Sermanni: Germany will be a very different kind of game

CommBank Matildas Interim Head Coach Tom Sermanni said that the team was in a good frame of mind ahead of their second match of the international window against Germany on Tuesday morning (AEDT).

He was speaking to media at the pre-match press conference.

“Everyone’s fortunately recovered very, very well from Friday night,” he said.

“We’ve got a full list of greens beside everyone’s name, which means that everyone is training, everyone’s fit, everyone’s healthy, and generally in a good frame of mind going into this very important game tomorrow night.”

In the days since the Switzerland game, Sermanni has identified what their first opponents did well and how the team will need to adjust against Germany.

“I think it’s going to be a different game [against Germany],” he said.

“What Switzerland did – and to their credit, did it very well – is that they defended in depth. They defended with ten players behind the ball. They kept the pitch very tight and made it difficult for us to get in behind and create chances.

“I don’t think Germany will come out with the same approach. It’ll be very much more of an open game of football with them playing a lot of attacking football, particularly with them playing at home.

“What we need to do tomorrow night, first and foremost against a team with the quality of Germany, is make sure that we actually defend very, very well. That’s the most critical part of the puzzle for us.

“Because of the style of game, it’s something that probably suits us, where we can go out there and play a bit more open attacking football.”

It is a game with enormous significance for the team’s opponents, with German legend Alexandra Popp retiring.

Sermanni said that learning to cope with environments where the crowd is very much supporting their opposition is something that will benefit the team long term.

“It’s going to be a tough environment, and when you look at the Matildas – certainly over the last couple of years – they’re probably used to an environment where the fans have been on their side,” he said.

“It’s going to be a different kind of experience, and this is the kind of thing that we need to cope with.

“One of the most important things that we’ll need to discuss leading into the game is how we manage to shut out that noise and not get caught up in the emotion of the game, not get caught up in the emotion of the crowd, the noise, and really just focus on football.

“That’s part of the job as a professional footballer, is that you need to go into these kind of environments and play. In some ways, it’s fantastic to do that, but it’s something that we do need to cope with, and it’s something that the team probably hasn’t had to face for some time.”

He was asked how much the previous time these teams met, at the Olympic Games, would play into the team’s preparation for tomorrow.

“I’ve watched a bit of it, but you need to move on,” he said.

“It was an entirely different time. I think what happened in that particular game was that their team came into the tournament, ready to go, and our team came into the tournament ready to build into a tournament – to when they get to the latter stages, be ready to go.

“In this situation, both teams have got the majority of players that have been playing either in Europe or the US, so there’s a fairly even split of match fitness. Hopefully, in a physical sense, this game will be a bit better matched.”

In terms of the team that will be put out against Germany, he said there will likely be a couple of changes from the Switzerland game.

“In essence, we’ve got to put out as strong a team as possible against Germany,” he outlined.

“You’re playing one of the best teams in the world, and it’s important that we really turn up on the day. So we’ll be looking at what we think is our strongest team – as in starting eleven – and looking at what we think is the best system to counteract how Germany play.”

Finally, he assessed what he needed to see in that crucial battle in midfield.

“What I need to see is our players compete, that’s the first thing I need to see,” he said.

“I need to see our players step up and actually display that they’ve got the ability and the quality to not just survive at this level, but to compete and be successful at this level.

“The Australian team has ben and intends to be a successful team, and be able to compete with the best countries in the world. That’s really, really important to us.

“I think the program has reached that stage where we want to be able to go in and win games against teams that are up near the top of the wold rankings. That’s important, not just in the midfield, but throughout the starting eleven.

“But it is certainly midfield where kinds are often won and lost, and we need to make sure that we get in there, we compete, we win the challenges, we win the battles, and we start to create things from there.”

Germany v CommBank Matildas
Date: Monday, 28 October 2024 (local) / Tuesday, 29 October (AEDT)
Kick-off: 6.10pm CET (local) / 4.10am (AEDT)
Venue: Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, Duisburg
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets: DFB Ticket Portal