Short- or long-term, Sermanni wants to leave Matildas an Asian Cup foundation
Interim coach Tom Sermanni isn't certain how long he'll be required to steer the Matildas' ship but, while he's there, he'll forge ahead with a long-term view that can leave an Asian Cup foundation.
Uncertain of how long he’ll be required as interim coach of the Matildas, Tom Sermanni will approach his task in the months ahead with the perspective of a long-term coach in the hope that when a permanent boss is installed, they inherit a strong foundation ahead of a home 2026 Asian Cup.
Sermanni, 70, commenced a third-stint in charge of the Matildas – his first as interim – last week, stepping in to guide the squad as Football Australia continues the search for a long-term replacement for Tony Gustavsson, whose contract ended after a disappointing Paris Olympics in which the team crashed out in the group stages.
Previously leading the side in a permanent capacity from 1994-1997 and then once more between 2005-2012, the veteran gaffer will be in the dugout for October friendlies against Switzerland and Germany, the former of which was announced by Football Australia on Wednesday evening.
Australia’s women will then return home the following month for a packed four-game window that will see them face Brazil in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast on November 28 and December 1 before they jet down to Victoria for games against Taiwan in Melbourne and Geelong on December 4 and December 7.
While Football Australia chief James Johnson has previously told media that the federation would soon begin discussions with a shortlist of candidates, the executive said on Tuesday that the organisation was “not in a rush” to tap a permanent coach for the side and that Sermanni represented a “safe pair of hands” to steer the ship during their search.
“Not a clue,” Sermanni told media when asked about any timelines he was operating on. “Obviously [in place for] the [October] window and I would say more than likely, the window in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, [and Geelong].
“You then just need to wait and see after that. I think it's important for the FA to do everything they can to get the right appointment for the longer term.”
A significant factor in Football Australia’s unhurried pursuit of the next Matildas coach – in stark contrast to the unveiling of Tony Popović as the new Socceroos boss on the Monday following Graham Arnold’s Friday resignation – is that the side, nominally, won’t need to play a competitive fixture until the opening game of the 2026 Asian Cup – already qualified for that tournament by virtue of their hosting.
But as the coach who was in the dugout for the last time the team lifted the Asian Cup in 2010 – which represents the last major tournament it won– Sermanni is aware of the importance of getting that tournament right and, thus, won’t hesitate to put the side on a path he believes will help bring them success regardless of his interim tag.
“I'm just looking at as a coach, coming in in charge of the team and running the team as I would do if I was going in for the longer term,” he said. “I think there's a couple of [immediate areas] that are important. The first thing is, that, obviously, the Olympic results weren't what we all wanted. So it's getting things back on a stable basis again and getting the team refocused, for want of a better word.
“But the Asian Cup is coming around in the blink of an eye. So this is really the start of the preparation for the Asian Cup. It's my job to then start that process and for however long I'm here, to continue that process so that when the new coach comes in, he or she is not having to scramble and start from scratch.”
And key for both of these goals, he believes, will be bringing back attention to, ostensibly, the entire point of this whole endeavour.
"The team has to get a bit of love [after a tough Olympics] but then they've also got to refocus on football," he said.
"Football is the thing that makes this team, football is the thing that excites people, and football is the thing that determines success.
"And I think that's what we've got to get back to, back to shutting out all the noise and all the other stuff around the team and really getting back to what defines this team."
Sermanni will in the coming days begin making contact with the Matildas squad ahead of the Swiss and German fixtures, a great many of whom will be very familiar with him given that he gave them their debuts during his previous time in the role. This includes injured star striker Sam Kerr, who he gave a debut back in 2009, and whom he said was the “first player on the list to have a chat.”
WSL-based Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Alanna Kennedy, Hayley Raso and Katrina Gorry and NWSL-based Emily van Egmond amongst the other stalwarts to make their international bows under the Scottish-born coach, he admitted that the foreign-based players he makes contact with will likely contribute most if not all of his squad for the coming window – the local A-League Women not set to start until November 13, with some of its clubs yet to commence preseason training.
“It will be challenging to pick A-League Women players at that stage,” Sermanni, who has been serving as Western Sydney Wanderers’ head of women’s football, said. “Now, I'm not saying that it's a complete no for A-League Women players, but I think I need to be very careful how to do that. Predominantly for their benefit.
“Some of them haven't played for probably since May, some of them probably haven't paid for five months. So the last thing you want to do is two weeks into preseason, suddenly take them to Europe to play against teams that are right in the heart of the leagues and who are well up to game speed. Because that's a recipe for potential disaster from an injury point of view and a performance point of view.
“So any selections of A-League Women players I need to think about very carefully.”
Image Credit: Football Australia