Sam Kerr issue laid bare as Matildas coach calls out four-year failure for Australian team

Interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni has called out the team's hierarchy for failing to plan for the future properly, highlighted by ageing squad members such as Sam Kerr. Sermanni will employ a second-string Matildas team on Wednesday night against Chinese Taipei, after Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Ellie Carpenter, Hayley Raso, Alanna Kennedy, Teagan Micah, Courtney Nevin and Jamilla Rankin all returned to their club teams in Europe this week.

Mary Fowler and Cortnee Vine aren't playing the friendlies against Brazil and Chinese Taipei due to physical and mental health reasons, while veteran midfielder Katrina Gorry is injured. It means the team that will take on Chinese Taipei will look vastly different to the ones that suffered back-to-back losses to Brazil.

But according to interim coach Sermanni, it will present a much-needed opportunity for the team to usher in the next generation. With Clare Polkinghorne and Emily van Egmond retiring, and the likes of Kerr, Catley, Gorry, Tameka Yallop, Foord, Kennedy and Raso all on the wrong side of 30 or soon to be, the team is set to undergo some vast changes.

But Sermanni reckons the Matildas haven't planned well enough for the future by blooding more youngsters before now. The coach will hand opportunities to A-League Women stars and fringe Matildas players like Emily Gielnik, Chloe Logarzo and Alex Chidiac, along with youngsters like Daniela Galic, Winonah Heatley, Sharn Freier and recent debutant Natasha Prior.

Former coach Tony Gustavsson handed debuts to 23 players during his tenure - but only Vine, Micah, Cooney-Cross, Clare Hunt, Charli Grant and Clare Wheeler became regulars. The Swede largely maintained a consistent starting line-up of experienced players in major tournaments, a bone of contention amongst pundits and fans.

With Kerr our injured, the Matildas' lack of strike weapons up front against Brazil was clear for all to see. Michelle Heyman has deputised well for Kerr during her year-long absence, but she's 36 and it's unclear who Australia's next best striker is.

Matildas coach calls out team for lack of foresight

On Tuesday, Sermanni was quick to point out the downside of a stable squad as Australia builds towards hosting the Asian Cup in Australia in 2026. "The Matildas have had a very consistent squad for four years and what's happened with that is it hasn't allowed opportunities for other players," Sermanni said on Tuesday.

"And one of the key things as a national team coach is you've got to play for the present but plan for the future. And I think, in all fairness, I don't think we've planned for the future well enough. So part of the task for me and whoever comes in on a permanent basis, has to be that we're doing a little bit of balance of both.

"That encompasses looking at other players (while) trying to balance everything else, getting results, good performances, all those type of things. But we do need to look at expanding the competition within what I would call the Matildas program."

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Sermanni promised to use a "balance" of experienced campaigners and fresher faces moving forward, although he's unlikely to remain in the role long-term. "One of my aims this week is to give opportunities to as many players that I can do," he said. "But I don't want to make any guarantees about that, because a football match goes in many different ways, and you're never quite sure what's going to happen."

Tom Sermanni wants Matildas coach who will prioritise youth

And he hopes his permanent replacement will continue to prioritise the development of young talent as well as chasing results. "Hopefully there's continuity. I think that's important," he said.

"When I step away, the coach that comes in, he or she will hopefully rely on the staff that is here, as well as perhaps bringing in their own staff. But I think that part of the continuity is important for the program.

"If you look at the overall picture, I think what's very important in a job like the Matildas job is that the head coach comes in and is not just simply a head coach of one team, but that they're the head coach of the Matildas program. That encompasses a lot of other roles, apart from just doing the national team. Hopefully, whoever that person is, comes in and will, or should certainly, rely on the expertise that's already here."

with AAP