starts in 25 minutes v china

Anthems over

Is this a friendly or a qualifier?

Fowler starting. Any other young technicians to look out for?

https://www.youtube.com/live/qYQNOMGn_kE?si=btlNMMA2zbis9_Hw

Live on YouTube abroad. 

Oh nice

Our pivots are really static just standing behind their markers rather than opening passing lanes. So we pass between cbs for a few minutes before giving up as the winger becomes the only option

New coach apparently with today being the first day

Very easy room for growth here if the coach knows what they are doing

China up 1 nil

Our left back burnt for pace, she used her body well to keep ball side but fell over. No foul called then a simple cross and finish

The lack of movement from our 6 and 8 is really frustrating to watch. The chinese literally have to stand stull to stop us playing through their lines. 

Quite a poor performance in the first half. None of the fringe players have held their hand up for selection in the Olympic squad so far.  Let's hope that there will be quicker movement of the ball in the second half.

There are just no passing lanes open because our 6 and 8 are weirdly against moving haha

I cannot remember a more clueless Matildas side bringing the ball forward. They have no plan and they have no attacking structure. It is a bunch of players looking at each other without any idea what to do.

Our CBs are having one of the worst passing games I have seen and they are simply giving the ball away in the back third - sometimes under pressure and sometimes under no pressure.

There is no drive through the middle and no apparent flow through the DMs.

Van Egmond, as always, is too slow to apply pressure up front, too slow to run onto anything going in behind, and pointless in the front third. By Gustavsson playing her there we are a player down.

Grant and Vine look like they don't believe they can run faster than their direct opponents so every time they get a chance they are stopping their runs to try and put their opponent off - which kills every fast chance and allows China to swarm them and get possession.

There was a decent shirt pull to make Torpey tumble at the end if you watch it closely - but she was on the wrong side of her opponent and unable to put real defensive pressure in that moment. It has been a feature of her play so far - getting half a pace around behind her opponent when her opponent has the ball, anticipating a pass backwards. But her opponents only drop their shoulder to get her stepping in behind then they turn and run off unopposed. She needs to stand on the defensive side and stay there.

And Gustavsson runs around with his whiteboard making changes to a system that obviously none of the players understood in order to play another system that the players still can't do anything with.

Clueless and depressing.

5 subs

Ibe seen some of our mens u17 and u20 teams be static off the ball playing out. Depressing to see it frim a senior side but looks like it was our reserves. Since the new players came on i saw us build up at least once through the middle

This team reminds me of the mens golden generation. Im worried those coming through will struggle to keep pace with our rapudly improving competition

An Australian team struggling to break down a low block at international level, drink! 

I don't think that was the issue

we couldn't break the first line because our 6 and 8 were static and not making passing options. So we had to over rely on the wings where they could outnumber us

You have to get near a low block to break it down haha

I find the way our junior female teams have been losing of late deeply concerning. Play Germany in Sweden today or was it last night? Lost 3:0 to Sweden. 

Post tournament complacency by Gustavsson. Van Egmond has to go or not start up top. Really should've changed coaches after the world cup. 

I knew it was mostly second string choices playing, but I still expect them to play to some sort of system and with the appearance of having ideas. Our keeper and our CBs both stood with a foot on the ball so many times having no idea what to do.

It is like the first team 'know the game plan' so Gustavsson does not teach anyone else anything. Trouble is, when he brings in any other player they don't play exactly the same way so we stumble. Add in multiple fresh faces like he does and you have strangers in the night exchanging glances.

We had players going for the same ball time and again, and most of that was because someone's first touch took the ball 2-3 metres away into doubtful space. Heyman with her back to the goal ran at the ball Raso cut inside and put Fowler off her shot.

The only time I saw Van Egmond run at pace was when she offloaded a ball and thought she was a chance of getting the pass back running into the box.

These players can play much better, both individually and co-operatively. But they don't. So once again that has to be the manager.

We looked a lot better with our subs but we were still largely going through the motions like a confident team that knows it has the game in the bag. There were very few moments where we actually played with real intensity and we did not have a single clear passing combination leading to a shot at goal. Everything was bumbled into traffic wishfully.

China knew exactly what to do every time they got a sniff.

Watching Van Egmond in the 6 role - she rarely positioned herself into space to create a midfield passing option unless she actually felt like it. She was jogging round slowly letting China's forwards close off any midfield passing lane and did not put any effort into positioning herself in space.

rewatch the game against sweden and keep your eyes glued to the midfielders when our cbs have the ball

same problem as tonight, soooooo static. No checking to lose a marker, few sudden dashes to open a passing lane. Both are square so they can't do a diagonal 1-2 through the lines

I'm baffled. This is basic stuff. I've seen some young u17 and u20 mens sides have trouble off the ball building up, but these are senior teams. I wonder what is causing us to not do the fundamentals? short season? Lack of full time wages?

yeah after the 5 subs we at least started jogging but even then we didn't position ourselves into space. 

If it's laziness that isn't great but at least maybe that improves post tournament

big concern: alana's analysis more insightful than tony gustavson.....she identified the right problem I don't think tony did

We got no depth. We need alot more quality midfielders.
We need Gorry back asap.
Fast track Morrison to LCB

18 for the WC, I’d pick

GK Arnold/Micah(2)
DF Kennedy/Hunt/Morrison/Catley/Carpenter/Grant(6)
MF Gorry/Wheeler/Yallop/Cooney-Cross/Fowler(5)
FW Foord/Raso/Vine/Simon/Heyman(5)

Reserve list
Whyman gk
Polkinghorne cb
Nevin lb
Torpey Rb
Luik dm
Vanegmond cm
Chidiac am 
Logarzo lw
Freier rw
Gielnik s

Very disappointing effort, players did not have enthusiasm for the game and Gust will need to make clear that performances running up to the Olympics will count, good past record/reputation, or not. 

A repeat of this Monday, and we are in trouble..

Quite a few of the mainstays are now in the veteran category i.e. over 30. I'd suggest they peaked at the WC. Do we have players now in their prime years capable of replacing them?

If we set up at the Olympics to play on the counter, does Heyman have the speed and the legs to be effective in that system?

No she's a poacher. 

Based on how fragile our defence looked last night I am not certain setting up to play on the counter would be an option either.

If China had a slightly faster or more clinical forward we were ripped a few times - some from their attacks, some from our poor turnovers - resolute defence does not seem to be a strong point for us at the moment.

Our wingbacks and wingers are fast enough to get in behind. I think we just needed more options in the centre to stop China putting 4 players on the ball carrier when we tried up the wings.

Unfortunately I can imagine Gustavsson saying "you are a great team - go out there and do what you know you can do" in place of plans and strategy.

TBH - I think the 2016 Olympic team in Brazil was probably our zenith. It was pre Kerr but we had a decent manager. We were only beaten in the knockout stages by eventual Bronze medalists Brazil after their keeper repeatedly was off her line during the penalties. 

Horrible game. I don't know why we kept Gustavsson. Our ball speed is so slow and predictable. Our depth is shallow. 

How can they win Olympic medal when they can’t even beat China - who probably were the better team! Midfield was terrible with too many hoofballs forward and missed passes that became turnovers. Ugly football

Don't blame him. The problem is the difference in level from some of the players in the team.

Even Peps or Ancelotti couldn't do much when you have Vine, Yollop, Wheelers, Torpey in the team.

We got a winger like Vine who couldn't take anyone 1 on 1. And Torpey who got  terrible first touch.  Unbelievable that they are a pro footballer.

That's why he always stick to the same team cuz  there is Zero depth in the team.

1st team can beat anyone on the given day and the 2nd team will probably  struggle beating Iran , Vietnam, Thailand , Taiwan etc

I do blame him if he is picking his squads. There are players closer to the top team or who could become closer to the top team if they were given time and opportunity to develop in that top environment. It isn't hard for an athletic player with some ball skills to excel in the domestic comp if they are playing against lesser athletes. They have become conditioned to doing all that they have to do to get past and it is only when they play against tougher opponents that they realise they have to up their game.

I do blame him for the lack of attacking structure and play in that last game. It is entirely on him to explain what he wants to happen and to make adjustments on the run when players aren't doing what he expects - especially when he has a largely experimental side on the field. All he does is put a bunch of different players on together and when it isn't working out he swaps in the players who play the way he wants. That is not good enough coaching in an emerging women's game where you cannot say "they are professionals - I shouldn't have to tell them what to do".

Vine is much more active and capable of creating opportunites in the aleagues women's comp than we saw from her in that last game. She almost looked like someone who was trying to up her game by playing differently and the result was a transitional game with her thinking a lot more and doing less. She hardly used her pace, and she telegraphed a lot of what she was doing - especially cutting inside.

Wheeler and Torpey have a lot of growing to do and it is far too soon to be pulling them out of games because they aren't playing like seasoned professionals yet. The static play in our midfield sits with Gustavsson (another blame I place on him). In a half of football he was unable to pass on the message that the midfield had to create more passing opportunities to free up the wingers - what sort of coach does that make him? Yallop to me sits in the same category as our other older players - they have great experience but now lack the speed they used to apply.

If I was a betting man I would say that Gustavsson will wait until each of the older players say they have had enough before he will replace them. He does not strike me as a coach who chooses the best form players in his squad or team. He plays the players who will keep him in his job because they are happy and feel in control.