When American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey”, he may have been foreshadowing the Matildas’ run at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
That Cup runneth over with historic achievement, record-breaking crowds, TV ratings smashed. So much so that the overwhelming memory of this tournament won’t necessarily be where Australia placed, but how the nation felt. Proud. Euphoric. Inspired. United.
Proud. Euphoric. United. Excited. Credit: Getty
With football in Australia set to benefit from the Matildas’ legacy, it’s near-impossible to find fault or failure with the team. After decades of striving for eyeballs, investment and belief, women’s football finally got the recognition it deserved. Cutting through on the sporting world’s biggest stage is arguably worth more than any trophy.
But I can’t help feeling that something is missing.
As has often been the case with women’s football in Australia, we’ve grown accustomed to hearing about the players’ inspiring tales of adversity. Celebrating their triumphs. Commiserating their losses. Rarely, however, do we get around to critical discussions about the football they played – their performance.
I’m not talking about the trolls who periodically emerge from their hovels to feast on the decaying rhetoric that women can’t play the game. I’m talking about real, raw and honest football analysis.
Time for some real, honest football analysis. Credit: Reuters; Getty
After Australia’s disappointing semi-final loss to England, I was frustrated with what I’d seen, and devastated that our hopes for World Cup glory were gone. We came so close, and were capable of so much more. But this golden generation of supremely talented footballers came up short.
A quick check of social media told a different, far more positive story. Everyone was rightfully beaming with pride, and there was an outpouring of emotion for what the team had achieved. But no one was talking about the game.
It was a difficult match to watch, with England’s tedious but effective tactics the Matildas’ undoing. Australia’s pressure on the ball was lacklustre at times, individual defensive errors proved costly, and we didn’t create enough clear-cut chances to convincingly say we should have won the match. Instead, we were left feeling like we could have won with a performance comparable to the Matildas’ previous encounters.
Against Canada, Denmark and France, Australia were more dynamic because the opponents’ approaches suited our counter-attacking prowess and strengths in transition. The Lionesses, however, posed an entirely different proposition and the Matildas’ coaching staff didn’t have a solution.
Tactically, Tony Gustavsson made the decision to sit off and let England have the ball in the back third, allowing for a slow and patient build-up. When they encroached into the middle-third, it resulted in long balls for our backline to try to manage.
The glimmer of hope came from golden girl Sam Kerr, with her stunning strike gifting us one of the best moments in Australian sporting history. On a different day, she would have buried the two opportunities in latter stages of the second half. But when Ellie Carpenter failed to deal with yet another haphazard long ball from England, our fate was sealed.
Gustavsson’s frugal squad rotation, plus some questionable personnel inclusions, also contributed to the overall fatigue and lack of options. It was puzzling when Kyah Simon was announced as part of the squad, given she had ruptured her ACL in just October last year and hadn’t played a minute of competitive football since.
So, why is constructive criticism surrounding women’s football taboo? Is it because we’ve spent so many years trying to raise the status of the game that it would feel counterproductive? Or is it simply down to gender, shying away from appearing misogynistic?
If you cast your mind back to every World Cup campaign the Socceroos have staged since 2006, the post-mortem has been forensic and brutal. Now, reflect on previous Women’s World Cup campaigns, where the majority of discussions were around coaching dramas, the fighting spirit on display, and journalists calling on Australians to “avoid knee-jerk reactions” after the round-of-16 exit in 2019.
If we are a nation that envisages winning a World Cup one day, which I believe we will, it’s time to drive our obsession with the Matildas beyond pats on the back and towards a culture of expectation. These women have kicked their way to equality as professional athletes. With that comes the understanding that praise, as well as criticism, will be driving factors in their success.
With a bronze medal still on the line, I can’t wait to see the Matildas give it everything one last time for a nation that will never be the same again, both in terms women’s sport and in the way we talk about the game. As true professionals they would expect nothing else.
Lucy Zelic is a television sports presenter and journalist.
