THE START of the post-Vera Pauw era could not have gone much better.
Ireland have three comprehensive wins from three, with 12 goals scored and one conceded, following Friday’s emphatic 5-1 defeat of Albania.
In their nine previous matches in 2023 when Pauw was manager, they scored just four goals.
Yet the comparison is somewhat unfair.
Ireland are currently ranked 24th in the world and everyone they faced in those nine matches were and continue to be above them bar Nigeria (32nd) and Zambia (69th).
By comparison, the last three sides they have faced — Hungary (42nd), Northern Ireland (47th) and Albania (72nd) — are all below the Girls in Green.
Perhaps a better comparison is with World Cup qualifying. Portraying the Pauw era as entirely devoid of attacking thrills is wrong given the respective 11-0 and 9-0 wins in the last campaign, although Georgia (126th) are surely the worst side the team have come up against by a distance in recent times.
On the other hand, they found life difficult against Slovakia, drawing 1-1 at home and winning 1-0 away — the Slovaks (48th) are currently one place below Northern Ireland.
They also made hard work of it against an admittedly better team in Finland (28th), winning 2-1 away and 1-0 at home.
So how much should be read into these stats is debatable, but anyone who watched last night’s match in Tallaght will surely have come away with the impression that Ireland are playing with a sense of freedom and flair that was often conspicuous by its absence under Pauw.
Katie McCabe’s position in the team has been a regular source of contention, for example.
The Arsenal star invariably played as left-back/wing-back in Pauw’s system, starting all three World Cup matches there.
Some critics argued that Ireland were not getting the best out of McCabe and that she needed to play further forward in the side, given that the Kilnamanagh native is undoubtedly the most talented player in the squad.
Last night, Eileen Gleeson selected the Ballon d’Or nominee as a striker alongside Kyra Carusa and this experiment was an unqualified success — McCabe was named Player of the Match, after registering a phenomenal three goals and two assists.
This change was perhaps partially inspired by the fact that McCabe has been employed in a more attacking role for Arsenal lately, and to great effect, scoring three goals from four appearances in the Women’s Super League this season.
Yet other members of the team also appear to be more liberated amid this new era.
Another criticism at the World Cup was the selection of Ireland’s most technically gifted midfielder, Denise O’Sullivan, in a very defensive role, although she was freed to an extent in the final group game against Nigeria.
Last night, the North Carolina Courage star looked more adventurous than ever, frequently getting into the box, taking players on and eluding defenders with her sharp turns and clever movement.
Kyra Carusa now has four goals in this Nations League campaign and is Ireland’s joint-top scorer with McCabe. Under Pauw, she found the net just once in 15 appearances.
Diane Caldwell, who was captain for the night on her 100th appearance and was deeply critical of the Pauw regime when interviewed in the September window, spoke glowingly last night about the new era.
“It’s very comfortable and very enjoyable to have the trust in your players and for us to just keep it closed at the back and let the flair players do their thing.
“There’s an expression with the piano players and the piano carriers. I definitely feel like that at times, you’re just carrying the piano for the really talented players to play it. So I think it’s a joy to watch at times.
“You can see that with some of the goals. It’s a process, we’re building on it, last camp you could see the change in playing style. Today, obviously another five goals so we’re working on it and building the blocks there to take the team to the next level.”
Of course, this style of play is easier to employ against the lesser footballing nations. Whether it can be as successful against the top teams remains to be seen, and Caldwell admits the very ambitious approach makes them potentially more susceptible at the back.
“We’re playing very high and progressive and expansive football now so we might have those little moments where it seems a bit open and you might need to have an important block or tackle like [the one I made last night].
“I think it came after Louise [Quinn] had scuffed a clearance and I was there to have her back like we do as a defensive unit all over the team. We’re there for each other and helping each other when mistakes are made.”
Caldwell seems to be firmly of the opinion that Ireland are in a much better position than they were previously.
Slip-ups against teams perceived to be inferior have been a major problem in the past — in the last Euros campaign under Pauw for instance, drawing with Greece (62nd) and losing to Ukraine (33rd) proved extremely costly as they narrowly missed out on qualification.
“You just have to beat what is in front of you and if you look back at our results, we’ve normally struggled against the so-called lesser teams when the onus is on us to build, and possess, and break down teams,” explains Caldwell.
“To be honest, I think looking at these last three performances, we’ve grown a lot. Because normally these were the games that we slipped up on before. Or maybe we weren’t as comfortable or dominating as we should have been. I think it shows a real big step in the team.”
The current outlook is certainly promising and Gleeson’s impact has been palpable.
But whether the former Peamount boss will be in the role long-term still appears doubtful despite an impressive start. She has repeatedly suggested in the past that she has no designs on the manager’s job full-time.
However, the FAI have confirmed that Gleeson will remain in charge for the remainder of the Nations League campaign, which ends after the match away to Northern Ireland on 5 December.
Asked last night if the recent positive run of results might in fact convince her to apply for the job permanently, the interim manager tersely replied: “Next!”
