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Concern but no panic as Matildas wilt under intense Oranje spotlight | Richard Parkin

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For Australian fans accustomed to cavernous multi-purpose stadiums, the steep raking stands of Philips Stadion in Eindhoven is a magnificent and imposing sight. On a warm 28C summer evening, with 30,640 fans literally packed to the rafters and with the roof closed it had a greenhouse-like effect – the heat stayed in; and so too did the intensity from the crowd.

As pre-World Cup friendlies go, this was as near to perfect as the Matildas could have hoped for. A game played at full tempo, an intimidating one-eyed crowd, a world-class strikeforce including Sanice van de Sanden at her imperious best. On a coach’s checklist the Eindhoven experiment ticked all the boxes – except of course the result.

“I’m obviously disappointed,” said Ante Milicic post-match, “it’s a concern when you concede five goals against the USA and then in your next game you concede three. I take responsibility for that.”

Still very much a work-in-progress given his short tenure, Milicic’s focus is of course that his charges hit full potential on 9 June, not 1 June – as assistant Ivan Jolic pointed out pre-game, the team went in with heavy workloads and tired legs. But it’s a delicate balancing act to ensure that too much experimentation against key World Cup rivals doesn’t leave the squad psychologically deflated.

Post-game, defender Clare Polkinghorne bristled when asked about the defeat. “It wasn’t a 3-0 game, we did play a lot of good football and created a fair few chances, especially early in the first half and if we score early then it’s a different outcome. We just have to learn and move forward – the World Cup hasn’t started yet.”

It’s the kind of response Milicic would have quietly enjoyed – facing a potential banana-skin up first against rising European side Italy, it’s a far better wake-up call to receive in Eindhoven than in Valenciennes.

And while the Dutch front three gave Australia’s fullbacks a torrid time, for youngsters such as Ellie Carpenter the experience up close of marking Lieke Martens – handed Fifa’s individual top award after leading the Netherlands to European triumph in 2017 – was clearly invaluable.

“She’s a world-class striker,” Carpenter said. “I always love defending against strikers like that. I think it was a good game and a good battle between us. She got some crosses in and I got past her a few times so it was a good battle.”

As per the friendly against the USA, in Eindhoven we saw further subtle evolutions – with Milicic experimenting in key areas. Chloe Logarzo was handed a surprise start – a decision based on her need for competitive match minutes post-injury, with Steph Catley and Hayley Raso also gaining vital match exposure.

Caitlin Foord dropped deeper into midfield, rotating with Logarzo – a variation from her task against USWNT where her close partnership with Sam Kerr brought the Matildas great reward. As a result Kerr at times appeared isolated, and her clumsy challenge in the shadow of half-time, conceding the free-kick that put the Dutch ahead, was one borne of frustration.

With Elise Kellond-Knight absent through muscle soreness, Milicic reverted to 4-3-3 with a single playmaker, Emily van Egmond, at the base. By her high standards it was a tired, occasionally thoughtless performance, giving the ball away with flicks that while lauded higher up the pitch put the defence under pressure.

It’s a key concern for the Australian staff – given her role in dictating the tempo and ensuring the Matildas move the ball quickly – in Kellond-Knight’s absence the team looked noticeably poorer.

For all that though, it’s far from panic stations, as Milicic was at pains to stress. “I’m not, because of one bad result, going to now adjust our training program or our loads. Everything is to the process, everything’s been planned. A lot of people from the outside only see the matchday and that’s normal, but I know the work and loads we’ve gone through and where we’re at.

“People will look at the result and they’ll feel that it’s going to be very difficult to overcome, but I assure you I’m still confident with this group of players – I know we’ll put on a very good show and performance [against Italy].”

Whether he’s right or not can only be determined retrospectively – an act of haruspicy after the result of the Italy game is known. If the Matildas win, and win well, during the group stage it will be in part through performances built off the back of this bruising test, forged from the furnace of Eindhoven.

Either way, Milicic’s team are under no illusions as to the difficulty of the challenge ahead. They may have seven days left to taper physically, but mentally the intense scrutiny of the World Cup has already begun.

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