Above: Emily Gielnik making her presence known in her first game back in over two years. Image: Kris Goman for Impetus.
By Genevieve Henry (4/12/24).
Ahead of their match against Taiwan at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Matildas head coach Tom Sermanni and forward Emily Gielnik spoke to the media on all things preparation, personnel, and purpose. Gielnik also spoke in depth about her journey back to the national team and her determination to stay in the mix.
As the third game in a four-game international window for the Matildas, there will be some personnel changes, with many European-based players returning to their clubs as well as others joining in.
Sermanni shared that “it’s been fantastic because we’ve been able now to bring in another eight or nine new players, many of them who haven’t either been around the Matildas for some time or who haven’t actually been around the Matildas at all. As a coach, it’s really exciting to give those players an opportunity.”
“These games have really given us an opportunity which hasn’t happened in the Matildas probably for many years, where we’ve got a chance to actually look particularly at domestic talent and actually assess some young players, and some more experienced players who have been out of the picture for a little while. We don’t have a lot of time with the players. That’s what you deal with.”
Although Sermanni is only the interim coach, he is focused on making sure he does what he can to expand the competition in the Matildas set-up. “I think that Matildas have had a very consistent squad for four years. What’s happened with that is it hasn’t allowed opportunities for other players. One of the key things as a national team coach is you’ve got to play for the present, but plan for the future. In all fairness, I don’t think we’ve planned for the future well enough.”
Sermanni also spoke about his term as head coach, clarifying that he will be in the position as short or as long as Football Australia wants him. He also spoke on the future transition into the tenure of the next permanent head coach, explaining that the work he is doing is valuable as the next coach will likely have the same staff and systems in place.
“We’ve got some players like, you know like Emily, experienced players, whether they’ve been in or out of the squad for a while or come back, but still very experienced. Then we’ve got another group of players, some in here for the first time. One of my aims this week is to give opportunities to as many players that I can.”
Taiwan pose an opportunity for Australia to test out their tactics on a possible Asian Cup opponent. The side plays a similar style to many teams in the AFC, and it will give the Matildas a chance to practice breaking down a defensive side that employs a low block. It will also be a fantastic opportunity for less experienced players to gain confidence against a side at a lower level than the past few opponents.
Sermanni said, “this game will give us probably a different set of frustrations with a team that really sit down in a low block and make it difficult for us to break them down.”
Gielnik thinks that one area Australia has a clear advantage in is physicality. “Australia’s always been known for its physicality and I think that’s something that we can absolutely have dominance over (Taiwan), but it’s important that we deliver that and assert dominance early. That’s something that we can have over this team. We put up a good fight (against) Brazil. Unfortunately, the results didn’t go our way…I think we’ve actually learnt a lot from that, to be honest. If anything, as much as frustrating as it was, it’s actually helped us, it’s going to help us improve our game moving forward with (Taiwan).”
Having been over 800 days since Gielnik last wore the green and gold, the forward commented, “It was kind of surreal for me. I didn’t actually realise it was that long a time since I’ve last been in the jersey. Obviously, I’ve been in and out of camps and I’ve had a troubling time with injury, but trying not to look back on that. I’m here now and I felt very grateful to get out on the pitch, to be honest. “
“It was pretty special for me being back out with the girls. I am always so proud to wear the Australian jersey and represent my country…and, you know, I worked really hard to get back here and respect Tommy. I’m grateful for the opportunity for awarding the hard work and my form in the A-League. I worked hard to get here and I’ll definitely work even harder to stay.”
Gielnik’s struggles with injury the past few years have been nothing short of devastating. The forward was stuck in a vicious cycle of getting injured, coming back and excelling at club level, getting the Matildas call-up, and being injured again. Hopefully, she can turn her fortune around and make a real impact with the Matildas in the coming days, months, and even years.
“To be honest, the second I pulled up short before the World Cup, it was a burning desire to get this jersey back on, and coming back into camp and unfortunately falling short with another injury right before the Olympics put a dagger in my heart, I’m not going to lie. It was probably the most difficult time I’ve ever had in my football career.”
“I’ve been dying to get this jersey back on. I knew it was going to be a long road. It’s really tough to get back into this squad and it’s even tougher to stay.”
“The most important thing over this time was to never lose belief in myself, that I’m good enough to be back here. So it’s all about just proving to myself and taking every opportunity as it comes. So for me, I was destined to get back the second I lost it.”
Although it’s been awhile for Gielnik, she is a player that has been capped over 50 times for the national team, and with many experienced players leaving before the series against Taiwan, she gets the opportunity to be a leader, something she is familiar with at Melbourne Victory.
“We really need to step up. We need to nurture these girls, and also just give a subtle reminder that when you put this jersey on, there is a level of expectation. There is a different demand and it is a big jump…It’s just about staying positive and getting behind these girls. Those girls are here with this opportunity for a reason.”
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