Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson believes the pressure of a home World Cup will amplify his side’s high-energy game plan that will be on full show in Friday’s final warm-up match against France.
A confirmed sellout crowd at Marvel Stadium will be the first taste of what is to come for the Australians, who will play their tournament opener against Ireland in front of more than 80,000 fans next week in Sydney.
Gustavsson said the France clash would mostly unveil his starting XI plans for the opening World Cup clash on July 20 by playing his strongest possible line-up, as well as how he plans to use his substitute options during the early matches with one eye firmly on that clash
He hinted veteran trio Alanna Kennedy, Clare Polkinghorne and Tameka Yallop would play on carefully managed minutes in the final warm-up match, but striker Kyah Simon wasn’t ready to return to the pitch even as a late replacement.
“I think it will be a good indicator of the starting line-up but also finishing line-up,” he said on Thursday.
“The one thing that will be different is because it’s a send-off game and the last before the World Cup, I’m also going to consider any type of niggles and minutes played because it’s all about the Ireland game,” he said.
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“If this was a quarter-final, I’d probably treat game time and players differently, so you will see some adjustment according to that.
“So if you‘re surprised that maybe a player has a phenomenal game tomorrow and I take her off at half-time, it’s going to be different, right?
“We‘re also going to have that approach that we want as many players as possible to get some game minutes.”
Simon’s absence as she continues to recover from an ACL tear clouds her availability for the tournament, with the Matildas allowed to rule out injured players up until 24 hours before the Ireland game.
But Gustavsson said he still had plans for the 32-year-old forward as an impact player off the bench.
“(Simon) is still not ready to play many minutes, but we’re working on an individual plan for her,” he said.
“I would say that we most likely won’t see her tomorrow because she’s on a long-term plan for us, in that sense.”
Buzz is building around the Matildas and Gustavsson said the external expectation and atmosphere created by the home fans would be an additional source of fuel for the co-hosts rather than a drag on their confidence and decision-making in the heat of battle.
“I think we look at it as fuel and we look at it as belief. (The big crowds) are a source of strength that this team will embrace, and I think also use when we play this high-octane, pressing, attacking-minded game,” he said.
“Sometimes we’re a bit fatigued and tired in the game – to be carried by the fans, and to be able to put those extra runs in … to be energetic and high intensity, that’s the football we’re always going to play no matter who we play against.
“How much do we bring in the noise from outside? I think (on Friday) we’re going to bring it all in because we want to unite and connect with the fans and really bring it in.”