Interim Head Coach Tom Sermanni said that his feelings about the CommBank Matildas 1-1 draw with Switzerland were “mixed.”
He was speaking to the media at the post-match press conference in the direct aftermath of the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
“More so in the first half, I thought we were a little bit off the pace,” he reflected.
“I thought Switzerland were a little bit sharper than us, got the ball a little bit quicker, but in general we still looked fairly solid and safe.
“For big patches of the second half, we dominated possession of the game without creating a lot of chances.
“I was a little bit disappointed with the quality of the goal that we gave away. I thought it was very messy defensively from us.”
He credited Switzerland’s defence for being able to keep the likes of Mary Fowler quiet throughout the contest.
“In fairness to Switzerland, I thought they defended very, very well. Sometimes you’ve got to give credit to the opposition and what they did,” he said.
“For part of the time in our midfield, we didn’t quite work out how to press, or when to press, and I think that the result of that was that Mary never really got a foothold in the game at any time.”
The coach explained that the time for reflection would be over the next few days, where he and his coaching staff would be able to analyse the game and assess the mood in the camp.
They would then be able to decide if change was needed for the second game of the window against Germany.
“We certainly need to step up, based on tonight’s performance,” he said.
“But tonight was the first time with the team for a while. The Germany game, I think, will be an entirely different game.
“I think Germany will come out to play more open football, more attacking football, and that might actually give us a better chance to play and get the ball and get in possession.
“Hopefully the German game might be a little bit more open, which makes it a little bit more dangerous defensively, but it also may give us more opportunities attacking-wise.”
He said that the tweaks that will be required will partly be related to structure, but also related to individual decision making on the pitch.
“Part of it is the system, and part of it is players recognising situations a little bit quicker,” he explained.
“Between now and Monday – when we play Germany… we need to just sit down. Look at the game tonight, look at our players, and then make a decision on what’s the best lineup.”
He also had some words of encouragement for debutant Daniela Galic on what was a special night for the 18-year-old, becoming CommBank Matilda #229.
“I thought she did very well,” he said.
“She came on and certainly didn’t look out of place. She looked comfortable on the ball, kept wanting the ball, worked hard.
“For her first time getting into the national team, in a game that was a very tight game, I thought she equipped herself very, very well.”
Germany v CommBank Matildas
Date: Monday, 28 October 2024 (local) / Tuesday, 29 October (AEDT)
Kick-off: 6.10pm CET (local) / 4.10am (AEDT)
Venue: Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, Duisburg
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets: DFB Ticket Portal