Beleaguered Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson says Australia’s FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign will be a failure if the team crashes out in the group stage of its home tournament.
Fronting the media on the eve of Australia’s do-or-die match against Canada in Melbourne, Gustavsson admitted not reaching the knockout stage would be disastrous.
“I definitely think it’s fair to say it’s a failure if we don’t get out of the group [stage]. I mean everyone here understands that,” he said.
READ MORE: Inside Matildas’ response to crushing Nigeria loss
READ MORE: Stuart Broad stuns Ashes with retirement announcement
READ MORE: Selection headache facing Australia’s swim stars
“Of course, we want to get out of the group being a home World Cup.
“I’m the first to admit that hopefully they don’t go out, but that’s not our mindset right now; our mindset is just about playing the game in front of us.”
Remaining true to one of his go-to lines, Gustavsson acknowledged the Matildas’ shock 3-2 loss to Nigeria last Thursday may have damaged his repute as the right person to mentor this team.
“We know how this business works, that there’s always going to be a lot of opinions … and more likely when you lose a game as well,” he said.
“As I’ve said before, as a coach of a team, you’re never better than your last game, so right now I probably sit up here as not the best coach.
“We did an in-depth review of … the Ireland game when we won, we did an in-depth review after the Nigeria game when we lost. We take a lot of learnings from games one and two, and we move to game three.”
Sam Kerr confirms Canada availability
In the wake of the game against Nigeria, Gustavsson’s tactics have been heavily criticised.
He made just two substitutions in the match, bringing on veteran defender Clare Polkinghorne in the 81st minute and midfielder Alex Chidiac three minutes later.
In ”reviewing my in-game coaching”, Gustavsson admitted he could have injected Chidiac and Polkinghorne into the game at the same time.
The Swede said the gravity of Monday’s match was not lost on him.
“It’s a massive game in that sense and we can’t shy away from that. We’ve spoken a couple of times before about legacy, and the legacy and the ‘why’ of this team,” he said.
“Long-term legacy is a different type of question, but if you talk sports and results this game is massive.
“Hopefully in 10 or 20 years from now, we can look at other parts of the legacy [rather] than just one game, but right now, we can’t shy away from [the fact] that this is a crucial moment, for sure.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Matildas v Nigeria in pictures: Tony Gustavsson coy on Sam Kerr’s injury status ahead of must-win clash
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
