It’s not old news, the Matildas will be without Sam Kerr for the Olympics. Unlike some news outlets, I won’t be pulling the doomsday lever. Betting against THE Same Kerr going through another Asian Cup, World Cup, Olympic cycle would be a fool’s errand. But that’s not what we’re here to talk about.
What do we do without the goals, creativity and charisma of Kerr for the Olympics? Here’s plan A, B and Z.
Plan A: Tried and tested
The key is Caitlin Foord, unsurprisingly.
Sure there are direct replacements at centre forward in Michelle Heyman and Emily van Egmond, but really it’s the ability to drag defenders and create explosive moments capable of making even the stodgiest of defences crumble. The person to do that is Foord.
Four goals and four assists for Arsenal probably doesn’t translate exactly her impact given Arsenal’s goal scoring woes compared with their overall dominance last season. Foord’s ability to combine with Catley down the left hand side to frustrate opponents has been developed week in and out at club level for the Matildas to benefit now.
Throw in her ability to switch with Mary Fowler to charge through the middle and she’s the player we’ll be looking to when our back is to the wall.
Foord’s ability to inject a quick transition and take on defenders brings life to those around her. She’s shown with Kerr a love of combining and that tendency will bring out the best in Heyman and van Egmond who both thrive off combinations and balls to their feet.
To get the best out of Kerr’s direct replacements, Foord will need to be fully fit and firing. It’s a method that was tested at the World Cup in the Kerr-less matches with van Egmond leading the line – and it was also a success against Uzbekistan when linking up with Heyman.
Plan B: Worth a shot
Kerr’s heir apparent is Mary Fowler, it’s a badly kept secret at this stage.
Fowler stepping into the role of centre forward is one she thrived in at the end of the season when shuffled centrally Bunny Shaw was struck out with injury. Having struggled for starts at the beginning of the season, she finished with four goals, three coming in the final three games of the season.
Her fluidity of moving between from the flank to the centre for City with Chloe Kelly draws an easy comparison to what she can (and does) do with Caitlin Foord. However, the shift will be nudging her from sitting as an attacking midfielder to holding the line.
It’s likely to still look like a false nine if the Matildas were to sideline Heyman. With the combination of Fowler and Foord – and to a lesser extent van Egmond (which somewhat worked in the World Cup and is a decent band aid solution) – it wouldn’t look a lot like when Kerr is giving headaches to the last defender. It certainly wouldn’t be caught out in any offside trap.
What you gain from a false nine against teams that the Matildas will be coming up against in Germany and the USWNT is an extra body shutting off balls between defenders and the midfield. While on the ball, it draws in players like Gorry and Cooney-Cross who only benefit from having more time in the thick of things.
Add in the lightening pace from the flanks in Hayley Raso for support and nudging Fowler higher could be a winner.
Plan Z: Tried and failed
To know what doesn’t work is to watch the first friendly against China. Heyman and van Egmond don’t compliment each other through the middle. Also, they need dynamic players around them to draw out the best.
Could things be different if Heyman and van Egmond are both on the park with the support of Foord and Katrina Gorry? Potentially, but it’s not a risk banking the house on.
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