Ellie Carpenter

Tony Gustavsson and Why He Could Win the World Cup

Steph Catley may not be the first name you think of when you hear about the Matildas. She may not be the second, or even the third, but she absolutely should be. The vice captain holds the Matildas together as the constant starter in left back as well as the go-to set piece taker. She has delivered countless free kicks that have led to goals off the head of her teammates. She deserves way more credit than she gets.

Steph Catley has tough competition for the left back role at Arsenal with Katie McCabe, the Irish captain, who is a world class defender (and winger). While this does mean Catley occasionally misses out on the starting spot, it would be inarguable to say that this competition has only made her better. At Arsenal, Catley may have not achieved the success she was hoping for yet, but she has certainly contributed to the club. Catley has scored two goals for the massive English club, a free kick that was nominated for the UEFA Women's Champions League Goal of the Season, and a great goal against West Ham United in the final day of the Women's Super League, where Arsenal missed out on the title by just one point.

In the recent friendlies against Spain and Portugal, it's fair to say the Matildas struggled in many areas. The lack of Alanna Kennedy's long cross-field balls was a big weakness, the lack of the captain and best player in Sam Kerr left a few chances missed, but these positions had decent backups in Gielnik, Nevin, Siemsen, and others. One position was left helpless: left back. Steph Catley's absence made a big hole in the defence, exposing a lot of opportunities for opponents to exploit the mistakes of the inexperienced back-line.