REPUBLIC OF IRELAND manager Vera Pauw has played down concerns that she won’t have access to her top players – including captain Katie McCabe – in the build-up to this summer’s World Cup.
The European Clubs Association – a representative body which includes McCabe’s Arsenal – caused alarm among World Cup-bound nations last month when they announced they would not release their players for international duty until 10 July, which is 10 days before the World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.
The ECA said their clubs were concerned that players would not be given adequate rest before the tournament begins, following a club season that has been blighted by long-term injury to a string of high-profile players.
Arsenal (Katie McCabe), Everton (Courtney Brosnan), Liverpool (Megan Campbell, Niamh Fahey, Leanne Kiernan) and Manchester United (Aoife Mannion) are among the English ECA member clubs of most relevance to Ireland.
Ireland are playing friendly games against Zambia (22 June) and France (6 July) ahead of their flight to Australia on 7 July, so the ECA’s proposed release date would come after Ireland fly to the World Cup.
Pauw, however, has said she is not concerned, as every player will be guaranteed a two-week rest at the end of their season. She also expects to have Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan available for the France friendly on 6 July.
Pauw was critical of the ECA’s proposals, pointing out that the players from the second-tier English Championship – some of whom may form part of the Irish squad – have 11 weeks off prior to the start of the World Cup. Pauw will give those players will be given a personal training plan to start after their month’s rest.
“I have sent letters to all the clubs to explain why we do what we propose. The European Club Association does not realise there are players who have 11 weeks of no football before the World Cup. So saying this means you hurt players. What they have to say is players need to have at least four weeks rest before they step into a programnme. Then you protect players. You don’t protect players by saying, ‘because there are a lot of injuries’ – and we have spoken about where those injuries are coming from – ‘they cannot be released before 10 July.’
“10 July? That is 10 days. So then we would come with players who have not played for 10 weeks, go with a jet lag of 10 hours to Australia, and then play? Do they think?
“The Championship coaches that I’ve spoken to are extremely happy. It’s a new shift so I’m talking with everybody but the ones so far are happy with how we build it up.
“It’s about player protection. That’s why we have these individual programmes. Every single player will be healthy, fresh and ready for the World Cup. If others don’t know how to do that, it’s not my problem. My job is to get them healthy for the World Cup. I’ve discussed it and people say it’s not a worry. But I’ve written in the letters to the coaches [to explain] the reason why. That’s my reference point.”
Asked whether she was confident McCabe and O’Sullivan would be available for the Zambia friendly, Pauw replied, “We’re busy with that but it looks very positive.
“It would have been magic had Katie reached the Champions League final and she’d have gotten her rest after that. She will have rest into our camp. Every player will have at least four weeks rest.
“Only one club has said they’re waiting on the European Club Association. I’m thinking: ‘Sorry, you’re responsible for the health of your players’. The ECA have no experts on periodisation so on what basis do they think they can order a programme for players?
“If we were to do this, going for the ECA idea, you can put an ambulance next to the pitch for all the ACLs that will happen. That’s 11 weeks of no football, then 10 hours of jetlag dumping into Australia and ‘see what you do.’”
Meanwhile, as part of the physical preparation for the World Cup, Pauw is drafting in the help of Dutch fitness periodisation expert Raymond Verheijen. He will work with the squad in the build-up to the World Cup but will not travel to Australia.
“We have worked together since 1998″, said Pauw. “I’m working through development of the football theory, making football learnable, coachable and getting players fit.
“We’ve worked that out and he’s an absolute expert in this area, the best in the world. I’ve built up a lot of experience over the years myself, adding to that programme, but when you go to the specific details, you need someone focussed just on that. He’s a football physiologist and knows exactly how and when.”
Verheijen is the author of Periodisation of Tactical Principles and has not been shy in expressing his views on the realm of physical preparation, and has been a vocal critic of Jurgen Klopp’s methods at Liverpool.