POINTS FROM ALL four remaining games is the order from Carla Ward as Ireland chase 2027 World Cup qualification.
After consecutive 2-1 defeats to France and Netherlands, a decisive double-header against Poland awaits next month.
The Poles held the Dutch to a draw on opening day, so currently have the upper hand in the race to avoid fourth place. With the safety net of a playoff guaranteed, second or third will face League C opposition, rather than B, later this year.
“This one hurts more than France because I think we definitely deserved a point, if not three,” a gutted Ward reflected after Saturday’s loss in Utrecht.
“I’ve just said to the group: We’ve got 12 points to play for. I think that we’ve shown that we can compete against both these nations, so we’ve got to try and get points from all four games. That’s the reality.
“The fact that we’ve run both nations so close, I think shows an awful lot about the evolution of this team in the last year or so. We’ve created a lot. We’re showing that we can play. We’re not afraid to play with the ball anymore, which we probably were before.”
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The English coach, in charge since last January, continued: “This is one of the most powerful windows we’ve had. The players have been excellent, messages have been good, staff have been brilliant. I’ve never, ever witnessed a camp like it, where there’s a togetherness, a work rate, an intensity, a mindset.
“You might look at it and say, ‘Well, they’ve got zero points.’ Anybody that’s watched those two games will see a very, very clear improvement in everything that we do. The players can see it, they can feel it. We can feel it, we can see it, we know we’re on a journey.”
For all of her positive talk in the immediate aftermath, Ward was understood to be unhappy with several incidents around the game at Stadion Galgenwaard.
“I thought a few things were disrespectful in the last couple of days, but we’ll go about our business,” she said at one point, but was unwilling to elaborate.
The post-match, on-pitch ceremony for 16 retired internationals raised eyebrows. It may have suggested Netherlands complacency: these tributes generally take place before games or at half-time.
Notably, there was no handshake between the managers at the final whistle, which Dutch boss Arjan Verink was asked about in his press conference.
“Absolutely nothing happened,” he said. “As you’ve seen, there were a lot of former international players on the pitch. I spoke with Carla for I think 20 minutes before the game, I shook her hand before the game.”
The Irish staff are also thought to have taken issue with the pitch watering situation and opposition players allegedly talking during the national anthem. (Ireland maintain there was an agreement not to water the pitch, but the Dutch FA contend with that version of events.)
Verink and his crew were visibly aggrieved with some Irish attempts to run down the clock, while Ward slammed “all the dark arts from them” in her RTÉ TV interview.
All of this makes for a spicy reunion at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in June.
Next month’s Poland double-header is the immediate concern, however.
O'Sullivan and McCabe. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Ireland should be boosted by the reunion of their superstar duo Denise O’Sullivan and Katie McCabe for the first game in Gdansk on Tuesday, 14 April.
O’Sullivan was ruled out of the Netherlands clash due to an ongoing MCL issue, but Ward is confident in her availability after “positive news” in recent days.
McCabe, meanwhile, avoided another yellow card, which would have left her suspended. Her manager wasn’t concerned: “I don’t need to worry, Katie is smarter than people realise.”
While McCabe and O’Sullivan spearhead the Irish charge, Poland have their own generational talent in Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor. Nina Patalon’s side, who debuted at last summer’s European Championships, are 24th in the world rankings – three places above Ireland.
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“Poland are a really good team,” said Ward. “I was really impressed with them against the Netherlands. Ewa Pajor is world-class. She could play in any team in the world. She does it week in, week out for Barcelona, and she’s a tremendous talent.
“I think it’ll be as difficult as it was in these two games, but we really have to look at targetting points in both of those games.”
They are needed to spark the back-to-back World Cup dream.
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Irked by Dutch disrespect, Ireland search for points to spark World Cup dream
POINTS FROM ALL four remaining games is the order from Carla Ward as Ireland chase 2027 World Cup qualification.
After consecutive 2-1 defeats to France and Netherlands, a decisive double-header against Poland awaits next month.
The Poles held the Dutch to a draw on opening day, so currently have the upper hand in the race to avoid fourth place. With the safety net of a playoff guaranteed, second or third will face League C opposition, rather than B, later this year.
“This one hurts more than France because I think we definitely deserved a point, if not three,” a gutted Ward reflected after Saturday’s loss in Utrecht.
“I’ve just said to the group: We’ve got 12 points to play for. I think that we’ve shown that we can compete against both these nations, so we’ve got to try and get points from all four games. That’s the reality.
“The fact that we’ve run both nations so close, I think shows an awful lot about the evolution of this team in the last year or so. We’ve created a lot. We’re showing that we can play. We’re not afraid to play with the ball anymore, which we probably were before.”
The English coach, in charge since last January, continued: “This is one of the most powerful windows we’ve had. The players have been excellent, messages have been good, staff have been brilliant. I’ve never, ever witnessed a camp like it, where there’s a togetherness, a work rate, an intensity, a mindset.
“You might look at it and say, ‘Well, they’ve got zero points.’ Anybody that’s watched those two games will see a very, very clear improvement in everything that we do. The players can see it, they can feel it. We can feel it, we can see it, we know we’re on a journey.”
For all of her positive talk in the immediate aftermath, Ward was understood to be unhappy with several incidents around the game at Stadion Galgenwaard.
“I thought a few things were disrespectful in the last couple of days, but we’ll go about our business,” she said at one point, but was unwilling to elaborate.
The post-match, on-pitch ceremony for 16 retired internationals raised eyebrows. It may have suggested Netherlands complacency: these tributes generally take place before games or at half-time.
Notably, there was no handshake between the managers at the final whistle, which Dutch boss Arjan Verink was asked about in his press conference.
“Absolutely nothing happened,” he said. “As you’ve seen, there were a lot of former international players on the pitch. I spoke with Carla for I think 20 minutes before the game, I shook her hand before the game.”
The Irish staff are also thought to have taken issue with the pitch watering situation and opposition players allegedly talking during the national anthem. (Ireland maintain there was an agreement not to water the pitch, but the Dutch FA contend with that version of events.)
Verink and his crew were visibly aggrieved with some Irish attempts to run down the clock, while Ward slammed “all the dark arts from them” in her RTÉ TV interview.
All of this makes for a spicy reunion at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in June.
Next month’s Poland double-header is the immediate concern, however.
Ireland should be boosted by the reunion of their superstar duo Denise O’Sullivan and Katie McCabe for the first game in Gdansk on Tuesday, 14 April.
O’Sullivan was ruled out of the Netherlands clash due to an ongoing MCL issue, but Ward is confident in her availability after “positive news” in recent days.
McCabe, meanwhile, avoided another yellow card, which would have left her suspended. Her manager wasn’t concerned: “I don’t need to worry, Katie is smarter than people realise.”
While McCabe and O’Sullivan spearhead the Irish charge, Poland have their own generational talent in Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor. Nina Patalon’s side, who debuted at last summer’s European Championships, are 24th in the world rankings – three places above Ireland.
“Poland are a really good team,” said Ward. “I was really impressed with them against the Netherlands. Ewa Pajor is world-class. She could play in any team in the world. She does it week in, week out for Barcelona, and she’s a tremendous talent.
“I think it’ll be as difficult as it was in these two games, but we really have to look at targetting points in both of those games.”
They are needed to spark the back-to-back World Cup dream.
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