Arnold: Westfield Matildas ready for England after French ‘learning curve’

Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold is confident the Westfield Matildas will bounce back to form against England on Wednesday morning (AEST), after learning some key lessons in the weekend’s loss to France.

With a host of key players missing, Australia was eventually overrun by the French in Saint-Etienne on Saturday with Eugenie Le Sommer’s second-half brace giving the hosts a 2-0 win.

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Arnold was one of the Westfield Matildas best on the night, making a number of crucial saves against the world’s number four ranked nation.

And while disappointed with the result, the 24-year-old shot-stopper believes the team took a lot out of the match heading into the game with England.

“It wasn’t our best performance as a team but they [France] tried something different on us that we haven’t really played up against before,” Mackenzie told www.matildas.com.au.

“But it’s a learning curve for us. It was something we weren’t able to solve on the night but we’ve had a look at it now and we think we’ve figured it out.

“We learn from that one and onto the next one against England.”

With a number of the Westfield Matildas’ more experienced players rested from this tour to Europe, Arnold has been impressed by some of the youngsters who have been given a shot with the senior team.

Asked how the team was approaching the England game, Arnold said: “It’s going to be a massive game for us.

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“Unfortunately we came off the loss against France but it’s a game where we’re preparing ahead of the World Cup as well.

“It will be a good test for us as well with the young ones. I think they’ll have the freshest legs now so it will give them a massive chance.”