Paris Olympics 2024: Tony Gustavsson departs as Matildas coach with a complex and complicated legacy

Tony Gustavsson knew his time was up as he warmly offered congratulations to Emma Hayes and the US staff, and delivered an address to his fallen troops on the pitch.

It took another two hours for the Matildas’ Olympics fate and exit to be confirmed but it was inevitable.

Half a day later, Gustavsson’s exit was confirmed, he and Football Australia agreeing no extension to his tenure would be forthcoming.

In truth, Gustavsson knew long before then.

His contract was up after the tournament, no new deal was in place and his pre-tournament words rang heavy with the air of a man who had accepted his journey would not continue with the side post-Olympics.

The Swede leaves a complicated and complex legacy as coach.

The highs — the historic semifinal run at a home Women’s World Cup and a fourth-placed finish at the Tokyo Olympics — were notable and, in respect to the former, dazzlingly breathtaking.

But ultimately, there is no silverware to show for this golden generation under Gustavsson and positive results often obfuscated below par performances, questionable tactics and eye-raising utilisation of certain players.

Ultimately, for all the good he oversaw, there was always a nagging feeling the team only occasionally hit their ceiling under him.

The Tokyo Olympics, for example, saw his side depend on archaic, long-ball football, and were seconds away from exiting in the quarterfinals before a timely Sam Kerr goal.

The side were not so lucky to enjoy a similar get-out-of-jail-free card during a 2022 Asian Cup quarterfinal loss to South Korea.

Even the 2023 Women’s World Cup began with an uncomfortable win over Ireland and a deserved, frustrating loss to Nigeria, before Gustavsson tweaked things, lent all the way into his team’s strengths as a counter-attacking team and produced two barnstorming wins over Canada and Denmark.

The thrashings of Sweden pre-World Cup and The Philippines post showed the Matildas could simply blow teams out of the water on the right day, and Gustavsson deserves credit for the highs in his tenure.

The glimpses of his Matildas firing on all cylinders were so invigorating, but their brevity against the backdrop of his wider tenure made their inconsistency all the more frustrating.

It came to a head at the Olympics this week.

Ten months ago, Gustavsson had looked to tweak things, realising the vast difference in talent between the World Cup finalists and Australia, as he looked to build a side who were more comfortable in possession and playing through the lines.

In France, they looked like a team who wanted to evolve but unsure of how to, and that lack of clarity in possession and defensively will be Gustavsson’s to accept responsibility for.

At times they wanted to play out but were too timid under pressure, so they knocked it long and by doing so, created an environment where it was impossible for their two most creative attackers in Caitlin Foord and Mary Fowler to thrive.

They threw things against the wall but none of them really stuck, and their defending was exposed in transition and at set-piece time, the latter of which could be described as ramshackle at best.

Some might suggest the team were capped out after last year’s World Cup run but there are still players on the books of Manchester City, Arsenal, PSG and Lyon.

The performances in France were beneath what they are capable of and it is not so much a case of not being good enough but the fact they barely scraped the surface of what they are capable of.

The hysteria and feel-good factor of last year’s Women’s World Cup is a world away, now comes the soul-searching and the next steps.

Whoever the new coach is, they will need to be willing to simultaneously refresh the team by embracing the talent coming through while also looking at the veterans with one eye towards the next World Cup in three years’ time.

Sam Kerr, Steph Catley, Foord, Katrina Gorry, Hayley Raso, Alanna Kennedy, Mackenzie Arnold, Emily van Egmond, and Tameka Yallop will all be at least 33 by the time Brazil 2027 rolls around.

Under Gustavsson, the gap between Australia and the world’s top teams at times looked navigable but, ultimately, not often enough and it will be a challenge for a new coach with an ageing nucleus to traverse.