It was tough picking the squad, because there’s a lot of good players - Montemurro
Ahead of tonight’s friendly match, the A-League Women’s All-Stars are not short of admirers. One of those admirers is head coach, Joe Montemurro. He stated multiple times just how hard it was to pick his squad, as the team welcome Arsenal to Marvel Stadium on Friday Night.
“It’s all about the spectacle, it’s all about the players,” Montemurro began on Thursday.
“For me, it’s about showcasing the A-League. That’s the most important thing.”
“I can tell you firsthand that a lot of the big clubs are scouting around the world, the Liberty A-League isn’t far away from that. It is an opportunity, and I want to give players the opportunity to be on a platform. That’s really important.”
Montemurro is not the only one experiencing a homecoming this week, with Matildas’ vice-captain and Arsenal superstar, Steph Catley, also back on Australian soil.
“It’s pretty amazing, it’s lovely to be home. It’s been fun, everyone’s been out and about,” Catley began.
“It’s a unique experience, it’s really special to be involved.
“It’s been a busy year since the World Cup: non-stop games, non-stop football, a lot of travel. It’s nice for us to have these guys come and do the trip. I’m loving my football and the moment, I’m feeling good.”
Arsenal coach, Jonas Eidevall, said this ahead of the game:
“[We have] a couple of things [to get out of tomorrow night], number one is to show Arsenal to Melbourne, [and] what we are about.
“Also to give younger players an opportunity that, at Arsenal, are not given those moments and those opportunities. To give our best academy players a chance to play in a really competitive and exciting game [is great].
“This is a good opportunity to do that together, and to experience everything that the first team players do.
“We’ll just focus on playing our football, to represent the badge as best we can. We will focus on playing our brand of football and if you are not already in love with Arsenal then hopefully you will be.”
In terms of the opposition, Eidevall said that he wasn’t against having a look at one or two of the A-League’s key players;
“Of course [I’m willing to impressed by an A-League All Star], it’s a great opportunity to see the best from the league.
“It’s always in elite sports and at Arsenal Women to continue to seek improvement and that goes to the squad as well.
“We identify that, if we can, we add quality. It’s not about quantity. Hopefully during the transfer window, we will add a couple more names where we are adding quality.”
All-Star player, Tameka Yallop, offered this insight into her team:
“We’ve got a lot of experience in this All-Stars Team, we’ve got many players who have played abroad and come back to the A-League.
“I think it’s also exciting for the All-Stars team and really the rest of the Liberty A-League, to see what we can do against them on the same stage.
“We are excited that they are here, but we are also excited for the opportunity that it presents for the Liberty A-League.”
As a former coach of the Gunners, Joe Montemurro opened up about life as the North London’s club head coach.
“They were coached really well about three years ago.” Montemurro began, in reference to the time he spent in charge of the Gunners.
“The focus has been us, and as I repeat, the most important thing is that there’s a platform for the girls to be the best that they can be.
“We’ve looked at Arsenal, we’ve looked at their strengths and weaknesses.
“[The girls have got] the freedom to be brave, the freedom to be the best that they can be - it’s been our message all week.
“That's why it’s so special, because the A-League and the impact it has, through the local league, through the development of coaches.
“To be able to coach again in the A-League has been fantastic. From a personal perspective, I’m very honoured that I’m still remembered and considered.
“It’s been an honour because I admired Tameka as a player and I’ve also admired a lot of the other players that have done a great job both in their national team and in the A-League.” Montemurro said on his squad for the game.
“You know their talent in their football, but getting to know them personally has been really fantastic.”
Yallop also had praise for her coach:
“I think with all of us, we’re ecstatic to have Joe come in. We’ve all been sponges this week. I think even as old as I am, you can always learn more about football and know better messages from Joe.
“He was part of really creating that first foundation here with [Melbourne] City in the A-League and with the Women’s League.
'“That was our first glimpse at what professionalism looks like. I think a lot of clubs are following those footsteps.”
While Montemurro has used some of his squad before, it’s been the new kids on the block that have been most impressive.
“The ones that I’ve never coached before have actually very much impressed me. That to me, is a really positive indication of where the league is at.
“[The players] are playing more games now, they’re in more professional environments. The base player is definitely a lot higher. So that’s fantastic.”
In terms of her international teammates playing for Arsenal tonight, Yallop was looking forward to the opportunity:
“We’re excited to play against each other again, and it’ll be a very competitive match,” Yallop said.
“It’s absolutely exciting to have a club such as Arsenal come to Australia. For everyone to see the football that we were competing against day in, day out playing over in Europe.”
The timeslot for tonight’s fixture sees the boys playing the first game at 5:05, before the women take centre stage at 8:05. The timeslot was talked about pre-game, but Yallop didn’t believe it was significant.
“I guess yes and no. I think it really is just about the football and kind of seeing it equally,” Yallop said.
“It should just be football in Australia, not necessarily men’s or women’s. I think you could take it as significant if you want to. [We] just want to see it as normal.
“I think we are moving in the right direction. We’ve got a lot of support from not just the general public, but from the boys as well, they are excited to see how this game has grown.”