SYDNEY — Tony Gustavsson says that there will be no room for sentimentality at the selection table in Australia’s World Cup third-place playoff against Sweden, with it his intention that the strongest possible side will take the field.
After suffering a heartbreaking loss to England in their semifinal, the Matildas will seek to end their home World Cup on something of a high when they take on Sweden at Lang Park on Saturday evening with a “bronze medal” on the line.
Alanna Kennedy was ruled out with delayed onset concussion symptoms on Friday morning but the rest of the squad trained, albeit Katrina Gorry, her left leg encased in a pressure bandage, was on an individualised, lighter load during the portion of training open to the media.
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Though he has spent much of his tenure preaching that it will take “23 in 23” – 23 members of a squad to succeed in the 2023 World Cup – Gustavsson has stuck with a core group of players in his starting XIs throughout the tournament, as well as waiting until deep into games to turn to his bench.
After going 120 minutes against France in their quarterfinal, though, this consistent squad appeared to lose a step in the game with England; the Lionesses’ physical gameplan stymying the Australian’s attempts to transition and Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo scored their second and third goal in the final 20 minutes.
Additionally, with a third-place game traditionally being perceived as a lower-stakes tie, the option of giving players that have seen limited minutes, such as Alex Chidiac or Charli Grant, or failed to see the park at all, such as Aivi Luik and Lydia Williams, a chance to play extended minutes at a home tournament was a possibility.
However, Gustavsson stressed continuity in his official pre-game press conference.
“If it was emotional, those players would play because they deserve to play,” said Gustavsson. “But I can’t pick based on emotions. This is a third-placed game, we’re playing for a medal. I’m gonna make sure we have a lineup there that is the strongest starting lineup we can have but also the strongest finishing lineup.
“I’m just going to plan what I think is best for the team in this one game and not look at it as a bigger picture than that. It’s not about giving players experience just for the sake of giving experience. This is a game to win.
“We have gone with a strategy where we think relationships and continuity in tournaments are key.
“It’s a strategy that we believe in. But player availability will be key in that sense. How much do they have in their tank physically to start? But at the basic core of it is going to be what we think is best to win the game.”
Gustavsson, of course, will be facing off with a familiar opponent in the Swedes — and not just because it’s the land of his birth and where he began his footballing career.
Before arriving Down Under, the 50-year-old faced off with his homeland twice at World Cups as a member of the USWNT’s staff, whilst the Matildas have met Blågult four times under his tenure, the most of any opponent. Australia won their most recent meeting 4-0 after suffering two defeats (both at the Olympics) and a draw in their other encounters.
He and his assistant Jens Fjellström are also friends with Swedish boss Peter Gerhardsson, who almost became Gustavsson’s assistant when he was coach at Swedish side Hammarby. Last year, the trio went to a Kings of Leon concert in Auckland during the events surrounding the World Cup’s draw.
“For some reason, I’ve gotten to learn how to play against Sweden in tournaments,” said Gustavsson. “It’s been in almost every tournament, even when I was part of the US team.
“It is special. I have to say it really is. I have a lot of very good friends from that team. Both players and coaches, former colleagues, former players that I’ve coached, very good friends outside of football. So that’s special.
“But the same thing goes for Sam and the players, they have very good friends on the other side that they play with on a daily basis and are very good friends with.
“When the game starts a… I know every single one of us, whether it’s Sweden or us, is going to do everything we can to win the game.”
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