Estoril, Portugal, June 29 (BNA): Australia coach Tony Gustafson said he will limit his experiences with the team in preparation for the Women’s World Cup after he ended his European camp with a 1-1 draw with Portugal.
Australia, who will host the 2023 World Cup with New Zealand, thrashed Spain 7-0 on Saturday, raising questions about Gustafson’s decision to rest key players on the trip and tackle inexperienced teams against strong opponents.
“We are starting to narrow things down now to the World Cup,” Gustafson told reporters.
“You could say I didn’t do it in this camp…but the plan was to do it and we were thinking about luxury here and we changed the focus of this camp.
“(We have) seven first-timers in 14 months, but you’re going to see very few newcomers from now on to the World Cup.”
Princess Ebene gave Australia the lead against Portugal 17 minutes before the end of the match, before Thelma Encarnacao equalized three minutes before the end.
Swede Gustafsson was criticized for his response to the loss to Spain, ranked No. 7 in the world, when he said he expected his team to lose.
“If I say I criticize players and throw them under the bus I think you’re lying and you can talk to anyone who plays in that environment, that’s not what I’m about,” he said.
“I played with strong opponents all the time. Why would I do that? Because I believe in this team and I believe in these players, but they are not in an environment now where we can expect them to beat Spain and that is a fact.”