The Ireland head coach spoke to the press ahead of the match at Stade des Alpes and The Halfway Line was there to hear from her.
Ireland players are a ‘joy’ to work with
Firstly Carla Ward confirmed that she had a fully fit squad to select from tomorrow night. The only exception was Leanne Kiernan who was sent off against Netherlands and is suspended. Ward was asked what her biggest selection headache is,
“Same as it always is” Ward said. “These players give us everything all the time. I say that probably consistently over the last six months.
“They’re a joy to work with and they constantly pose us a lot of questions. We have to select the team that we believe can win us the game.”
Ireland have ‘nothing to lose and everything to gain’ says Carla Ward
Before a ball was kicked in this League A group, Carla Ward refused to rule out the possibility of finishing higher than third. Ward has been vindicated in that assertion as Ireland are one win away from not only finishing first, but qualifying for the World Cup,
“You know what I’m going to say, right?” Ward said with a smile. “I think you all do, listening to me all year. I have a massive amount of faith and belief in this team and like I keep saying, there’s a reason I took over this national team and it was what they stand for.
“Someone asked me the other day, have you ever had to question a player in training? This is the first group of players I don’t think I’ve ever had to question an attitude and mentality, a work rate, a desire, a character, I could go on.
“I think I said it right early on when the groups came out. Everyone called it the group of death and we saw it as an opportunity for this group to show what they’re about. Look, like I keep saying, they deserve an awful lot of credit because they’re showing it in abundance, by the way.”
Ward was asked in Ireland had nothing to lose in this match against France,
“We spoke about this the other day” Ward explained. “Nothing to lose and everything to gain. The pressure’s off. It really is, and I mean it when I say it, there’s a calm or a real calm and a real focus around the group.
“We have got absolutely nothing to lose but obviously a lot to gain. The processes stay the same. Nothing changes. It’s another game of football that we’ll try and go and win.”
Ward praises ‘world class’ French outfit
When the two sides met in February Melvine Malard came off the bench and stole the show. Her brace ensured all three points returned to Clairefontaine. Ward was asked if she expected Malard to start,
“Yeah, she’s started a lot of games since [Tallaght]” Ward said. “She came on against us, hurt us a little bit. She’s kept her shirt and she’s done tremendously well.
“Listen, she’s had an unbelievable season for Manchester United in the WSL. She’s shown her quality. Look, it doesn’t matter who this French side put out, I would argue.
“Squad-wise, on paper, they’re one of the best teams in the world, they really are, if not the very best. They’ve got world-class individuals, and she’s right up there with them.”
Wards says Irish crowd ‘will be loud’ tomorrow night
On Friday night, there was torrential rain in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, by contrast, it’s 27 degrees in Grenoble today. Ward was asked about the opposite conditions and how Ireland might manage that tomorrow,
“I’m just getting over pneumonia, I’m not going to lie” Ward grinned. “Yeah, it was torrential, wasn’t it? Yeah, look, I think we’re playing at nine o’clock in the evening, which I think will help, it takes the sting out of it, but it’s the same for everybody.
“I think it will be better conditions for us. I know the Netherlands would argue differently, but I would argue that we’ll compete in whatever conditions are in front of us and the girls, there’ll be no problem whatsoever with that.”
Part of the victory in Cork was in response to the marginal gains found in home comforts. The over 12,000 Irish fans in attendance, the UEFA minimum pitch size, Ward was asked if those differences will make a difference. When mentioning that there would be around 40 fans in attendance, Ward interjected,
“They’ll be loud though. I can guarantee you will hear them” Ward smiled. “Yeah, first of all, no matter what happens tomorrow night, this group can be incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far.
“That is number one, and it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the actual development of the group. Of course, we want to go and win the game.
“We wanted to win the game the other night, and we made sure we did. How big it would be, I think you would all agree it would be one of the biggest sporting stories in world football, because no pot four team stays in League A, let alone wins two games and then wins three games and then wins the group.
“We’ve already written our own records, and this would be the biggest one, no doubt about it.”
Laurent Bonadei had a ‘big impression on me’ says Carla Ward
Following France’s late victory over Ireland in March, France head coach Laurent Bonadei was complimentary about Ireland’s performance. The Halfway Line asked Ward about Bonadei and his spell as head coach,
“Yeah, what a guy” Ward said. “I didn’t actually know him before the last game, but he left a really big impression on me, because after the game, the way he spoke about the game and the group of players.
“I think I found I was humbled because he spoke about the group, the fight, [that we are] a difficult team to play against. He admired the way we went about the game, and he didn’t need to do that.
“He didn’t, and I thought that was really respectful. But on the flip side of that, it shows they’re not going to underestimate us, which makes that far more difficult.
“So, yeah, no, he’s like I said, I’ve not had too many interactions with him. The couple that I have, I think he’s come across as a really well, a gentleman, actually.”
