Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson must be sacked or resign if they don’t reach the knock-out stage
Robbie Slater says that Matilda's boss Tony Gustavsson has messed up this World Cup campaign. The biggest joke is that Sam Kerr's injury is being kept secret.
The whole FIFA Women's World Cup for the Matildas could blow up in boss Tony Gustavsson's face.
When Australia plays Canada in Melbourne on Monday night, Gustavsson's job is definitely on the line.
Should the Matildas lose to the Olympic champions and be knocked out of the tournament in the group rounds? Even though Gustavsson is hired until next year, he must either be fired or quit.
From the moment a roster was announced, the Matildas' entire Cup campaign has been chaotic.
The inclusion of injured forwards Kyah Simon in Gustavsson's team despite his justification that she would provide "game-breaking" value off the bench made little sense.
When the Matildas were in a hole against Nigeria on Thursday night, why didn't he substitute Simon to "change the game"?
He should have picked another attacker, like Emily Gielnik or Larissa Crummer, from his roster of 23, but instead, he went with someone who isn't in shape.
And when the Matildas were down 3-1 to the Super Falcons, instead of putting in forwards, he put in a defense, Clare Polkinghorne.
Yes, he moved Alanna Kennedy, who was playing center back, up front when Polkinghorne came on, but he needed more offensive players on the field.
Whether or not Australia's attacking option Tameka Yallop has fully healed from the thigh injury she sustained in a pre-tournament friendly against France is also called into question.
Matilda's coach Yallop sat out the team's 1-0 victory over Ireland and again sat out the entire match against Nigeria despite the fact that Australia was trailing and could have used another striker.
Gustavsson stated Yallop would be fine with playing "limited minutes" in the game the day before, so there's no reason not to use her at all.
Gustavsson has utilised just two of his five available subs for the second straight game.
That'd be reasonable if the Matildas were actually performing well in the World Cup, but the truth is that they haven't played well enough in either of their games so far.
The Sam Kerr debacle must also not be forgotten.
Her calf issue has been a source of ridiculous secrecy for far too long.
Gustavsson has handled the situation poorly, and his players have been put under unnecessary stress as they have been asked repeatedly when and if Kerr will return from her injury and continue to play in the tournament.
When the injury occurred, he should have been in the lead position immediately. It would have put an end to the never-ending speculation about it, which would have enabled his players to concentrate on doing well in front of their home fans.
Instead, he has allowed the Kerr issue to develop to the point where it is once more likely to be a significant topic of conversation in the lead-up to the game against Canada.
Given the Matildas' dire situation after Gustavsson's awful performance, it's possible that skipper Kerr may be forced into action despite her injured calf, which might have severe long-term ramifications.