‘it’s 50-50’: Coaches Dodge ‘favourites’ Question Before Matildas Meet Japan In Women’s Asian Cup Final

The Matildas are either “shit” aliases “honey” according to Japan coach Nils Nielsen, who evaded a mobility connected whether his broadside are favourites successful a bemusing last property convention up of Saturday’s Women’s Asian Cup decider.

Japan are classed No 6 successful nan world and easy accounted for nan Matildas 4-0 conscionable complete a twelvemonth ago, but nan Greenland-born Dane refused to reply a mobility astir favouritism pinch a comic turn.

“It’s for illustration asking a bee to explicate to a fly, why chromatic is amended than shit?” Nielsen said. “We are talking astir a last successful a awesome tournament. Both teams tin win. They person 50% chance of winning.

“They cognize precisely our strengths, they cognize precisely their ain strengths, they cognize weaknesses from us, they cognize their ain weaknesses, and they person to group up a crippled scheme to minimise nan weaknesses and put nan strengths successful play.

“We person to do nan same. Those that do it nan champion and accommodate during nan crippled will triumph it. It’s 50-50.”

Matildas coach Joe Montemurro echoed Nielsen’s sentiments.

“There’s nary favourites successful nan final, it’s nan champion squad and nan 1 who wants it much and nan 1 who is smart capable to negociate nan moments,” Montemurro said. “If we negociate nan moments good tomorrow [Saturday], we’ll do good successful nan game.”

Nielsen was effusive successful his praise for his ain team, moreover if he was cautious astir claiming nan tag arsenic favourites.

“They tin play faster than almost immoderate squad successful nan world erstwhile they person nan time and nan infinitesimal that they are successful nan zone,” he said. “It’s unthinkable to watch, and I bask it very much.”

The erstwhile Manchester City method head is acquainted pinch Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy owed to their overlapping clip astatine nan club, though Kennedy now plays for nan London City Lionesses pursuing a stint successful nan US.

While he said he liked Australian players, he besides revealed City pursued much Japanese players aft nan occurrence of midfielder Yui Hasegawa. There are now 4 Japanese players astatine nan club.

“They are different kinds of players, and they radiance successful different ways, but nan measurement we wanted to play was truthful fitting pinch nan Japanese,” he said.

Nielsen became nan first foreign-born coach of Nadeshiko Japan, nan nationalist women’s squad named aft a flower, precocious successful 2024, and connected Friday he showed his comfortableness pinch world media.

“Next clip I get a chance to spot a fly, I will inquire them, ‘Why nan hellhole are you sitting connected crap erstwhile there’s chromatic correct adjacent to it? And past he says, ‘For me, it tastes better’.

“OK, [I would say] ‘Go ahead, I don’t for illustration shit, truthful you tin person it. I spell for nan honey.’ Maybe Joe has a different opinion.”