Tony Gustavsson’s ability to react or respond to the match unfolding in front of him, as well as his trust in the players outside of his main starters, came into question at this World Cup.
“Who knows what it would have been like if she was totally healthy?” Gustavsson asked in his post-match press conference, pondering that alternate universe where Sam Kerr did not hurt her calf the day before their opening match.
. On Wednesday, when the opportunity of a real final beckoned, the zing was all but gone. And some of that falls at the coach’s feet.Much has already been dissected about the comparative lack of squad rotation throughout this tournament, of Gustavsson’s reluctance to utilise his bench and apparent lack of trust in the full list he selected and which inspired his “It’s going to take 23 in ’23” mantra.
In the mixed zone after the match, substitute Alex Chidiac cut a frustrated figure. “It’s always up to the coach, at the end of the day,” Chidiac offered, before lightening the mood by asking a Football Australia official if she could possibly share a cup of tea with World Cup mascot Tazuni. So too the number of other players on the way back from injury when they entered camp. Tameka Yallop and Emily van Egmond were still hindered by issues which had significantly limited match minutes for their clubs. Alanna Kennedy, who was unable to play the semi-final through illness, had been sidelined for months with knee and calf injuries – a fact which renders her high-quality output here all the more impressive.
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