Matildas interim coach unveiled as former boss Tom Sermanni

Former trophy-winning Matildas coach Tom Sermanni has returned to the role in an interim capacity.

Football Australia is taking a measured approach to finding a full-time replacement for Tony Gustavsson, desperate to pick the right person to lead the team through to the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

That process has resulted in needing a caretaker for upcoming friendlies — with FA turning to a familiar face well known to the Matildas’ experienced core.

Sermanni was on Tuesday unveiled as interim coach for what will be his third stint in charge, taking leave from his role as Western Sydney Wanderers’ head of women’s football to do so.

“It’s an honour to return to the Matildas, even in this interim capacity,” the 70-year-old said.

“I’m looking forward to working with this talented group of players and helping to ensure a smooth transition as Football Australia continues its search for a permanent head coach.”

Sermanni first led the Matildas in the 1990s before returning to the helm in 2005 for what became a successful seven-year run highlighted by winning the 2010 Asian Cup.

He handed international debuts to the likes of Sam Kerr, Steph Catley, Alanna Kennedy, Michelle Heyman and Caitlin Foord — who was just 16 when he entrusted her with marking Brazilian legend Marta — before departing to lead the powerhouse US national team and later New Zealand.

While Sermanni may only take charge of the Matildas for one or perhaps two international windows, with a mandate to ensure “their cohesion and competitiveness are maintained”, it appears he will not be afraid to speak his mind or shake things up on the field.

The respected veteran was vocal in the wake of the Matildas’ Paris Olympics disaster, declaring Mary Fowler “is the player you’ve got to build the team around”.

“I thought she was on the periphery too much at this tournament,” Sermanni told AAP.

“I think going forward she’s got to be in the key area of the field to dictate how the team plays.

“You’ve got to have her somewhere in that central area where she can really hurt teams.

“She’s effective out wide but she has the vision, hits great passes and is the player you need to build the team around.”

Sermanni was also blunt on the topic of Matildas players’ frustrations with Gustavsson.

“I don’t want to get into the players — but go out and just do your job,” he told News Corp.

“It’s disappointing that they didn’t get through the group (stage), unfortunately the hype around the team sometimes overshadows the reality of what the team can achieve.

“I think (Gustavsson) gets an unfair wrap in that. If you got a squad of 20 players, as a journalist you can find the story you want to find.

“Players will always be upset by not playing attacking enough or playing out of position, it is an easy find to find players who are upset or unhappy.

“The reality at the end of the day is the players picked for a national team and then picked for the first 11 shouldn’t have much to complain about.

“Their job is to play how the coach wants them to play. I didn’t see Tony asking them to do anything that was outrageous, for example he didn’t ask Mary Fowler to play as centre-back or goalkeeper.”

Sermanni said the next full-time coach would need to command instant respect from a dressing room full of big personalities.

But it would take a “brave” coach to immediately overhaul the squad given the 18-month lead-in to the 2026 Asian Cup hosted by Australia.

“You’re not wiping out 10 players overnight,” Sermanni told AAP.

“You’d think it’s more of a natural process where some of the younger ones get to the standard to keep the team at a high enough level.”

Former Manchester United and San Diego coach Casey Stoney, Sydney FC boss Ante Juric, former Matildas assistant Ross Aloisi and current assistant Mel Andreatta are potential candidates for the full-time role.

Sermanni stopped short of backing Juric but said the former Socceroos player deserved to come under consideration.

“He has the temperament to say, ‘I’m in charge here’ and he’s somebody who should be well in the frame,” he said.

Friendlies against key rivals have been set for October and December, ensuring the interim coach, and possibly the full-time replacement, have opportunities to make their mark.

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson has hinted the Matildas will play Switzerland in the days before a confirmed clash with Germany on October 29 — both matches to be played in Europe.

The team will return home in December to face Taiwan in Melbourne (December 4) and Geelong (December 8).

Johnson said the hunt for Gustavsson’s permanent successor was heating up in the meantime.

“We’re narrowing down a long list at the moment, and in the coming weeks we’ll be talking to a small group of candidates,” he said last week.

“I think within the next seven to 10 days we’ll be able to name who the interim coach will be, and the purpose of the interim coach is to ensure that we have as much time as we need to get the right permanent coach for the Matildas.”

FA wants a coach for a full four-year cycle, tasked with winning a home Asian Cup in 2026 before taking Australia to the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

The coach will also have to navigate new standalone qualifiers for the World Cup, announced by the Asian Football Confederation on Friday. Previously, the Asian Cup doubled as World Cup qualifiers.

“I don’t want to put a timeline on the permanent coach,” Johnson said.

“Of course, the sooner the better, but at the same time we want to make sure we get the appointment right because we’re setting up - as we did four years ago - for a whole new cycle and we want to ensure that this is a long-term appointment.

“And it’s an important appointment, the Matildas are a great football team and they’re also a big brand, they’re a big part of the business, so we’ve got to get this decision right.

“So our process will be, we’ll appoint an interim coach, and then we’ll take as much time as we need to ensure we get the right person for the Matildas.”

Johnson wouldn’t be drawn on whether the ideal candidate needed to have worked in the women’s game.

“We’re looking locally and we’re looking globally and we’re looking for the coach that ultimately we believe will take this program and the team forward,” he said.

- with AAP