Gustavsson: Good reminder of what this tournament is about

Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson spoke to the media after the team's narrow 1-0 defeat to Japan.

Gustavsson's side played in their final warm-up match before the Tokyo Olympics, beaten by continental rivals Japan after a 54th-minute penalty was converted by Mana Iwabuchi.

The 47-year-old was aware of the sort of football that Japan would produce, especially on home soil. Although not entirely executed to the high standard of their manager, the Australians managed to effectively counter the Japanese style of possession.

"Japan is one of the more technical teams, we knew defending was going to be challenging."

"We wanted to press as aggressively as possible and I think there were moments in the game where we did that very well and didn't let Japan have the ball as much," he said.

"But there were all also moments in the game where we needed to be compact and wait for the moment to press, because Japan is so good at moving the ball."

Many eyebrows were raised when coach Gustavsson elected to make six substitutions after half-time, giving each member of the squad adequate game-time before the tournament.

Gustavsson said he was impressed with the squad's cohesion and flexibility, not letting such a large shift in personnel affect their level of performance.

I think these games are extremely important for those players to get this experience

"Normally when you do six subs at halftime, it can create a little bit of disruption, but it actually didn't and that says the team has come much further now, they're all seeing the same picture," he explained.

"Even though there are things we can improve in our performance,  I was happy with that today."

Reporters at the ground were aware of the change of formation during the match that saw star full-back Ellie Carpenter shift further right as the side progressed to a back-four, with her teammate Steph Catley moving closer to the middle. 

Carpenter has been prolific for both club and country as an attacking right-back, showing her attacking threats again after the change was made.

Coach Gustavsson pointed out the formation adjustment, highlighting both Catley and Carpenter's versatility, as an important element looking forward.

"We wanted to be tactical, flexible, and use Ellie and Steph in those two different positions depending on the opponent, depending on what type of tactics we have. I'm gaining more positives from that, we want to be flexible."

For the Australians, the focus now turns solely to the first Olympic group stage match against Trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand.

Gustavsson and his coaching team have always had this match in their minds throughout past camps and matches, with all preparation leading up to the beginning of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Everything we've done including the game today has been towards that New Zealand game

"We have actually known for a long time, exactly what we want to do. That's why I've been so keen on trying to explain [past decisions], it's been a process."