Nine months ago, Australian football was still on the ground after a 7-0 defeat by Spain. Now the shape curve is pointing steeply upwards. Shooting star Mary Fowler sees this as perfect timing before the home World Cup.
Mary Fowler is Australia hopeful
There was a sense of redemption in the air when the 'Matildas' walked off after a 3-2 win over Spain in February. Just a few months before the soccer World Cup in their own country, Australia's women's national team showed in front of their home crowd that they can not only keep up with one of the best ball possession teams in the world, but can even trump them. After a few difficult years under coach Tony Gustavsson, which were characterized by poor results and unconvincing tactical concepts, the “Matildas” caught on just in time.
“We've come through a rocky road where you might not have predicted that we're where we are now. The timing was perfect,” Mary Fowler, one of Australia's rising football talents, told DW. With three wins and ten goals against Spain, Jamaica and the Czech Republic, Australia won the “Cup of Nations”, an ideal warm-up tournament for the World Cup on home soil and in New Zealand, which begins on July 20. “It gives us a really good momentum for the World Cup,” says Fowler.
Team spirit and high-speed football
Behind the team is anything but a quiet development. National coach Alen Stajcic was fired five months before the 2019 World Cup in France. Under interim coach Ante Milicic, the “Matildas”, who started with great ambitions for the World Cup, failed in the round of 16. Gustavsson took over as coach at the end of September 2020. But things didn't go well under the Swede either: eleven defeats, five draws and only eight wins is the record of the Australian national team in 24 games under Gustavsson. At the Asian Cup in India in early 2022, Australia failed in the quarter-finals, and in June 2022 the “Matildas” went under with a 7-0 loss in a friendly in Spain. The calls for Gustavsson's dismissal grew louder.
But now the knot seems to have finally burst. “We bonded very well and have great confidence in our abilities as a team,” says Fowler. “And when you get good results on top of that, it gives you confidence – in yourself, in your team-mates, in the coach and in the whole process that we want to go through with the team.” The team spirit is right. In addition, Gustavsson has adjusted the team so that it is tactically flexible. Their great strength is the offensive game, where the Matildas show high-speed football.
Victory for the Matildas in the Cup of Nations, a mini-tournament on home soil in February
The fact that Mary Fowler, considered one of the greatest talents in world football, is still on the bench underscores the breadth of Australia's squad. It's a healthy mix of veterans, stars in their prime and young, hungry players heading for the World Cup with confidence. “All of us have winning on our minds,” says Fowler. “But in the training camp we try to concentrate. Because you can't think about the final if you haven't gotten through the group yet.”
Second World Cup appearance at just 20 years old
< p>Fowler, who turned 20 in February, is one of the hopes of Australian football. She made her international debut at the age of 15, at the age of 16 she played at the 2019 World Cup, at 17 she switched to the French first division club Montpellier HSC. Fowler has earned a reputation as a creative and dribbling forward who doesn't shy away from a tackle. At the same time, the offensive player, who can shoot with both feet, has an eye for her teammates. Many see her as a future playmaker.
Mary Fowler was already part of the Australia national team squad at the age of 15
“I like playing on the 9 and also on the 10,” says Fowler. “It's not bad to be able to play in different positions. It gives me a much better understanding of the game as a whole.” Last summer she moved to the top English club Manchester City. Since then she has had less playing time, but training and playing with some world-class players has also raised her level. “It spurs you on to get better when you see exactly where the top is,” says Fowler. “The level in this team is very high, so you can learn something from everyone.”
Fowler is looking forward to the home World Cup: “It's really exciting and it would be an honor if I got a chance to play. We just want to build on our recent results, stay together as a team and go through.” In the next step, the “Matildas” will compete with two tournament favorites. A friendly against England is scheduled for April, followed by a game against France a week before the World Cup opener against Ireland. “Good results against top opponents are key and we've been playing really well lately,” says Fowler. For the World Cup, she relies on home advantage. “It's going to be a great tournament. And being able to play it at home with so much support and the fans behind us will definitely help.”
Article adapted from English. < /p>