Montemurro’s plan to solve Matildas’ goalscoring woes
George Clarke |
Joe Montemurro has little doubt Australia will find their killer instinct in front of goal as he expressed an eagerness to unleash Mary Fowler against an Iranian team set up to frustrate the Matildas.
Australia will meet Iran on the Gold Coast on Thursday in their second group game after claiming a 1-0 win over the Philippines in Perth to open their Women’s Asian Cup campaign.
The Philippines sat deep for most of Sunday’s match and, barring a well-taken Sam Kerr finish, did well to thwart Australia’s star-studded frontline.
Iran showed in their group opener against South Korea, which they lost 3-0, they will likely employ similar tactics.
Australia’s last meeting with Iran – during qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics – was beset by tactics designed to frustrate the Matildas in the final third.
“I can show 400 videos of the back post, the front post, shooting from outside (the box),” Montemurro said.
“But it’s the moment, and we’ve been working a lot on getting into these areas and making sure that the quality or the instinct of the footballer makes that decision in the right scenario.
“The final third is always a conundrum, there’s lots of textbooks on it and all of them I’ve read are great, fantastic.
“Our main scenario is to get into areas where we believe we can have shots on goal, or we can get into goalscoring opportunities and then it’s up to the quality of the individual.”
The Matildas’ struggles in front of goal could come back to bite them if they do not beat the Koreans in Sydney on Sunday.
South Korea, who face the Philippines in Thursday’s earlier game on the Gold Coast, boast a superior goal difference over the Matildas and are in pole position to finish top of group A.
Not that it means much to Montemurro, who said: “We’re going out to win all three games, so goal difference doesn’t really come into consideration … it’s as simple as that we want to finish this group on nine points”.
Fowler could prove a difference maker on Thursday against a stubborn Iranian defence.
The playmaker is unlikely to start but impressed with an eye-catching cameo off the bench against the Philippines as she returns to full fitness from her knee injury.
“From day one she has been available, game one was purely a technical decision from my perspective,” Montemurro said.
“We saw some good things and she’ll definitely be involved and I think growing within the tournament going forward.”
AAP