'A horrible team to play against' - Canada boss Priestman vows to match Ireland in World Cup battle

Ireland's perceived physicality was top of the agenda as the Maples' boss faced the press.

Tue, 25 Jul, 2023 - 08:22

John Fallon

Canada manager Bev Priestman has branded Ireland horrible to play against, insistent their quality can shine through in tomorrow’s World Cup Group B fixture in Perth.

While the Irish were narrowly beaten by co-hosts Australia on Thursday, there was more surprise that the Olympic gold medallists couldn’t find a way past stubborn Nigeria in the stalemate the following morning.

Priestman – the Durham native who previously assisted Phil Neville during his term as England manager – confirmed that their bid for a first win will be boosted by the return from injury of Chelsea midfielder Jessie Fleming.

In a pre-match press conference dominated by questions about Ireland’s physicality from the Canadian press, Priestman praised her counterpart Vera Pauw for doing an ‘incredible’ job and dished out a back-handed compliment to Ireland captain by noting her aggressiveness.

“What we saw from Ireland against Australia was everything we’ve scouted coming into the tournament,” said the Maples’ boss.

“Whenever they’ve played, we’ve seen that from them - that shape, that resilience that, doing whatever it takes not-to-concede mindset. They’re a team full of heart, spirit and passion. So when you compare that to Canada and what we’re known for, it’s going to make for a great game.

“I think from my perspective we have to match it and hope that our quality shines through. But first and foremost, match that passion and hard work.

“A horrible team to play against and that’s what we pride ourselves on, so we one million per cent have to match that first.

“And Ireland know that about Canada too. It’s probably a two-way street.

“Ultimately, we must stay with the process and what we think it will take to beat this Irish team. And stay clear-headed because there are parts of the Irish team where if you’re not careful you can be drawn into that and it can take you down a route that can take you off-task.

“We’ve got the experience in the team to correct that and bring out our quality when it matters.”

Canada, ranked seventh in the world, went from winning five games in a row last year to winning just once in the last six.

Similar to Ireland, goals have been a problem – with Friday’s blank their fourth in the last five games.

“We need to continue playing the way we were,” suggested Ashley Lawrence, the new Chelsea recruit, when asked about the goal drought.

“We created opportunities in those games in the final third and we do have the players with the ability to put the ball in the back of the net.

“So it’s not a case of changing things, it’s more continuing to believe in our style, trusting in the process.

“We showed the ability against Nigeria and also trusting our defensive spirit. There were positives and learnings. We trust our process and the tournament is long. It’s the small details and we will continue with that.

“Keeping a clean sheet is in our Canadian DNA. Walking away from that game, there were a lot of positives and learnings. This tournament is long and we’ve just to deal with those small details against Ireland.”