Another Matildas star out as Montemurro era begins
Everton midfielder Clare Wheeler has become the latest Matildas star to be ruled out of the current international window as new coach Joe Montemurro attempts to begin his era with a bang.
Montemurro will get his first taste of life in the Matildas hot seat when he takes the reins for Thursday night's clash with Slovenia at Perth's HBF Park.
The teams will lock horns again at the same venue on Sunday, before the Matildas face Panama on July 5 in Bunbury and July 8 back at HBF Park in Perth.
The four matches mark an important building block for Montemurro as he attempts to bed down a new game plan ahead of next year's Asian Cup in Australia, which begins on March 1.
But the 55-year-old will be without a host of his best players.
Superstar striker Sam Kerr is in camp but still recovering from the ACL rupture she suffered more than 17 months ago.
Mary Fowler (knee) and Tameka Yallop (leg) are also out injured, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Cortnee Vine are all on personal leave.
Wheeler arrived in Perth earlier this week but on Wednesday withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons.
Chloe Berryhill and Jessika Nash have since been rushed into the squad.
Montemurro had successful coaching stints at Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon and wants to implement an attacking, possession-based style at the Matildas, who have slipped to 15th in the world.
He said the games against Slovenia and Panama would be a good measuring stick to where the group is at, but he is still chasing wins.
"It's the official start of our build-up for the Asian Cup," Montemurro said on Wednesday.
"Yes, I am looking at a lot of players. Yes, I am trying to instil some language. Yes, I am trying to instil some new ideas.
"But you know, the approach to the game is still the same ... it's a game that we want to win."
Star defender Ellie Carpenter played under Montemurro at Lyon and was thrilled when he landed the top job at the Matildas.
"I think we're going to really thrive under Joe," Carpenter said.
"You can see already, by day three we've implemented a new style of play, a new rhythm.
"Joe's really experienced internationally. He's coached at the biggest clubs and I think the most important thing that he's implemented so far is possession-based football.
"I think we're very capable of doing that."
There is still no timeline set for Kerr's return, but Montemurro is just happy to see the Chelsea striker back amongst the group - albeit on an individualised program.
"It's fundamentally a situation where she's now building her physical capacity," Montemurro said.
"The important thing is we're working with Chelsea to make sure that she's right for pre-season."
Slovenia, ranked 38th in the world, are coached by Sasa Kolman, who was a former senior coach at South Melbourne FC.
"I really hold dear to my heart those five years," Kolman said.
"It was an amazing experience. I still love that club, and it helped me grow.
"It (Australia) is like my second home country."
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7NEWS
9 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Matildas midfielder Clare Wheeler to miss Slovenia clash due to personal reasons
Everton midfielder Clare Wheeler has become the latest Matildas star to be ruled out of the current international window as new coach Joe Montemurro attempts to begin his era with a bang. Montemurro will get his first taste of life in the Matildas hot seat when he takes the reins for Thursday night's clash with Slovenia at Perth's HBF Park. The teams will lock horns again at the same venue on Sunday, before the Matildas face Panama on July 5 in Bunbury and July 8 back at HBF Park in Perth. The four matches mark an important building block for Montemurro as he attempts to bed down a new game plan ahead of next year's Asian Cup in Australia, which begins on March 1. But the 55-year-old will be without a host of his best players. Superstar striker Sam Kerr is in camp but still recovering from the ACL rupture she suffered more than 17 months ago. Mary Fowler (knee) and Tameka Yallop (leg) are also out injured, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Cortnee Vine are all on personal leave. Wheeler arrived in Perth earlier this week but on Wednesday withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons. Chloe Berryhill and Jessika Nash have since been rushed into the squad. Montemurro had successful coaching stints at Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon and wants to implement an attacking, possession-based style at the Matildas, who have slipped to 15th in the world. He said the games against Slovenia and Panama would be a good measuring stick to where the group is at, but he is still chasing wins. 'It's the official start of our build-up for the Asian Cup,' Montemurro said on Wednesday. 'Yes, I am looking at a lot of players. Yes, I am trying to instil some language. Yes, I am trying to instil some new ideas. 'But you know, the approach to the game is still the same ... it's a game that we want to win.' Star defender Ellie Carpenter played under Montemurro at Lyon and was thrilled when he landed the top job at the Matildas. 'I think we're going to really thrive under Joe,' Carpenter said. 'You can see already, by day three we've implemented a new style of play, a new rhythm. 'Joe's really experienced internationally. He's coached at the biggest clubs and I think the most important thing that he's implemented so far is possession-based football. 'I think we're very capable of doing that.' There is still no timeline set for Kerr's return, but Montemurro is just happy to see the Chelsea striker back amongst the group - albeit on an individualised program. 'It's fundamentally a situation where she's now building her physical capacity,' Montemurro said. 'The important thing is we're working with Chelsea to make sure that she's right for pre-season.' Slovenia, ranked 38th in the world, are coached by Sasa Kolman, who was a former senior coach at South Melbourne FC. 'I really hold dear to my heart those five years,' Kolman said. 'It was an amazing experience. I still love that club, and it helped me grow. 'It (Australia) is like my second home country.'
West Australian
11 hours ago
- West Australian
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro making impact felt in first camp ahead of opening game against Slovenia
It has taken Joe Montemurro just three days to make his mark on the Matildas and the new coach had officially begun the countdown to his first major tournament in charge. Almost eight months out from the Matildas opening their Women's Asian Cup campaign at Optus Stadium, Montemurro's reign as Matildas coach will begin against Slovenia at HBF Park on Thursday night. It will be the first of four games Australia will play in WA, with a second fixture against Slovenia on Thursday followed by two matches against Panama in Bunbury and Perth. With a limited runway — only two more international windows beyond the current one — until the first major tournament of his tenure kicks off, Montemurro has wasted little time in instilling his ideas into the group. 'It is the official start of our build up for the Asian Cup. I am looking at a lot of players. Yes, I am trying to instill some language, some new ideas, but the approach to the game is still the same,' Montemurro said. 'We're playing at home, we're in our country so the attitude has to be 'it's a big game'. 'It's a game we want to make sure we do the right things, to get that mentality leading into a big tournament.' Vice-captain Ellie Carpenter, who spent the last season playing under Montemurro at French giants Olympique Lyonnais, said the squad had already felt the changes he had made in such a short amount of time. 'By day three, we've implemented a new style of play, a new rhythm. It's really important to really nail those down the first couple of days, to really set up the next couple years here with Joe and the team,' she said. 'These next two weeks are going to be really important for the team to try to apply that in these four games.' Montemurro has spoken of his desire to see the Matildas control games with and without the ball, something Carpenter said the team was relishing. 'The most important thing he's implemented so far is possession-based football. We're very capable of doing that. 'Even the last two sessions, the girls are learning new language that maybe they haven't heard before, and I think we've really implemented that very well in the short space of time that we have. 'You'll be seeing us more with the ball, controlling the game, a lot of possession-based and exciting football, which I think this team needs to get back to playing.' It has not been all smooth sailing so far for Australia, with Everton midfielder Clare Wheeler, who figured to be a key part of Montemurro's engine room, withdrawing due to personal reasons. Western United FC midfielder Chloe Berryhill (nee Logarzo) and Central Coast Mariners defender Jessika Nash have been drafted in as replacements. With a swathe of A-League Women's players to train with the squad over the next two weeks, Carpenter said it would be a vital opportunity for local players to work under Montemurro — who has won titles with Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon. 'Bringing that training method here into the national team is really going to boost us and also develop the girls here who maybe have not been exposed to that type of training, the type of language, the technical sessions as well,' she said. 'Nothing happens overnight or over 48 hours for our first two sessions, but at least we've implemented, the base, and we can keep building from there.'
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
Another Matildas star out as Montemurro era begins
Everton midfielder Clare Wheeler has become the latest Matildas star to be ruled out of the current international window as new coach Joe Montemurro attempts to begin his era with a bang. Montemurro will get his first taste of life in the Matildas hot seat when he takes the reins for Thursday night's clash with Slovenia at Perth's HBF Park. The teams will lock horns again at the same venue on Sunday, before the Matildas face Panama on July 5 in Bunbury and July 8 back at HBF Park in Perth. The four matches mark an important building block for Montemurro as he attempts to bed down a new game plan ahead of next year's Asian Cup in Australia, which begins on March 1. But the 55-year-old will be without a host of his best players. Superstar striker Sam Kerr is in camp but still recovering from the ACL rupture she suffered more than 17 months ago. Mary Fowler (knee) and Tameka Yallop (leg) are also out injured, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Cortnee Vine are all on personal leave. Wheeler arrived in Perth earlier this week but on Wednesday withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons. Chloe Berryhill and Jessika Nash have since been rushed into the squad. Montemurro had successful coaching stints at Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon and wants to implement an attacking, possession-based style at the Matildas, who have slipped to 15th in the world. He said the games against Slovenia and Panama would be a good measuring stick to where the group is at, but he is still chasing wins. "It's the official start of our build-up for the Asian Cup," Montemurro said on Wednesday. "Yes, I am looking at a lot of players. Yes, I am trying to instil some language. Yes, I am trying to instil some new ideas. "But you know, the approach to the game is still the same ... it's a game that we want to win." Star defender Ellie Carpenter played under Montemurro at Lyon and was thrilled when he landed the top job at the Matildas. "I think we're going to really thrive under Joe," Carpenter said. "You can see already, by day three we've implemented a new style of play, a new rhythm. "Joe's really experienced internationally. He's coached at the biggest clubs and I think the most important thing that he's implemented so far is possession-based football. "I think we're very capable of doing that." There is still no timeline set for Kerr's return, but Montemurro is just happy to see the Chelsea striker back amongst the group - albeit on an individualised program. "It's fundamentally a situation where she's now building her physical capacity," Montemurro said. "The important thing is we're working with Chelsea to make sure that she's right for pre-season." Slovenia, ranked 38th in the world, are coached by Sasa Kolman, who was a former senior coach at South Melbourne FC. "I really hold dear to my heart those five years," Kolman said. "It was an amazing experience. I still love that club, and it helped me grow. "It (Australia) is like my second home country."
