'Turkey wanted make it ugly, Slovenia will be a football match' Carla Ward promises improvement 

DIFFERENT TEAM VARIATIONS: Head Coach Carla Ward says she has different team variations in mind – depending on injuries - for her second game as Ireland manager on Tuesday. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Carla Ward says she has different team variations in mind – depending on injuries - for her second game as Ireland manager on Tuesday (5pm, Irish time).

Her side are in Koper to face Slovenian outfit who also opened their Uefa Nations League campaign with a win last Friday.

While Ireland toiled to a slender 1-0 victory over a Turkish team ranked lowest in the four-team pool, the Slovenians ought to have come away from Greece with a win more emphatic than 2-1.

The emerging side are just 14 places behind 25th-ranked Ireland in the Fifa standings, a closeness which Ward believes presents threats and opportunities.

“I said to the players this will be a game of football,” said the former Aston Villa and Birmingham City boss, installed as Eileen Gleeson’s successor last month.

“Friday against Turkey was tough, dogged, but what you’ll get tomorrow here are two teams trying to play.

“I like what I see of Slovenia - they are a top side. I watched a lot of them recently, they’ve plenty of quality, including two or three players with Champions League experience.

“Even against Greece, it may only have been 2-1 but they dominated that game. We watched it with the staff and it could have been four or five in the opening 20 minutes.

“They’re a good side that want to attack but, in doing so, leave open spaces to transition on. There will be moments we can thrive on too.

“Turkey wanted to break it up and make it ugly - that’s what they do. We may do that ourselves when we face some of the bigger nations and I certainly did it at Birmingham when it was needed.” 

Ward has doubts over Anna Patten, Heather Payne, Marissa Sheva – three starters from Friday – but there’s no fears of Megan Campbell playing two games in four days.

Whereas the Tallaght pitch was soft and soggy, what greeted Ireland at the quaint 4,000-seater Stadion Bonifika was a surface bone dry and pockmarked by patches.

“We’ve had to contend with what I would call worse on Friday night,” Ward added.

“The good thing is the weather is holding up so we’ll still try and play.

“We are coming here for three points and we have to.

“At worst, you go home with a point against a good side like Slovenia and a tough place to come.

“You will see from my team selection that we are setting up with a lot off attacking players on the pitch.

“We want to go out there and have a go. Anyone who knows me knows I like to be front-footed and aggressive. So we’re going to give that a go tomorrow night.”