The fitness of the Matildas will reportedly be the focus of a comprehensive review following their thumping loss to Germany at the Paris Olympics.
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson confessed his team “wasn’t ready” after the shock 3-0 result at a sparsely attended stadium in Marseille.
The Matildas were comprehensively beaten by Germany in their opening pool match.Credit: AP
The team’s preparation was under intense scrutiny after flagging fitness proved an obvious factor in the drubbing, News Corp reported, with particular focus on its conditioning program.
The review was scheduled to take place at the end of the Olympics and would zero in on conditioning and fitness.
The report cited internal descriptions of the game as a “train wreck” and said there were questions about players taking a break before entering training camp. In contrast, the German players were fresh from competition and full of running.
After the German game, Gustavsson confessed his team was out-classed.
“They were a class better than us tonight. It’s just fact. We need to be real and honest about that. Obviously a bit upset that they scored on two set pieces, which we had planned for exactly … we trained [for] it, we focused on it,” he said.
“Still, they’re good enough to score two on set plays and when they get that 1-0, they manage to get the game to where they want it and sat back and transition on us, and that’s not really what Germany normally do.
“What we need to do is just be real and say ‘OK, let’s use this as a wake-up call.’ We’re in international football now, and we have no time to dwell. We just need to be straight back on it and focus on Zambia.”
Matildas midfielder Clare Wheeler vowed the team would carry a “never say die” mantra into its next match against Zambia.
“I think that’s what you’re going to have to see these next two games,” said Clare Wheeler, who replaced Katrina Gorry after 60 minutes.
“We’re not going to say die … by no means does it mean that we’re out. We have two more games and we’re going to have to embody that ‘never-say-die’ attitude for sure.”
The Matildas play Zambia on Monday, July 29 at 3am (AEST).