CommBank Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson spoke to the press on Wednesday in the leadup to Australia’s first fixture in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament against Iran on Thursday evening.

He began by summarising the lessons that he and his coaching staff have learned by analysing the team’s performance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.

“In terms of our pressing game we were one of the most efficient teams in the World Cup,” he began. “That was one of the key reasons why we went as far as we did. But in terms of the regain, meaning when we lost the ball and won it back, we were not as good as other top teams.”

“When it comes to the attacking side of the game… If you look at the stats we were one of the best teams at the World Cup at breaking the last line of defence. Meaning getting in behind, the efficiency of getting in behind the opposition's defence, we were one of the top teams at the World Cup.

“But, again – an improvement area - in terms of getting in behind the forwards and midfield line, playing through, we were not good at all.”

It is those two improvement areas – regaining possession, and progressing the ball through an opposition forward and midfield line – that Gustavsson emphasised would be key to work on during this tournament, particularly against teams that will sit in a low block.

“There’s going to be very challenging opposition that is very compact in their defence,” he explained. “We saw it against Ireland in the World Cup, we saw against Nigeria where we can all agree that we struggled at times, and we hope to improve in that area.”

Gustavsson said that fans can expect to see more rotation throughout the tournament, as load management comes into play during a three-game international window.

How to Watch: CommBank Matildas v IR Iran | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament

“There’s a lot of players arriving late, and then we only have one training session trying to get everyone on the same page,” he said, “And then with three games in quick succession, it also means that we’re going to rotate a lot in the roster because of the physicality, and the well-being, and the protection of the players.

“Don’t be surprised if you’re going to see much more rotation in the roster in this tournament than you did at the World Cup.”

All three games at the tournament will be highly attended, including a sell-out on Sunday against the Philippines at Optus Stadium. It is a tangible outcome of the success of the CommBank Matildas at the World Cup.

Gustavsson was asked about how it makes him feel to see the multitude of fans coming to see the team.

“It makes me feel really happy for everyone that has paved the way before this moment,” he answered. “All the generations before that have paved the way. The hard work that’s been done for decades to be where we are today, makes me happy for those people. Makes me proud to be a small part of something bigger than football.

“We’ve said it from day one going into that World Cup, this team’s Legacy ‘23 and beyond was more than the results. I think the interest in the team and the support in this nation now when it comes to this team and women’s football is one of the successes. When you measure success it’s not just about results, it’s also that.

“So I want to thank everyone who has supported us to the World Cup, thanks for the way you’ve welcomed us in these past few days that we’ve been here so far, but also for the support that you’re going to give us to the games, it’s amazing.”

Finally, Gustavsson spoke about the development of world football in the context of the CommBank Matildas opposition during the tournament and the challenges that the technical, well-organised teams will bring to his side.

“They’re very well organised. They’re very well structured,” he explained. “But the other thing that stands out that I’m very impressed with is the technical ability. If you look at the technical ability on the ball, if you give them time and space, all three teams are very good on the ball.

“I’m coming back a little bit to our improvement areas in the regain and the pressing. If we’re not compact and do that together and aggressively, all three teams can hurt us with the ball because of their technique. Especially in small spaces with the turns and the passing game. I think that’s going to be one of the number one challenges for us.

“The other one is that they’re not going to give us much space, and normally we need space to be successful. So that’s going to be another challenge for us, to unlock teams and create the space we need to get it done.”

MATCH DAY 1    
Australia v IR Iran    
Date: Thurs, 26 October 2023    
Kick-off: 7.00pm AWST / 10.00pm AEDT   
Broadcast: 10 Bold (WA, QLD & NT), Channel 10 (NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS & SA), 10 Play and Paramount+   
Venue: HBF Park, Perth, Australia