Matildas engine room: Australian made, German refined
- Ann Odong
- May 6, 2016
- 4 min read
For Australia to have a chance to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, it was always going to require a team effort.
Alen Stajcic foreshadowed pre-tournament the need for a rotation of players in matches and positions to keep the team fresh as the tournament progressed into the latter stages.
However, during that rotation, two central players have been the mainstay of the Matildas campaign: German based midfield duo Elise Kellond-Knight and Emily van Egmond.
Of the 270 available minutes, Van Egmond has played 254 minutes and Kellond-Knight every single minute.
It is this stability and consistency in the Matildas engine room that has been one of the foundations of Australia's success during the Olympic Qualifiers.
It is also unsurprising as the pairing also played every minute of Australia's 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup campaign and were signalled out for their performances by the FIFA Technical Committee.
While the duo have always been gifted and durable, time in Germany with FFC Frankfurt (Van Egmond) and Turbine Potsdam (Kellond-Knight) has seen them enter the qualifiers in the best possible shape.
"We have come off the back of a pretty strenuous pre-season in Germany, training sometimes 2 - 3 times a day," said Van Egmond.
"The loads over there are similar to the games that we have had here [in Japan]."
And in Osaka they have had the luxury of a days break!
While the duo have been putting in a mountain of work, vice captain Van Egmond also identifies the work of the whole squad to implement Australia's high pressing, high intensity game plan.
"Credit to the whole team," she continued. "Everyone has come in at a very good physical level."
"Even the next two games, while they are going to be extremely hard, I think we have the edge over these next two teams."
The Van Egmond / Kellond-Knight / Gorry nexus is arguably Australia's greatest strength.
Katrina Gorry is the high energy, all action, dynamic midfielder who pushes up the park to support the forward line and take usually spectacular shots at goal.
She drifts forward safe in the knowledge that behind her, she has Van Egmond and Kellond-Knight who work efficiently in tandem.
For many years heir apparent to the sharp football mind of Collette McCalllum, Van Egmond has slowly matured into a versatile attacking midfielder with a strong and varied passing range, effective defensive skills and an eye for goal.
It was those attributes that caught the eye of defending UEFA Women's Champions League side FFC Frankfurt.
While the Newcastle native has taken some time to break into a team that includes the likes of German legend Kerstin Garefrekes, current German stars Dzsenifer Marozsán, Simone Laudehr, Saskia Bartusiak and Japanese striker Yuki Ogimi, the full time environment in the tactically sophisticated German league is already bearing fruit.
“It’s like zero to a thousand, like that,” said Van Egmond in an interview with the Guardian.
“You can’t really compare it. You train something like three to four times a week [in the W-League], but here you train twice or sometimes three times a day. It’s worlds apart.”
“The reality is that clubs overseas have great players, and that’s only going to benefit our players. I think it’s really important that the girls are trying to play in a full-time environment year round.”
It has been a similar experience for her midfield partner who - thanks to being named in the FIFA Women's World Cup Team of the Tournament for the second straight edition - was immediately in the Potsdam starting XI.
"I think you need a certain personality to cope, and it really tests how dedicated you are. It has been an adjustment and I’m learning from it."
Starting under the reign of Hesterine de Reus, the transition into the no. 6 role for Kellond-Knight has been more gradual but, such is her continually developing command of the position, she is now considered one of the best holding midfielders in the world.
In the modern game, the holding midfielder needs to be a two way player. No longer can they just be the stopper or destroyer, they are required to be the conduit between the attack and the defence.
Kellond-Knight's role is not only about reading the play and disrupting the opposition's attacks, it is equally about regaining possession, distribution, keeping the ball moving and changing the angle of attack.
In hindsight, it really is the perfect role for the analytically minded, technically sound Kellond-Knight. Van Egmond too is one of the tactically proficient Matildas and it is unsurprising that wherever Kellond-Knight is on the pitch, Van Egmond is not too far away.
Heading into Monday's fourth match against DPR Korea, after a two day weekend break, it would be unsurprising if Stajcic again starts with Kellond-Knight and Van Egmond.
After all in the last 12 months, it has served Australia pretty well.
Originally written for The Women’s Game
Commenti