Ireland face France test before jetting off to World Cup
READY, SET, GO: Megan Connolly and Amber Barrett, during a Republic of Ireland women training session at Tallaght Stadium. Pic by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Ireland aren’t the only side to have had their issues in the run-up to the World Cup. Spain, Canada, South Africa, England and Jamaica have all had unpleasant matters of various stripes to contend with. France too, but their problems look to be past tense.
Head coach Hervé Renard and captain Wendie Renard (no relation) pitched up to meet the press yesterday in Tallaght Stadium, not so long after their Irish counterparts had endured a horribly tense half-hour or so in the very same seats.
The French were all smiles and laughter, full of bonhomie and the joys of life.
It was the Lyon defender’s decision to step away from the national team that did so much to start their healing process earlier this year. Others took a similar course of action with the bottom line being that the then gaffer Corinne Diacre ultimately made way after six years in charge.
The central defender and striker Eugénie Le Sommer were back in the squad shortly after the new man tendered his resignation with the Saudi Arabian men’s team and accepted the job of leading a side ranked fifth in the women’s world rankings.
“The spirit of the team is very good,” said the younger of the Renards. “As I always said, it was no risk for me. Football should be pleasure. I took a personal decision for the team. I don't want to speak about this, I want to move forward.
“We needed more hope to win this summer. Today we have a new coach, we can keep on working to try and have this new star on our jersey but it doesn’t mean that this is done and that we have already won because of that.”
Her new boss was four years with a Saudi team that shocked the world by beating Argentina in the opening round of the men’s World Cup last year. He has only four months to fashion a side that will look to push much deeper in this year’s competition.
It is, as he pointed out, one that has reached the latter stages of recent major tournaments without ever winning one and there is a general acceptance that the French have underachieved given the depth of talent at their disposal.
Renard, whose eclectic coaching career has taken in the likes of Cambridge United, Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC in Vietnam, Angola and Sochaux, leaned on familiar phrases when asked what a game with Ireland does for their preparations.
Fighting spirit got its mention, so did the weather which he expects to mirror Sydney’s climate when they kick off against Jamaica later this month. He also had interesting views, given his Argentinian scalp, on how Ireland might shock the hosts Down Under.
His answer leaned not on what Ireland might do to overcome the Matildas in their own Group B opener but on the possibility that a side so heavily favoured could become complacent and fail in its due diligence on the pitch.
“When you don’t respect the opponent – and it is maybe what happened Argentina in the second-half – the football sometimes can be terrible because you think you don’t have to run and you just have to put your name on the field, but that is not football. In football you always have to fight and play at your best level to win one game.”
As for the hosts this evening, this will be a welcome distraction from the controversies swirling around their manager and a chance for what is a sold-out Tallaght crowd to get behind them one last time before the squad flies out to the tournament tomorrow.
Vera Pauw has already signalled an intention to field her strongest side from the off so it should make for a revealing evening. Will Lily Agg or Ruesha Littlejohn start in midfield? How prominent will the Irish-American pair of Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva be?
“It’s been a crazy four weeks,” said Ireland captain Katie McCabe, “lots of hard work, and we’re just hoping we can put on a show and showcase ourselves in front of our home fans, which is always a really proud thing to do.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
