Coach Tony Gustavsson blamed for Matildas early Asian Cup exit

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The Matildas scored 18 goals in their Asian Cup opener but didn’t make it past the quarter-finals and that could have repercussions.

Ahead of the Asian Cup, coach Tony Gustavsson said he would judge the Matildas once they went into “tournament mode”.

However, after being knocked out in the quarter-finals by South Korea, judgments surrounding Gustavsson’s tenure at the helm have begun to set in as Australia fall far short of their goal of Cup glory. ‘Asia.

Despite being poorly served by VAR and conceding following a yell from Ji So-Yun against the run of play, the Matildas failed in their first real test of the tournament, wasting several golden opportunities to put the game. a way.

Following their early departure, Gustavsson said he was ready to take on the criticism from fans and pundits.

“I’m happy (for them) to criticize me, which I think is fair, but I also think to do it while watching the performance as well, so that’s fair criticism,” Gustavsson said.

“Criticize me for what I could have done better because that’s what it’s all about. I’ve been in the game long enough for two decades to know it won’t be on me now and I fully own this,

“Obviously I’ll also look at what I could have done differently. It’s a bit too early to say I could have done differently.

Now the Matildas will have to lick their wounds and focus on a crucial 18-month block ahead of the Women’s World Cup on home soil next year.

When asked if he believed he would be the person to take them forward, Gustavsson said it was not for him to decide, but he was up for the challenge if he had to stay. on the carpet.

“I’ve been around long enough to know these questions are going to come from all over the place and it’s just, it’s okay,” Gustavsson said.

“I said it from day one, I’m a very passionate person. I will always give 100%, I will always try to do the best I can. Whether I’m the right person for the job is not for me to say.

“What I can promise is that I’ve been here long enough to come back from situations like this and learn from it and do better and that’s what I’m going to do if I get the chance to. To do.”

Sam Kerr was among the brigade to miss several big opportunities for the Matildas, most notably in the second half when she missed an open goal that would have given her team the advantage late in the game.

Gustavsson went to bat for his star forward, shielding the blame for Kerr’s loss on his own shoulders.

“Sam is a rock star. She is our captain, our skipper. She always carries the team on her shoulders,” Gustavsson said.

” It’s not his fault. It’s a team performance. It’s a team that loses against a team. Sam is a phenomenal player who always carries the team on her shoulders, so it’s not about Sam losing the game, it’s about us as a team losing a game,

“If anyone should be criticized, it should be me, not Sam.”

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