by Jonathan Tay (22/7/23)
Above: The Matildas come together. Photo: Football Australia/CommBank Matildas.
There are now an astounding 11 Australians who will be plying their trade in the Women’s Super League, the top competition in England. That number reflects not only the golden generation of this Matildas’ period but also the growing status of the next crop of young players coming through underneath.
Here, we will check in periodically on how each of them has fared throughout Australia’s home World Cup campaign. In this update, we look at how the players have gotten to this point, and their performances against the Republic of Ireland; the 1-0 victory more nervy than the home fans would have liked.
Arsenal
Steph Catley: Steph Catley exuded the confidence and calmness that Australia needed from their stand-in captain during their match against Republic of Ireland. She emphatically slotted her penalty just inside the left-hand upright, relaxing the nerves of her teammates and fans alike just after half-time.
Catley also proved to be a threat from set pieces, delivering several crosses into dangerous areas from corners and free kicks. You’d have liked to have seen the number seven combining more regularly with her winger down the touchline to provide an outlet in open play, however, the lack of connection may be explained by the frequent interchanging of positions between Caitlin Foord and Cortnee Vine ahead of her.
Caitlin Foord: Foord nominally started in Sam Kerr’s striker position at the point of Australia’s attack; the captain heartbreakingly missing out due to a calf injury. The Arsenal forward though drifted towards the left wing, her preferred position, throughout the game in search of more space and opportunity to get on the ball.
Foord created a few moments of danger; a shot from a tight angle into the side netting in the first half, and a flicked header just wide from a corner in the second. However, Matildas fans will want to see more from her, particularly with the continuing absence of the irreplaceable Sam Kerr.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Lydia Williams: Williams has gained a bit of a journeywoman status, completing stints at Arsenal, PSG and Brighton over the last year as she’s searched for more regular gametime. That last stop in Brighton afforded her more consistent appearances, though her overall form has not been particularly noteworthy (conceding 20 goals – five more than expected – in seven games started, per Opta).
She more than likely finds herself as the third-choice goalkeeper for this Matildas squad. However, Williams provides a veteran presence and experienced voice in the dressing room, with this being her fifth World Cup campaign and having been the starter in 2019.
Chelsea
Sam Kerr: The biggest storyline coming out of Thursday night’s opener was unfortunately the massive loss of Sam Kerr to a calf injury for at least the first two games. Kerr has not only been the face of her home tournament, she is Australia’s biggest hope for World Cup glory, having scored 63 goals in 120 matches for the Matildas.
“Losing a player like Sam, probably the best player in the world – and just for her as a person – we were completely heartbroken,” Catley said, after the Ireland match. “She’s so important for us – she’s our spiritual leader and whatever role she plays in the next however long, will be massive.” The Chelsea striker has a race against time to be fit and ready for the third group-stage game against Canada in nine days’ time.
Everton
Clare Wheeler: Wheeler made a mid-season move to the WSL from Danish side Fortuna Hjørring. Plying her trade as a number six or eight in midfield, she impressed in the second half of Everton’s season, starting the last 10 games as the Merseysiders finished sixth on the table.
With Katrina Gorry and Kyra Cooney-Cross the preferred central midfield pairing, Wheeler is probably towards the end of the Matildas’ substitutes bench. The one upside the 25-year-old has though, is that none of the other options in the middle of the park can claim to be defensively oriented. That opens up a potential avenue to game time in certain situations, and it was slightly surprising to not see Wheeler come on towards the end of the match against the Republic of Ireland.
Leicester City
Courtney Nevin: Nevin played at both centre-back and left-back for Leicester as they again survived relegation this past season. The Sydney native showcased the potential she has, chipping in with four assists in 12 matches for the Foxes. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement on the defensive side of the ball, as she was found out by a string of WSL forwards, including Pernille Harder, Chloe Kelly, Melissa Lawley, and Alisha Lehmann.
We’ll only see Nevin if Catley needs a rest or in the event of injury, and even then Charli Grant – who has impressed Gustavsson with solid displays for the national team over the past nine months – may be the first one out of the bullpen.
Liverpool
Teagan Micah: Has not played competitively since picking up a severe concussion injury whilst with FC Rosengård in December last year. Micah said she “spent about two months struggling to get through a ‘normal day’”, and battled nausea, headaches, and dizziness in her arduous journey to be ready for the World Cup. That hasn’t stopped Liverpool from announcing her signing on the eve of the tournament.
Over the last six months (and through no fault of Micah’s own), Mackenzie Arnold has jumped up the pecking order for the number one goalkeeper jersey with strong performances for both club and country. Unless there is a drastic downturn in form from Arnold, you’d expect Micah to be watching from the substitutes’ bench for much of the World Cup.
Manchester City
Mary Fowler: Fowler found minutes hard to come by at Manchester City last season, adjusting to a team with loftier expectations and behind prolific Jamaican striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw. However, the 20-year-old was afforded a prime opportunity in the Matildas’ opening match, drawing into the starting XI due to the unfortunate absence of Kerr.
Fowler played in more of a No. 10 position than as a second striker, seeking gaps to position herself in, between the opposing defensive and midfield lines. The conservative Irish 5-4-1 formation meant though that she was often crowded very quickly by two or three players and restricted her time on the ball.
There were a couple of lovely touches and tight turns to keep attacks moving along, but otherwise was one of the quieter players on the pitch. The challenge for Fowler will be to keep up her pressing intensity as Australia look to win the ball back high up the field, whilst also maintaining her creativity and offensive contributions.
Alanna Kennedy: Just Kennedy’s second match back from a string of injuries that had kept her out of action since September last year. She looked fully fit, and was tidy in possession, keeping the Matildas’ play ticking over from the centre of defence, and occasionally spraying long diagonals out to her wingers to change the angle of attack.
It was overall a positive display, almost ruined by one heart-in-your-mouth moment right at the end of the game. In the 96th minute, Kennedy aggressively attempted to pounce on a loose ball but misjudged and overran it. That mistake eventually afforded Irish winger Katie McCabe the space in the box to fire a shot on target, which keeper Mackenzie Arnold was able to parry away to save Kennedy’s blushes.
Tottenham Hotspur
Kyah Simon: For Simon to even have made the World Cup squad for the Matildas is an incredible feat on its own. After rupturing her ACL, MCL, and meniscus in September 2022, she has comparatively made an almost implausible recovery to be back to fitness nine months later. “I’ve probably worked the hardest that I ever have in my career,” Simon said. “The endless days that I’ve spent in the gym…have been pivotal in giving me the best opportunity to be back for the World Cup.”
The lack of match action though, will unfortunately count against her playing significant minutes for Australia. Gustavsson alluded to the fact that we will most likely only see her as an energy-injecting second-half substitute for this World Cup.
West Ham United
Mackenzie Arnold: Arnold is currently in the best form she’s ever had for the national team, and that carried through in the victory against the Republic of Ireland. Largely untroubled for the first 70 minutes of the game, she was called into constant action late on, with a barrage of crosses and corners unleashed by the Irish. Arnold though, expertly dealt with all high balls which came into the penalty area, was decisive in when to claim and when to punch away, and comfortably saved the only shot on target mustered by the Girls in Green.
Unlike the Asian Cup, where Gustavsson rotated his goalkeepers, look for Arnold to be relied upon to play almost all minutes in the Matildas’ World Cup campaign, barring a catastrophic downturn in performance over the next two games.
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