Interim Head Coach Tom Sermanni said that the extended CommBank Matildas squad named for the November/December international window was a “real opportunity” to take a look at a broad range of players.
36 players were named due to the four-game window falling out of alignment of the fixtures schedule of several European competitions.
“The first challenge is to remember all the names!” Sermanni joked.
“For these games, we’ve got an extended squad which has given us a real opportunity – which hasn’t happened in a very long time – to bring in and have a look at some of the players who are playing domestically and give them an opportunity on the international stage.
“There’ll be players playing in the initial two games. There’ll be some going back, some staying on, and then players coming in for the second two games.”
He explained that there was a lot of juggling involved in selecting the squad in terms of who was available when, and how to ensure that the optimal training environment is maintained throughout the window.
He also pushed back against the idea of there being a set of “stars,” and a set of other players.
“I don’t want to talk about stars and non-stars. We’re looking here at a national team, and a national team squad,” he said.
“One of the things that has been put out there for a long period of time is that there’s been a severe lack of opportunity for players to get in and be seen at international level.
“So from my perspective, they’re all Matildas stars, and when they go onto the field they’re representing the Matildas. Whether it’s cap number 1 or cap number 201, for me it’s not a question of stars and non-stars.”
He gave some updates on a number of players who are not involved in the squad.
Firstly, he explained that Sam Kerr’s rehab was going well. An ACL tear is usually a 12-month recovery. Given that the injury occurred in January of this year, her unavailability for this window was expected.
He clarified that Cortnee Vine had made herself unavailable for this window. Sermanni had been in touch with the North Carolina Courage winger.
Finally, he revealed that uncapped Melbourne Victory defender Kayla Morrison had been considered for this window, but is still waiting on paperwork to clear with FIFA for her to play for Australia.
Sermanni gave some insights into his approach to picking the teams for the upcoming games.
“It’s preferable to have a blended team [of experience and youth],” he said.
“The reality is, whatever we play and whenever we play, we still want to put a team out that’s going to win games. So it’s getting the balance right between winning games, between putting strong teams out, and then also giving players opportunities at the same time.
“It’s not worth me worrying right now how things are going to work, because players have still got a couple of games in the European Champions League and in league competitions before they come into camp.
“That’s kind of something that we will sort out when we come into camp and look at all the dynamics, and injuries, and all the other stuff that happens around the camp.”
He spent some time clarifying his role as Interim Head Coach.
“I’m the interim for as long as I’m here. There’s no set period, I’m here for as long as Football Australia wants me to be here,” he said.
“Whatever that period is, that period is, and I’m delighted to be there as long or as short as it is. There’s no set time on it.
“I’ve taken on this job no differently than if I took on the job with a four-year, two-year, five-year contract. I’ve taken on this job to coach the national team, and I’ve done the exact same job now as I would do had I been in this job permanently.”
Finally, he revealed his simple approach to keeping morale high.
“Players want to go out and play football,” he said.
“Whatever level you play at, they kind of want the same thing. They want to go on the football field, they want it to be competitive, they want it to be active, and they want to be challenged.
“As soon as you start doing that, then hopefully get the players to buy in, it’s not that difficult. That’s kind of what we’ve gone back to.”
COMMBANK MATILDAS | NOV / DEC 2024 INTERNATIONALS
CommBank Matildas v Brazil
Date: Thursday, 28 November 2024
Kick-off: 8:00pm local / 9:00pm AEDT
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
CommBank Matildas v Brazil
Date: Sunday, 1 December 2024
Kick-off: 6:35pm local / 7:35pm AEDT
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
CommBank Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Date: Wednesday, 4 December 2024
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEDT
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
CommBank Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Date: Saturday, 7 December 2024
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT
Venue: GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
