It is put to Alan Mahon, Ireland’s assistant head coach, that the Slovenia manager Sasa Kolman knew how the opposition would react throughout the Republic of Ireland’s sobering 4-0 loss in February in Koper.
“He did? Could he give us the lotto tickets as well?” wondered Mahon, the Ireland assistant coach, before the chartered flight departed for Crete in advance of Friday’s Nations League tie against Greece.
In fairness to Kolman, proof of his post-match assertion was visible during an abject Irish performance.
“It is very easy for him to say that after the game, that he was able to read it,” Mahon continued. “It is one of those, football is a game of chess. If we had drawn the game or got back into it, he would have probably kept his mouth quiet. But if he is saying he read the game, then obviously that is him as a manager, he is confident and backs himself. Whether that is true or not, I don’t know.”
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It is undeniable that Ireland’s drop in standards against a country ranked 14 places below them in the Fifa list was alarming for people inside and outside the camp.
Like the players and Ireland manager Carla Ward, Mahon accepted his share of responsibility for the heaviest loss in seven years when he conceded that an injury to Megan Campbell in the warm-up upended the tactical plan.
“I don’t want to throw excuses out because it’s football but you get rattled before the game, you have a plan with a certain team and Megan coming out 20 minutes before kick-off, when you have built some stuff around that, it does affect you but that was down to us as a group to change that.”
Judging from Ward’s first game in charge, an underwhelming 1-0 win over Turkey in Tallaght, the injury-prone Campbell is seen as an important player as Ireland attempt to cultivate a style based on building possession from the back. The manager will be pleased to have been able to call her up for the games against Greece.
Campbell’s left foot was meant to unlock the attacking side of Katie McCabe’s game in Slovenia. Instead, Aoife Mannion was shifted to left back, with McCabe’s role higher up the pitch abandoned in between Slovenia’s third and fourth goals.
“These are things we are looking at,” Mahon continued. “Katie is a very experienced player. She is a captain, she is a leader. The last game didn’t work for us. I would not say it didn’t work for her. As a collective it just didn’t work.
“So, whether we put her up farther, that is down to Carla and ourselves, to make the right decisions in the next 24 hours.”
It is mentioned to Mahon that McCabe’s positioning was a constant discussion with Ward’s predecessors Vera Pauw and Eileen Gleeson, who both resorted to playing the Ireland captain at left back.
“We are still going through the phase of understanding where players are suited best to their roles,” he replied. “I don’t want to pinpoint her and say she is this because there may be opportunities where she may have to play in other areas, or may play further up the pitch or may play back at left back, it depends.
“Katie McCabe, for me, and I have been up against her for many years in England, she is one of the best left-footers I have come across in women’s football.”
Another concern, put to Mahon, was the number of people on the Ireland sideline against Slovenia and Turkey after Ward also brought in Liverpool’s interim manager Amber Whiteley alongside two performance analysts, Jackson Huxley and Rhianna Farr, while goalkeeper coach Emma Byrne was retained from the previous management.
“You’ve got staff on the bench who are all experienced. Again it’s not willy-nilly. There are certain sections who are designated to do certain roles. That is an area we have spoken of as part of our review. We came away with many learnings, especially for us in a new camp. There may be things we may change but it is a new process, we are all learning, as players and with our work ethic.”
Whiteley is expected to step away from her Ireland role, which is part-time, if she is appointed Liverpool manager on a permanent basis this summer.
The FAI put Whiteley’s late withdrawal from this camp down to “logistical, passport issues” that prevented her travelling from the UK. Hannah Dingley, the FAI’s head of women’s and girls’ football, has paused her administrative duties to fill the coaching shortfall.
On the possibility of Colin Healy returning to the set-up, despite his public disagreement with the FAI, as a longer-term replacement for Whiteley, Mahon said: “I’ve heard good things about Colin. I’ve never met him myself, I know of him, but there wouldn’t be an issue on my side or Carla’s side, to be honest.”
Heather Payne is unlikely to feature on Friday after rolling her ankle in Everton’s 2-0 loss to Manchester United last Sunday, but she could be available when Greece come to Tallaght next Tuesday.
