The Tallaght Stadium pitch has been narrowed, the battlelines are drawn and the Republic of Ireland are ready to chase what would be a seismic World Cup qualification victory when France come to town tomorrow night.
Head coach Carla Ward has been open about her intention to reduce the size of the field of play; the minimum size required under FIFA regulations is 100 metres long x 64 metres wide.
A glance at the pitch on Monday morning – as the Girls in Green prepared for training – confirmed it’s been narrowed, with Ward unapologetic as she searches for a way to unsettle the world’s No 7-ranked team.
“Like I said, we’re coming up against the best in the world, one per cents matter,” said Ward, who’s called in Tara O’Hanlon to cover for Hayley Nolan after the Crystal Palace player suffered an ankle/calf injury which is being assessed today.
France are without Lyon full-back Selma Bacha (ankle) and Real Madrid attacker Naomie Feller (back) but are still loaded with elite talent. Ireland turned over a much-changed Les Bleues side at Páirc Uà Chaoimh in July 2024; Ward expects them to go as strong as possible tomorrow.
“If I’m being honest, I think they will go fully experienced,” she said. “I don’t think they will take us lightly. I think they understand the Irish mentality and the way this team and this nation has done things over the years. I think they will go strong.
“Melvine Malard is playing very well for Manchester United, so you would probably expect her to come in. Listen, no matter who they change, they have got world-class players in every department and on the bench, so I expect a very strong, experienced team.”
Jasmine Mander in Ireland training last week
Ward addressed the addition of performance analyst Jasmine Mander to the back-room team for this window. Mander served a one-year FIFA ban for her role in Canada’s drone-spying scandal at the Paris Olympics.
Head coach Bev Priestman, her then assistant Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi received one-year suspensions from football-related activity following an independent report into the use of drones to spy on the training session of an opponent (New Zealand) at the 2024 Games.
“First and foremost Jasmine is a top quality coach,” said Ward.
“She’s exceptional in terms of her experience. She’s been there, she’s done it, she’s won it all.
“When the opportunity arose to bring her in, we looked at what we needed, we looked at what can help us and I keep saying to you, how do we get to a World Cup? We need the right people in the right places and she fit that for sure.”
Asked if her history with Canada had been discussed before the decision was made to bring Mander in, Ward replied: “Of course yeah. You know me as well right? You know I’m big on second chances, I’m big on getting the right people and the right experience in the right places and can she add a lot of quality? Yes. Has she added a lot of quality this week? Absolutely.”
Captain Katie McCabe, seated beside her boss, continues to play her cards close to her chest around her club future beyond this summer, when her contract at Arsenal expires.
“Obviously my full focus is on these games coming up with Ireland but in terms of my club future, I’ve got a contract at the end of the season,” said the 30-year-old.
“The Arsenal fans know how committed I am to them and to the club. I think I’ve showed that over the last 10 years, I’ve given absolutely everything but yeah in terms of where I’ll be at, I’m going to see out the next few months and then go from there.”
Arsenal’s Katie McCabe in action against Kadidiatou Diani of Lyon last April
McCabe had a brilliant battle against the electric Kadidiatou Diani when the Gunners got past Lyon in the Champions League semi-finals last season.
We can expect another installment of that duel tomorrow, McCabe adding: “She’s a fantastic player; strong, direct, quick. She has got it all in terms of what you want a top-class winger to be, so I need to be ready for it, obviously.
“I’ve played against her a couple of times before, so we’ve had a couple of battles. But I’ll be ready for it tomorrow.
“If I look at how we started last year to how we finished it, there was a massive shift in our mentality and going into these games, we know the job at hand, we know we are going into League A. But in order for us to be thinking about going to major tournaments, we need to be competing against the best and need to show ourselves against the best teams in the world and that is what France are.”
This will be an enormous challenge for Ireland, who will travel to Utrecht to take on the Netherlands on Saturday for the second part of a blockbuster double-header. Life with the big guns is unforgivingly ruthless, and Ward has her eyes wide open as they prepare for a new campaign.
“I said it last week, let’s be really brutally honest, they’re one of the best in the world. If it was a France-Netherlands World Cup final, I don’t think anybody would be complaining.
“We’re talking about our next two opponents that arguably are up there with the very, very best. France are deadly in transition, they’re aggressive, they’re front-footed, they’ve got world-class talent in every single position. Their strength in depth is something that not many other nations have.
“We know what we’re up against, and let’s be really clear, we’re up against one of the very best in world football.”
Watch Republic of Ireland v France in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on an extended Inside Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
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