Slovakia v Republic of Ireland
Slovakian FA National Training Centre, Senec, 5pm (Irish time) – Live RTÉ 2
Once more unto the breach. Managers love talking about the middle road between euphoria and despair. Vera Pauw is no different.
The Dutch strategist may have celebrated as hard as her players immediately after Thursday’s 1-0 defeat of Finland at Tallaght Stadium but the scenes were more a sign of relief than unbridled joy.
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This Ireland group is sick to the teeth of failing better. Ideally, the return to a neutral baseline enables them to re-scale the same performance peaks five days later, thereby securing a play-off final to reach next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“We had a huge emotional explosion on Thursday,” Pauw conceded. “The biggest thing is to get back on the ground and load your emotions up for another fight. Because there is no game won without a fight. That is the biggest task, but we don’t do it with stress.”
Now comes the jostling for position ahead of Friday’s play-off draw. Results elsewhere bring clarity.
[ Vera Pauw appeals to clubs after empty seats at TallaghtOpens in new window ]
Beat Slovakia, in 26 degree heat on the ‘Sunny Lakes’ of Senec, home to the Slovakia FA’s national training centre, and Fifa’s complicated qualification system will become clear. Victory probably means Ireland will only need to win one game in October to reach the World Cup. Defeat or a draw means two more matches, possibly even a third in New Zealand next February.
Against Finland, Megan Connolly played through the pain barrier for 87 minutes and was only released from hospital on Monday after being treated for fractured ribs and a bruised kidney.
The Brighton midfielder and Liverpool centre-half Niamh Fahey are near irreplaceable figures in a line-up that must cope nonetheless. Lily Agg should slot into midfield for Ruesha Littlejohn while Jamie Finn’s suspension opens the door for Chloe Mustaki at wing back.
Any way you look at it, Ireland are missing key bodies.
“We need to find a few solutions,” Pauw continued ahead of facing a side that were distraught not to beat Ireland last year.
“We don’t underestimate Slovakia. This is a very, very good footballing team. They had a good sense of positional play, they have the skills to execute that in a small space.
“You can say there’s a lot of street footballers, very mobile and they know exactly what they do on the pitch. It is a very dangerous squad; they drew against Finland, against us, only small losses against Sweden, so we are fully prepared tomorrow.”
Ireland were also “fully prepared” for Finland but that was simply not the case come kick-off as a few tactical changes “inverted” the wing backs as the Finns two attacking number 10s caused multiple problems. Pot luck and Courtney Brosnan’s fingertips weighed the scales away from despair, towards euphoria.
Pauw was not frozen to the grass, nor were the players marshalled by Louise Quinn, but weaknesses were exposed.
“After three minutes it was already clear that [the Irish game plan] didn’t work out,” Pauw conceded. “It was also clear what we needed to do. Then to adapt to that as a squad, without experience at that level to do that, that’s a huge task.
“And credit to this team, if it’s not clear they start fighting and fighting and fighting. Every single player was just, ‘over my dead body that the ball is going in’. That makes this team so strong. When it is not going our way, and even if we don’t understand what is happening on the pitch, there is such a common drive that we need to make sure we go through this phase until it gets sorted.
“I do not agree that it was sorted at half-time, it was maybe understood better, but it was sorted after 20 or 25 minutes when we could make that change and players were going for it. When Lily Agg came on, she was instructed of course heavily.
“The only thing they think is, no goal against, because then we are in a good place to qualify. That is the huge difference with a few years ago.”
It also shows how far Ireland still have to travel as every opposition, from now until the World Cup, will present pictures they are unaccustomed to seeing.
“That is international football,” said Quinn. “You only get a few days to prepare for one of the biggest games of your career.”
It helps that the Irish players are cultivating a tough streak. Not dirty, as Pauw is quick to note, their near spotless record since committing 24 fouls against Ukraine two years ago evidence of that, but certainly not timid.
“That [criticism] comes up, doesn’t it, like it’s very Spursy?” said Quinn, a former Gunner. “That’s what it sounds like but we’re not very Spursy.”
The Birmingham City defender checks herself before diplomatically adding: “That’s what Antonio Conte is in for, to bring that”.
Quinn explains to Pauw that “Spursy” is a reference to the Tottenham of old, or certainly Tottenham before Conte. Maybe Ireland will start branding themselves before and after Pauw.
Last push to the promised land coming up.
Ireland (possible): Brosnan (Everton); Campbell (Liverpool), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Caldwell (Reading); Ziu (West Ham United), O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Agg (London City Lionesses), Mustaki (Bristol City); McCabe (Arsenal), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City); Payne (Florida State University).
Referee: María Martínez (Spain).
