The next big thing, and no room for sentiment: What we learnt from Joe Montemurro's first Matildas matches

The Age

2 days ago

The tactical identity is clear – and will become clearer
We know what Montemurro is trying to do: introduce an attacking, possession-based style of play into a team that has lacked on-field direction for some time. And when they last had a tactical direction, which feels like a lifetime ago, it wasn't this one, with Tony Gustavsson's preference to play a more transitional game.
There were times when we saw it come to life, times when it broke down, and times when it didn't look like there was a plan at all. That's natural, given the circumstances: players are at the end of their seasons, many have had to be managed carefully, and chemistry can't just be built overnight when you're throwing together an unfamiliar team under a new coach who says he only knows one way of working.
Fortunately, it's unlikely to get worse. The players to come in are more technically adept at executing Montemurro's plan, though being able to limit turnovers and stroke the ball around for long periods has proven a challenge for many of them in the past. And the ones who had a taste of it in this window can go away and work on what they know they'll be asked to do next time they're called in.
The midfield remains a puzzle
Most people thought Paris 2024 would be Gorry's last tournament. Now she's about to turn 33 but she's still kicking around. But does she come straight back into this team when she's fit again? Should she, given the progress made by Wheeler (a late withdrawal from this window) and Cooney-Cross as a tandem midfield pairing? And where does Emily van Egmond fit into the picture, if anywhere?
Montemurro rifled through a bunch of different combinations in this window – including the use of Kennedy as a defensive midfielder, which is where she plays for Angel City FC – to try and figure out how many viable options he may have to work with in future. Going back to the likes of Alex Chidiac and Chloe Berryhill didn't go too well, and opinion is split as ever on van Egmond.
If the Asian Cup was tomorrow, the make-up of the midfield would be anyone's guess right now. Montemurro really needs to get some flying hours into the ones he deems to be first-choice to help them build up as much synergy as they can, as quickly as they can.
Amy Sayer has finally arrived
Sayer was 16 years old when made her international debut at the 2018 Tournament of Nations – in the same window as Fowler, who was 15. But as Fowler's career exploded in the ensuing years, Sayer chose to take the US college route, and became a bit out of sight, out of mind. An ACL injury amplified that. She came close, but Gustavsson never picked her in the squad for a major tournament.
Now 23, Sayer has come on in leaps and bounds. She has been arguably the 'find' of the last few months, stealing the spotlight in Tom Sermanni's final games in charge and then keeping that momentum rolling under Montemurro.
Best used as a No.10, she can also play out wide in attack, and her poise and vision are, if not Fowler-esque, then of the same genre. She can be a huge player for the Matildas for many years to come.
The Matildas have depth in defence
For once! The emergence of Jamilla Rankin and the development of Courtney Nevin and Charli Grant mean that Montemurro will have the incredible luxury of using Catley as a centre-back.
And with Clare Hunt kicking on and Heatley making big strikes, there's now red-hot competition for who should partner her – as well as, in the case of Kennedy, the possibility of more time anchoring the midfield rather than the back four.
Factor in Carpenter on the other side, who will no doubt be rejuvenated by her move to Chelsea, and the Matildas suddenly have what they've not really had in a number of years: true depth in defence.
There's no room for sentiment in selection anymore
We mentioned van Egmond and Gorry before. What about Tameka Yallop? Or Emily Gielnik?
For every player like Hayley Raso or Michelle Heyman who can demonstrate their unarguable worth to the team, there's a fellow veteran who might be coasting along on reputation rather than currency. The idea of peak van Egmond, for example, is compelling. But how often do we see that idea in a match? Same goes for Chidiac. And while some of these established players are vital for dressing room morale, or in the case of Yallop and Gielnik are incredibly versatile, at what point do they risk being overtaken by emerging talents who can offer as much, if not more? Are we there yet? Possibly.
These are the sort of questions Montemurro needs to consider carefully. If he can't see a future for a player at Matildas level, and can't be sure that someone else couldn't do their job better at the Asian Cup, then he needs to tap them on the shoulder, because every minute matters right now.
A fit Kerr will take this team to another level
She's still not back, but she's inching closer. Kerr linked up with the team again in Perth to continue her rehabilitation, and joined training drills for the first time since her ACL injury – her comeback from which has been hampered by what have been vaguely described as mere 'complications' by those in the know. The Women's Super League doesn't start until September 6, so the 31-year-old still has a bit of time to build up to that point – then we can expect to see her in green and gold during the October window. Maybe.
Though Heyman showed she's still got something to offer at international level with a well-taken brace on Tuesday night (erasing the memory of that horrific point-blank miss on Saturday), and Holly McNamara is looking like the long-term heir to that striking position, there's no doubt that a fit, firing Kerr will make the Matildas a substantially better team in so many ways.