Vera Pauw warns Irish players ahead of the Sweden deal
Ireland’s manager Vera Pauw has warned that Sweden will be a stronger and fresher side than the one that barely won in Tallaght in October last year when the teams meet in a World Cup qualifier in Gothenburg next month.
Pauw was part of a discussion group gathered by Sky, the national team’s sponsor, to celebrate International Women’s Day and where they presented a € 25,000 fund to help five international players with their academic studies and off-field careers.
Dutchman and striker Saoirse Noonan represented the present and the future while Emma Byrne and Paula Gorham were on hand to remember the difficulties of the past.
Ireland will face the highest ranked team in Europe in Gothenburg on April 12, after losing to them to an own goal last year. But Pauw insists that Sweden will be a tougher proposal this time, as they still agreed to lose the Olympic final on penalties when they came to Tallaght.
– It is clear that it will be difficult. It is not that we want to sit back but I am afraid that Sweden will push us back in the match, she said.
“When there is such a gap in the rankings and Sweden is number two in the world at the moment, then the only way to approach it is to realize the opposition we will face.”
Pauw and her players will have a week to prepare for the decisive qualifying match and she will record a match against one of the national boys’ national teams to condition the players before the meeting in Sweden.
– It will be about having the pressure we will face, so that we are ready for the tasks and can perform in teamwork. That’s the only way you can prepare. ‘
However, Pauw feels that the ongoing campaign has proven that this Irish team never gives up, that they can always recover from a setback, like Louise Quinn’s unfortunate own goal against Sweden.
“What this team has is that they never collapse. We have come back so often after a setback. This team will be strong. The most important thing is to get you to qualify – that you never collapse, no matter what happens.
If we had collapsed from the own goal, it could have been 5-0 at home. But we did not. It is a whole process that we work very much with, what to do when you get a setback.
It was a bit of a joke about where Pauw would play his captain Katie McCabe to see her as most effective, but she was eager to point out that she thinks Arsenal’s superstar is at best further from goal, where she can face playing more.
“When Katie plays up front at Arsenal, she always ends up going back one line. She ends up a row back.
And I think that shows that she’s more dangerous when she’s already there. For us, the biggest thing is: can we get a pendulum that works behind her? But in the system we play, on the left is her strongest position.
“When she arrives she is less dangerous. She is very good at seeing the gaps and gaps in front of her. You can often see her getting the ball and she plays it back, because she does not see the alternative. But when it is there steam she up and attacks the penalty area. ‘
After having an encouraging Pinatar Cup campaign, with a third place finish and a number of outfielders that are enough for more playing time, Ireland has a pretty strong position for the next four matches in the World Cup qualifiers.
And even if Sweden represents something of a blow to nothing, Pauw will want to keep up the pace. A dark spot in the coming year is of course the failure to qualify for the European Championships which will be in England this summer.
It has created another headache in that Irish players will be out of football for six weeks when they play Georgia at the end of June, as the season in England and Germany ends early before a major tournament.
Pauw says she is currently in discussions with the FAI on how to ensure players remain match fit for the qualifier, which is entered into Tbilisi on June 27, but said she would not reveal anything more.
But given her methodical nature, it is likely something that will give this Irish team the best possible chance of qualifying for a first World Cup.