Tony Gustavsson’s Matildas play the first leg of their Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Saturday night. We take a look at the biggest questions surrounding the team.
Yeah, yeah - we know, this question got asked about a million times during the World Cup last year, and we’ve already got a decent idea from it of how they might line up in her injury-enforced absence.
When Kerr did her calf and missed the first part of the tournament, coach Tony Gustavsson went with a ‘false nine’ system, in which the Matildas don’t actually replace Kerr with an out-and-out striker, and instead have one of Mary Fowler or Emily van Egmond floating in that central attacking area, rotating from midfield. It worked well, to the point where some were asking (ludicrously) if they were a better team without Kerr.
The Matildas will have to do without Sam Kerr for the next little while.Credit: AP
But Gustavsson has a few other options up his sleeve. Emerging midfielder Amy Sayer, who he has taken a particular liking to of late, could also operate within that structure. He has liked the look of Fowler playing on the left wing, where she’s been used at Manchester City this season, and where she was deployed during the preliminary Olympic qualifiers last year - but that’s also where Caitlin Foord does her best work. He could also ask Fowler to just play as a straight-up No.9, which she did through much of her junior days.
Or he could look to one of the other traditional strikers in the squad, which brings us to...
The last time Michelle Heyman made an Australian squad, Alen Stajcic was still the coach. Sam Kerr still played for Perth Glory. Scott Morrison was only just settling into life as Prime Minister. The plot of the movie Contagion still felt wildly unrealistic.
It’s been a long time between drinks for Michelle Heyman.Credit: Getty
Five burning questions as the Matildas aim to seal Olympic berth
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24.02.2024
Tony Gustavsson’s Matildas play the first leg of their Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Saturday night. We take a look at the biggest questions surrounding the team.
Yeah, yeah - we know, this question got asked about a million times during the World Cup last year, and we’ve already got a decent idea from it of how they might line up in her injury-enforced absence.
When Kerr did her calf and missed the first part of the tournament, coach Tony........
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