Vera Pauw makes 'harsh decisions' in interests of balance

One by one, each of the 31 players were invited into a room occupied by Pauw and Tom Elmes. Several wept at their fate, some with joy, others in despair.

HARSH DECISIONS: Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw speaking to media, at the UCD Bowl. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

A river of tears in Belfield will soon subside to be succeeded by a rising tide towards Ireland’s World Cup odyssey.

Elite sport is ruthless in its execution; decisions dissected and delivered in an educational institution that teaches students of life’s vacillating spectrum.

Vera Pauw has performed this ritual previously — culling players when coaching her native Netherlands at the 2009 Euros and South Africa in the 2016 Olympics — but insists this evoked anguish like never before.

One by one, each of the 31 players were invited into a room occupied by Pauw and her sidekick Tom Elmes. Several wept at their fate, some with joy, others in despair.

Three were left scrambling in between, guaranteed to travel but their official involvement hinging on an injury to one of their 23 exalted colleagues.

“We first discussed the squad with Katie McCabe before we went into talks with the ones who did not make it,” explained Pauw about briefing her captain in advance of the jilting.

“We showed her the roles and positions of players and she said ‘woah’ about the squad.

“Hard work pays off, but the harsh decisions are the worst you must make. We have a balanced team, with so much variety without losing our structure.” 

Thirty years of making the marginal calls didn’t make this cull easier for Pauw but the show rolls on. Attendance at a celebration bash hosted by Sky last night was optional for those cut.

“They went home on Tuesday because it would be too much for us to stay,” the coach said of the parting.

“Everybody was invited to the Sky event. But we said, if you come, it must be with a big smile on your face. So, if you’re capable of that please, please be with us because you are a part of us.” 

Primary Partners of the Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team, Sky Ireland, celebrated the WNT ahead of the World Cup.

Next Thursday at Tallaght Stadium, the task gets real. France are fifth in the world, demanding Pauw to pick her first-choice team in their final friendly.

Australia and Canada, whom they face in their World Cup group, are ranked 10th and seventh respectively.

The tight squad calls will be demoted to memories by then, overtaken by dilemmas around starting slots.

Pauw laughed when asked in the aftermath of bracketing the squad reduction as the “worst moment of her career” if she had a preferred team in mind for the opener.

All the other body language and words observed over her clatter of media engagements yesterday suggested Pauw has a fair idea who will start against the Matildas on July 20 at a confirmed sold-out 83,000-seater Sydney Olympic Stadium.

The selection and tactics implemented against the world champions USA in the first of two April friendlies seems the working template.

Despite losing 2-0, evidence of Ireland containing superior opposition presented a formula to enact at their first-ever major tournament.

That cemented the location of captain McCabe in a defensive role. Similar to her opposite wing-back Heather Payne, the Arsenal’s playmaker’s attacking potency is sacrificed when deployed deeper but the ascension of three US-born players into the team over the past year has altered the outlook.

As it stands, lone striker Kyra Carusa can be expected to be supported by Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva in an all-American attack.

“To be honest, that plan was already there,” she said about McCabe’s reversion to the flank, in doing so explaining why campaign mainstay Jamie Finn was the notable exclusion onto the trio of training players.

“Jamie was the hardest decision but we have changed our playing system and she wasn’t involved in games this year for tactical reasons. We now have Kyra Carusa as a target player and Heather as a pace option on the right wing.” 

Farrelly and Sheva, from MY Gotham and Washington Spirit, have leapt from debutants in February and April to probable starters.

Unquestionably, their switch of allegiance following underage caps for their homeland, has nudged the likes of Leanne Kiernan and Finn out of the 23 but Pauw wasn’t apologising for seeking reinforcements once Scotland were beaten in last October’s playoff.

Farrelly’s elevation is the story of the year. She blew the whistle on accusations of sexual coercion and harassment across the American soccer league and only returned to the game after eight years of turmoil. She had retired in 2015 at the age of just 25.

“She wanted to declare before we qualified but there was difficulty sourcing footage,” explained Pauw.

“Then she sent a video of a small-sided game she’d played with her university. At that moment, I said to my husband (Bert van Lingen), ‘come and have a look here’. Just those few touches. We saw against the USA that she buys time in possession, not for herself but team-mates.

“Although she’s in her 30s, her body feels like she’s in her 20s. She said she doesn’t have all the bumps that others had in their career and feels fresh.” 

 After a torturous 48 hours on campus, everyone is yearning to feel likewise.