that hopefully they don't spell out, but that's not our mindset close now; our mindset is conscionable astir playing the crippled successful beforehand of us."

Remaining existent to 1 of his go-to lines, Gustavsson acknowledged the Matildas' daze 3-2 nonaccomplishment to Nigeria past Thursday whitethorn person damaged his repute arsenic the close idiosyncratic to mentor this team.

"We cognize however this concern works, that there's ever going to beryllium a batch of opinions ... and much apt erstwhile you suffer a game, arsenic well," helium said.

"As I've said before, arsenic a manager of a squad you're ne'er amended than your past game, truthful close present I astir apt beryllium up present arsenic not the champion coach.

"We did an in-depth reappraisal of ... the Ireland crippled erstwhile we won, we did an in-depth reappraisal aft the Nigeria crippled erstwhile we lost. We instrumentality a batch of learnings from games 1 and two, and we determination to crippled three."

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In the aftermath of the crippled against Nigeria, Gustavsson's tactics person been heavy criticised.

He made conscionable two substitutions successful the match, bringing connected seasoned defender Clare Polkinghorne successful the 81st infinitesimal and midfielder Alex Chidiac 3 minutes later.

In "reviewing my in-game coaching", Gustavsson admitted helium could person injected Chidiac and Polkinghorne into the crippled astatine the aforesaid time.

The Swede said the gravity of Monday's lucifer was not mislaid connected him.

"It's a monolithic crippled successful that consciousness and we can't shy distant from that. We've spoken a mates of times earlier astir legacy, and the bequest and the 'why' of this team," helium said.

"Long-term legacy is simply a antithetic benignant of question, but if you speech sports and results this crippled is massive.

"Hopefully successful 10 oregon 20 years from now, we tin look astatine different parts of the bequest [rather] than conscionable 1 game, but close now, we can't shy distant from [the fact] that this is simply a important moment, for sure."

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