She has been bothered by a leg injury for almost the entire time, but it is the mental challenge that has proven to be Sam Kerr’s biggest hurdle in England. Whether it is dealing with the bitter cold or bracing for the fierce tackles, Kerr admits she has been confronted with a testing start to life with Chelsea.
“It’s challenging me mentally more than anything,” Kerr said on Wednesday while in camp preparing for the Matildas’ Olympic qualifiers. The 26-year-old has started in two of her three appearances so far in the Women’s Super League, scoring her first league goal in a win over Arsenal. The second-placed Blues are undefeated in all three of those games, however Kerr concedes most of the teething problems have come off the pitch.
“New team, new culture, new country, settling into a new house. It’s all the challenges that you don’t really have to face at home in Australia,” she said. “I’m out of my comfort zone. I didn’t know anyone when I first got there.”
It is far different to what she has been used to in the United States, or at home. “From the US to England, I thought they’d be quite similar. But they’re very, very different. It’s a lot more physical in England,” she said. “There’s huge tackles flying in everywhere, but that’s why I went to this league, because I knew it would challenge me as a player. And it really has in the first month.”
Not that it has all been smooth sailing on the field, either. The star striker has been playing through a quadriceps strain since her first week in England, and which will limit her time on the field for Australia this week.
The Matildas captain has only resumed full training in recent days but is no certain starter for Friday’s clash against Taiwan in Campbelltown. She is instead likely to be managed through a gruelling week of that also includes matches against Thailand on Monday, then China on Thursday. China are ranked world No 15 and are considered the Matildas’ major hurdle in advancing to the next stage of qualifying for Tokyo.
“I’d be lying if I said I’d probably play all three, but I don’t think many players will play all three this week,” she said. “It’s going to be different circumstances for everyone, and this injury’s been hanging around for a little bit. I just want to get it right and make sure the team has everyone on the field that’s fit and ready to go and that they’re not really carrying anyone.”
The top two teams from the group will face-off against the top two from a second group in home-and-away playoffs to advance to Japan. “It would be a dream come true. I wasn’t involved in the last qualifying tournament, [but] I was lucky enough to play at the Olympics,” Kerr said. “I want to have my hand in this one … help the girls qualify, hopefully go to the Olympic games and have a great tournament.”