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Matildas have 'found that spark again' under Sermanni - Catley

LONDON -- Matildas stand-in skipper Steph Catley says that interim coach Tom Sermanni has helped the team re-discover its "spark" after a disappointing Olympics.

Sermanni, 70, was appointed as caretaker coach of Australia's women in September following the departure of Tony Gustavsson, whose contract concluded after a disappointing Paris Olympics that saw Australia's women bundled out in the group stages.

Beyond laying a foundation for the next full-time coach -- who will lead Australia as hosts of the Women's Asian Cup in 2026 -- Sermanni has emphasised getting the team focusing on football and enjoying themselves in the wake of the Games; efforts that were boosted by a 1-1 draw with Switzerland and a 2-1 win over Germany last month.

"Sometimes the international window comes at a good time for everyone," Catley told ESPN. "It changes the environment and allows you to play in different styles, with different players and different competition [from club football]. It's always nice to get away and have sort of a fresh environment to play with freedom. And Tom brings that to the national team.

"He wants us to play and have fun and enjoy being out on the field. And we definitely do that. Germany was a tough game - we defended a lot. But that's that fighting spirit that we love as Australians, and we've always had as Matildas, and I think we found that spark again."

Football Australia have emphasised that they are in no rush to find a permanent successor for Gustavsson -- the Matildas' next competitive fixture will not be until the aforementioned Asian Cup -- and there have been no public indications of how long Sermanni will remain in his post, with the coach (in his third stint in charge of the side but first as interim), looking set to oversee the Matildas' upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Taiwan.

Matildas players are being consulted in the search for a next permanent boss and Catley, who has been serving as skipper during Sam Kerr's rehabilitation from an ACL injury, was amongst the leadership group --alongside Kerr, Ellie Carpenter and Emily van Egmond -- consulted on the coaching search in October.

But the defender emphasised to ESPN that while a stylistic fit was important, Football Australia also needed to find the best person to challenge the squad to break through a semifinal ceiling hit at the Tokyo Olympics and 2023 Women's World Cup.

"It's not our job to look for anything in regards to the coach," Catley said. "We just want the best person for the job that's going to fit our style but also challenge us to get to the next level. We finished fourth at a couple of major tournaments now and we want to know how to get to the next level.

"You have the players to do it and the experience of major competitions but we're just not able to get over the line of that next step. Whoever comes in, I hope they can challenge us and push us to get to that next step so we can win something. We've got a big Asian Cup coming up, so that's going to be important.

"But right now, we're focusing on what we can achieve with Tom [Sermanni]. He's our interim coach, so we're focusing on what he wants to get out of us and that's the most important thing."