My First World Cup: Pauw to use Zambia game as prelude to breaking World Cup dreams
Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw has said that she plans to use Thursday’s friendly match against Zambia to help decide her final 23-player squad for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the pre-tournament fixture at Tallaght Stadium, Pauw suggested that playing time would be given to a number of players to allow them to make their case to feature at Ireland’s first-ever major tournament.
However, she was keen to stress that the game would still be an opportunity to fine tweak the team’s tactical approach ahead of their Group B opener against tournament co-hosts Australia on July 20.
“We are in a situation where some players need to get a chance to prove themselves,” said Pauw. “We will give that to all of the players that we feel need to get a chance or we feel are equal to another player – we will play one in the first half and one in the second.
“This is a preparation game to help us come to the final squad selection. All of the players know that. We will try to keep our structure so that it is not chaos. We will prepare very seriously, the same way we always do.”
The 60-year-old added that she felt she already knows the core of the squad who will travel to Australia but was not willing to reveal who those players were nor who would start the game against Zambia.
Ireland will cut their squad from 31 players to 23 by the FIFA deadline of July 9, but the experienced Dutch manager insisted that the atmosphere among her players has remained positive despite disappointment waiting ahead for some.
“This group is so tight with one another,” she said. “There is not a single moment where I have felt tension.
“Megan Campbell is not yet on the pitch; she will be next week. She has given up her hotel place so that in case she cannot make it, [unselected] Izzy [Atkinson] can come in and prove herself. She [Campbell] said ‘let me stay at home, I’m only on the pitch in the morning doing rehab’, so it opens up another place for a player to be fully ready in case she does not make it. That will to sacrifice for the team is huge.”
Understandably, Pauw was still dreading the prospect of having to tell players who will not be selected for the tournament that they have not made the cut.
“It won’t be a text message or an e-mail, it will be face-to-face,” she said. “It is something that I am really nervous about but for them it is so much worse than it is for me. It is giving me sleepless nights. I know that I am going to break dreams.”
Pauw ruled out the possibility of captain Katie McCabe featuring against Zambia as she has only completed two training sessions with the squad after being held back from joining up by club side Arsenal. The US-based trio of Denise O’Sullivan, Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva will not arrive in Dublin until June 28.
The experienced Dutch manager was still pleased with the way in which her squad has come together despite the sporadic nature of player arrivals.
“I’m proud that we don’t have injuries, because we have players who have not played in six weeks, players coming straight from their league, players having their first minutes on the pitch after injuries,” Pauw explained. “We had a player getting married and coming in. All those different backgrounds. The players are so used to it now and have really bought in to what we are doing. That is the secret to what we are doing.”
