Raso shines for Matildas despite club uncertainty

Coach Tony Gustavsson has hailed Hayley Raso’s resilience after the winger once more delivered for the Matildas regardless of uncertainty over her membership future.

Raso is predicted to depart Actual Madrid at season’s finish after restricted enjoying minutes on the Spanish membership, who she joined after a equally irritating interval at Manchester Metropolis.

However the 29-year-old has excelled for her nation and scored the opening objective in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Mexico in San Antonio, Texas.

“She had perhaps her finest main event of her profession (on the Girls’s World Cup) coming from a membership the place she performed little or no minutes,” Gustavsson mentioned.

“Identical factor now, she’s performed little or no minutes.

“She’s coaching superb week-in, week-out and we have to do not forget that she is in superb coaching environments in these high golf equipment in order that prepares her very effectively.

“However then the psychological facet of issues, proper? You possibly can probably lose confidence when you do not get enjoying time and also you deliver that misplaced confidence into the Matildas setting.

“Nevertheless it’s like each time she is available in right here, she manages to carry out and be assured.

“Hopefully it is due to the setting we create in right here … so she will be able to are available right here and be Raso, 100 per cent.”

It will likely be exhausting for brand new gamers to interrupt into Gustavsson’s 18-player Olympics squad.

“It is a problem as it’s to chop gamers from the roster as it’s now,” he mentioned.

“However then clearly the harm state of affairs is a giant query mark.

“So I simply inform each participant to be nearly as good as they will and be prepared and knock on the door and make it tough for me.”

In Katrina Gorry’s absence, Emily van Egmond and Kyra Cooney-Cross began in midfield however Everton gun Clare Wheeler was introduced on simply after the hour mark.

“Primarily based on the coaching week, she really would have deserved a begin,” Gustavsson mentioned.

“She comes from loads of minutes at Everton, she’s in kind, she has taken on our attacking rules in a really, superb method.

“She’s assured on the ball, she’s fast on her toes, fast in selections. She will get in in the course of the one-on-one duels as effectively, to guard the house centrally.

“It was pre-planned to get her minutes as a result of she deserved it and since we needed to take a look at loads of totally different pairings in there.”

With Clare Hunt injured, Steph Catley moved centrally and Kaitlyn Torpey impressed at left-back.

“What I like is she (Torpey) may be very level-headed. She does not freak out and get rattled by this setting,” Gustavsson mentioned.

“She’s simply true to herself and really calm and composed, and I like that.”