Tony Gustavsson & Ellie Carpenter | FIFA Womens World Cup 2023 Press Conference | CommBank Matildas

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Australian Team Press Conference ahead of tomorrow's quarterfinal match against France that will be played here in Brisbane Stadium at 5pm. Before we start, as usual, we have interpretation in English, Channel 1, and French in Channel 2. And before we give you the floor, I'd just like to ask both head coach Toni Gustafsson and Ellie Carpenter, the player, for their impressions ahead of this very important match tomorrow here in Brisbane. Yeah, I'm really excited. Tomorrow is probably one of the biggest games of our careers and what better doing it tomorrow in front of our country, our nation. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. We couldn't be more ready. We're very excited, and France are a world-class opponent. But, yeah, we know their strengths. We know what they can do. But it's a World Cup, and if anything can happen, then we're ready. And I feel they are ready. You look at the training as well and what they've done over the last couple of days here, or last couple of weeks. All the preparation that we've done. Being ready doesn't mean it's going to be easy. A quarterfinal in a World Cup is never easy. I had the privilege to be in five quarterfinals before this one, in three Olympics and two World Cups before this one. So this is six in a row now, and you get unhealthy, addicted to these type of games. This is what you love. This is what you want, all the hard work that you put in and see the players get the chance to experience this with you all in here and with the fans out there and how they all unite around this team. I'm so happy for the players to get that experience tomorrow. We're going to embrace every single second of it. Thank you very much. And now we'll take questions from the floor. As usual, please raise your hand, state your name and media organisation and to whom you're asking the question. We can start over here. Hello, question for Elie. In French, sorry. Is it a special match for you, the fact that you play in France and play against a French team where you have teammates in a club that evolve? Thank you. Yeah, tomorrow is, I guess, extra special for me. Obviously, it's a quarterfinal, but playing against half my teammates, it gives me a little bit more insight and obviously I know the players very well. And I think tomorrow is going to be a great game, a great battle, especially on the right-hand side for me, left-hand side for France. I think they're dominant on that side, world-class players. So yeah, I'm really looking forward to the battle, especially against Selma. She's a great player and I train with her every day and yeah, I just can't wait. Tracy Holmes, ABC. Question for both of you. If you could, could you explain what the edge might be that France has and what edge there might be that you have over each other? How much do we reveal here, Elie? I think they've proven over this tournament that they have extreme attacking threats, central left and right. They attack with numbers. They're brave, technical, fast. Doesn't hesitate to send a lot of numbers forward. Look at their goal scoring as well. The one thing that I think they really instilled going into this tournament is the work ethic when they lose the ball. They're extremely aggressive when they lose the ball. So you get very little time on the ball when you win it. I think that's going to be probably the edge they have over us and that's going to be our number one challenge to solve. What we have proven over this tournament is that our defensive structure and defensive work rate have been enormous. We kept five clean sheets out of the last six games, not just thanks to a good goalkeeper and good back line, but a team effort in defending. But also we've been very, very composed in front of goal. Our final passes and our finishing has been clinical, if you look statistically as well. And then once we do break that pressure, we know how fast we can attack and we have some players in tremendous form right now and we have some players I have a question for both of you. You had that friendly, obviously, before the tournament. It was a friendly. It's obviously different to tournament football, but the France camp have been very intent on saying it means absolutely nothing, whereas some of your players have said, yeah, sure, it's different, but it's good that we have images of that and it's good we know we can beat them, et cetera, et cetera. Is that mind games from them? No, we haven't been saying that, but this is a World Cup. Anything can happen. Yes, we beat them three weeks ago. It's going to be a completely different game. Yes, we have that mentally over them, but tomorrow all that is out the window. It's a completely different game and we know that they're going to obviously show their toughest team. We know the strengths or weaknesses they have and tomorrow is going to be completely different. Hi. A question to both of you. What happens tonight? Have you said everything you want to say? Have you shown them everything you want to show them? Is the preparation complete or will there be meetings? And Eli, if there won't be any meetings about the match, what will the players do? Will you play games or just sit by yourselves, pray? I don't know. What will you do? From a team perspective, match day minus one is always a morning meeting when we go through a summary of the game plan and some set plays to bring out to the training ground. You do some sharpening of what we already know in today's training session. Short and sharp, and then some individual time where they can sharpen their own individual tools about what has happened, what has this happened, and the players are hugely involved in that. And then we again, once again, go through the details of set plays. And then from tomorrow night until the kickoff, it's all about the players and their time. I very seldom talk to the team and players on game day because it's their day. And I always say as a coach, if you want to approach players from tonight, 7pm until kickoff, it's the players' time. Yeah, and I think for us players, like we've prepared for every match of our careers, nothing changes tonight. We're not going to be doing anything drastically. We're just preparing for each match like we have. And obviously it's a big occasion tomorrow, but that doesn't change. It's just a game of football at the end of the day. So whatever every individual does tonight, what we've done the last four games is what we'll be doing. And you haven't used that many substitutions. They really racked up the minutes and the metres. Are you concerned that if the game is tight and it goes to extra time that that could count against you? Not at all. The reason why is we're extremely fit. We've shown that. There's no coincidence that we have that running. I don't know if you looked into... So obviously the total metres is one thing, but what's really interesting is the high speed metres and the sprints. And they were off the charts compared to some other competitors. We know that. If you look at the schedule that the players are playing now, it's nothing different than what they do in Clubland in terms of the games in the amount of weeks. It's very similar. So they're used to it. And the funny thing with this team is every time we have some stats on this, every time we have shortened time between two games, they amp up the high speed metres the game after. So the most intense game we have played so far in terms of sprint and high speed metres was the game where we had less recovery time. So they bounced back extremely well. And that's also a mindset thing. I also want to say one more thing. It's also thanks to the fans. The way the fans support us during the games and the way how loud they are and carry us, we always play a pressing game and a high octane game with a lot of sprints, a lot of running. And you need that encouragement when you start fatiguing a little bit. A player will always be tired at the end of the game, especially with extra time, no matter how fit you are. But to push through that when you feel tired, you need the fans as well, especially as much as we run. Two questions. So one for Tony and one for Ellie. For Tony, I would like to ask you about how did you change the scenario in terms of the pressure you were feeling, the team was feeling, after the two first games in this World Cup and you changed this scenario to the 4-0 against Canada, a very difficult game. And for you, Ellie, I found out today that actually football has become the most popular sport between girls and it's the most practiced sport between girls here in Australia. So if you can describe for us how it was when you were growing up, if it was like that or if you were the only girl practicing football in your friend's group and how it has been this experience of experiencing a World Cup at home, seeing a lot of girls waiting for you and trying to take pictures with you, et cetera. When I was growing up, I was with a boys' team, I didn't have a girls' team. I went and watched the Matildas play when I was 12 years old and I think there was 300 people in the stadium, but that still wanted me to play for Australia. I still was dreaming to play on that pitch with the girls if 300 people were in the stand. I think now, if I was a 12-year-old in Stadium Australia it's just unimaginable. I'm so proud to be a part of this generation that what we have done changed women's sport in Australia, not just football, but generally in sport. Our job this World Cup was to inspire the next generation and hearing how many people are watching our games, coming to our games, having live sites around Australia. They're showing our game in four major stadiums and in our jerseys and screaming fans. It's touching and honestly it makes me a bit emotional because it's just so amazing and this is what we wanted to do. We wanted to inspire the next generation and pave the way for women's football in Australia. How do you follow up with an answer like that? Wow. It says it all. Brilliant. When it comes to dealing with things from outside within our preparation, we did the exact same thing leading into the World Cup as during the World Cup. Whether it's been a win or a loss, we stick to our processes, we evaluate our performances. I think the players have said it time after time in this type of press conference as well that we will always stay true to who we are, play our game and believe. And then in the beginning of the tournament you said you know them pretty well. And what's your thought about the way they've played during the World Cup and what is it going to take to stop them as a defender? Yeah, they've been playing great obviously the last couple of games. I think Gianni is in great form obviously with her goals and assisting. Obviously Eugenie as well and Salma on the left. I think they're in great form but I think for us it's about sticking to our game plan. But yeah, we know it's going to be a tough game, it's not going to be easy. There's going to be times where they have the ball, there's going to be times when we have the ball. It's just about staying in the moment, staying focused the whole 90 minutes. Tony Jess Stewart, ABC News. Have you decided on your starting XI and if you have, is there any concern in any way this week? Have you had any thoughts at all about bringing Sam Kerr? Will it disrupt the cohesion that this team, this starting team has found in the last couple of weeks without her there? One thing that this team have shown over the last half a year is that no matter what line-up we start with or the line-up we finish with, they all know it takes 23 and 23 meaning everyone is ready to step on and off if need be too. They've been amazing teammates supporting each other. There's been no complaints whatsoever in terms of if you start or come off the bench they know their role and they play their role and I definitely would never ever see Sam as a disturbance to the team and I want to be very clear in here now to say if Sam is fit to play 90 minutes she's starting. There's not even a question and the team knows it. We're talking about Sam Kerr here. Whether she is ready to play 90 minutes plus extra time, that's to be decided tonight but there's no question whatsoever that if she is, she's starting. We've seen a press conference before yours from France that shows a lot about how French teams approach to matches like this when they were asked about the pressure of the supporters here they were saying that this is good for them they enjoy playing against the crowd Hervé Renat and also when they were asked about what does it mean to be in quarter finals of the World Cup Eugenie Le Sommer said that it's okay it's not the most important match of her life it's one of the most important matches of her life so playing there in France do you understand Ellie how does it work mentally when they get to this stage of a competition and what are your thoughts about an opponent like this? France are a world class team their mentality is if they are at a quarter final that's not good enough for them in their eyes this is a failure if they don't go further I know their mentality being in France for three years they don't settle anything less than winning if they don't win, they're a failure so I know definitely their mentality for sure they're going to be confident tomorrow they're France of course they're going to come out and show that they are confident but that doesn't bother us at all we know we've played them recently but like I said it doesn't really matter it's going to be a tough game it's anyone's game tomorrow but really when it comes into knockout football in the World Cup I think it comes down to who wants it the most and who's passionate and who really wants to give it their all like Tony said it's not about the eleven on the field it's about the people that come on do their job it's who's got that fight who's got that aggressiveness that's what it comes down to in these sort of games I had experience playing France in quarter final in 19 in France I think Ellis is on to something here it's going to be a French team that comes out very very confident when the game starts and going to go all in on attacking and be aggressive but I also know it's a very very big occasion for them and they're under tremendous amount of pressure considering what they want to achieve in this tournament and they've been pretty clear of what they want to achieve as well for our sake playing in front of home crown we've said it from day one we feel the support and belief we don't even feel the pressure we feel the confidence and how loud they've been in the last games as well it's been amazing and I'll say it again be as loud as you can tomorrow and carry this team so they can run those extra meters when it's needed even in extra time and then in a quarter final you know all it takes is one moment just look at the recent quarter final if you watch that all it takes is one moment Holland is a clear chance from scoring a minute before Spain scores in a quarter final Mark, I've lived nine years in Australia this is a question for you by a quirk of fate there's four members of the squad who came from Westfield Sport High what did that school mean to you and how did it prepare you for a life as a professional footballer yeah for me it was a great school for my development in football it definitely helped me to where I am today yeah I have to praise the coaches there also the S&C there they really know what they're doing and it's a great pathway for football in Australia and yeah like you can see four of us are in the team that attended the school so they're doing something right but no it was a great time when I was young developing and yeah a great school it's me, sorry hello both, Laura Spurway from Channel 7 just a quick question Tony so does that mean you've got 90 minutes before you can decide if Sam can play 90 minutes the one that you've been enjoying every match minus one and also obviously if she comes in that means someone goes out so how do you have those conversations and are those players already aware that that's what the situation will look like if she's fit for the 90 first of all the meeting tonight is going to be a very positive one we had 23 players in training today for the first time in the World Cup which was amazing which also challenged me in some decision making I've said it before it's not easy because a lot of people deserve to start in terms of who comes off I don't speak to the players in advance of that because we need to play the game in front of us so it all depends on what it looks like do we need to go to double nine and going for a goal scenario like we did against Nigeria do we need to go to back five like we did against Ireland when Pope's coming in is someone getting tired do we need to go to double nine and the finishing line up all depends on what game we have in front of us and the players have been amazing on that and the one thing I want to credit Game Changer for is they actually play the game from the bench they watch the game and play it so when they come in they know what kind of momentum what kind of game is it so not just sit there as a spectator watching it and supporting they're actually playing the game from the bench they know exactly what they're coming into as well and that's amazing and the parents of the Charington IAP Ellie, we've heard the French team their coach, their players talk about 2019 and the pressure they felt and I think they've tried to maybe project that onto this and talk about the pressure you guys are under Claire Hunt said yesterday that you're taking it onboard in a positive sense it's not a negative cloud And I think we love the pressure and we turn that into look around all these people in this stadium are cheering for us You know, we don't we don't take it on as pressure. We we take it as look at this It's such a privilege being able to play at home in front of 50 70 30,000 odd people watching us cheering us on and that only helps us, you know That's how 12 player on the field and I cannot stress enough honestly throughout the game when you know If you're going through a tough period and we don't have the ball for a bit and the crowd gets in It really really helps us. So tomorrow Brisbane, we know that you will be allowed because last game against Nigeria. It was incredible So, please tomorrow be loud. And yeah, it's it's no pressure at all It's honestly a privilege and I wouldn't want to be doing anything then playing that game tomorrow And yeah, this is why we play football is for these games Vince rigari Sydney Morning Herald. I'll ask one to both you Ellie. I remember asking you in pre-camp about how The French sort of underestimated Australian football and then you went back to your club after the England game and that sort of Shut them up a little bit. I'm just wondering what you think They might be thinking after the last two games from the Matildas and Tony We you mentioned 23 on the pitch today Kai Simon had boots on which was wonderful to see is she ready to play and The fact that you throw her into a game towards the end potentially extra time and all that It's an enormous amount of pressure to put on one player obviously You believe she's equipped to handle that Yeah, obviously, I think France will be confident tomorrow, but I also think in the back of their mind like Tony said earlier They'll be feeling the pressure They went out in the quarterfinals last World Cup in their home. So they'd be wanting to do one better I don't think they'll be underestimating us at all. They'll be very confident Yeah, like Tony said they're under the pressure as well. And for us we're not we're not pressured We're just gonna play our football When it comes to Kaia, I was asked the question earlier this tournament if I regret selecting her and I was very clear So I would never gonna regret selecting her. She's here for a very very clear reason. She's been an extreme resource and positive Energizer for this team in the locker room in the training ground and her experience also for the young players handling pressure situation She's been very very good for us even off the field when it comes to on the field I'm gonna listen to the recommendation of the medical team tonight whether she's available for playing time or not and also a PK Yes, there's a lot of pressure But the one thing Kaia have shown in the past that is that she really embraced and loved those moments and if she steps on It's all on me not on her. It's on me for letting her come on Having that little min is on so if for some reason she wouldn't succeed. It's on me not on her Yannick's about Deutsche Welle a question for Tony You came in for quite a bit of criticism and scrutiny after the Nigeria loss Does that bother you at all that when the team wins the players get most of the credit and when the team loses you seem to come in for quite a lot of criticism or Do you actually quite like that arrangement because it takes a bit of pressure off the players and lets them do what they do best I think it's the The role of any coach and any leader to take the hits when the team needs to have one take the hits I think it should be that way I also think say that from day one. I am such a small part of a bigger Mean here. This is more than 90 minutes football and I play a very small part of it So what the team have done in terms of the performance they do is all the hard work that they've done over decades all the investment They've done all my support staff We said it before we also play to represent the Matilda alumni and the DNA of this team And I can maybe feel at times that I understand a head coach It's in the center of it like press conferences like this, but for me, it's not about me It is about the players and I will always be there to protect them whatever they need It's my job And I'm gonna do everything I can to help roll out that red carpet for them to walk on so they can focus on their Football in the performance. It's my job. Hi Ellie a niche question for you I've noticed throughout the tournament you and many of your teammates have had super fly nails And I'm wondering if there is any sort of like team ritual for those who like to participate And like a pregame manicure and just generally what the role of that sort of presentation and expression Plays for you. Yeah, I think the girls that like to have the nails done We all like to do a theme and I probably be a bit of the ringleader in that I love my nails I do a different pattern every game Obviously the green and gold and yeah I think it's whatever the player wants and if they do and yeah, I think it's great that everyone has green and gold nails question for Tony Irving in his press conference just before he was very complimentary of this team He said when he was asked how he expected you guys to play He said he expects you to wait for them to do something He then followed that with how strong Australia is on transition But do you expect in that sense that you may have to absorb quite a lot of pressure at the start? You did that quite well against Denmark you expecting that again? Looking into how our friends play and have played throughout this tournament in the last time we play them Even though we want to be a pressing team and we won't be very well organized in our mid block But when there's a chance to press we really want to press we want to do it collectively and aggressively so that we can Win the ball playing forward quickly But against a team like France you will be forced to defend in a low block at times whether you want it or not And you need to be disciplined to do it the way they changed the point With the long-range passing and the combination up wide when the double up or wide on both sides and the numbers to send forward Sometimes you need to be ready for it. We show that we could handle that when we played Spain in tournament nation We show we can handle it when we played England We show we handle it when we played Canada in bits and pieces of that game. We showed it to handle it against France So I think this team is ready to play the game in front of them Obviously, we want to press if we can if we can't be ready to protect the space when need be but the number one Moment then is when you do win that ball a little bit deeper is how you solve that regain press because if you then get Wave off the wave against you Finally your crack and it's a ball So you need we had appeared against Canada to be honest in the middle of the first half I had like a 10-12 minute paper couldn't get out We were under tremendous a lot of pressure not because the defending wasn't solid But our bold moments when we won it wasn't quick enough and it kept getting dispossessed Which was something that was brilliant in the other 60 minutes against Canada and against Denmark as well if you look at how we transition in the day I can only get out of pressure and how Mary and Linked and then Caitlyn arrested got in if we can get that right. I think we can hurt that backline tomorrow Okay. Thank you very much and see you at the match tomorrow. Thank you. Thanks everyone. Thank you