Once more with feeling. Louise Quinn could break bread with the Irish media until the cows come home. The pundit’s chair is surely waiting.
But not yet. Despite a foot injury reducing her mobility at this World Cup, the 33-year-old Birmingham City skipper appears to have another two years in the tank. A second major tournament perhaps, two years from now in Switzerland, seems like an apt time to step off the carousel.
Down Under, and for the past decade, Quinn has been the glue that keeps the Irish defence intact.
Until she has to leave and go play striker. Whenever Ireland go behind and the minutes are ticking away, Vera Pauw makes the same call: up you go, Lou.
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Quinn and her team-mates do not even practice it at training, but the centre half regularly becomes a number nine. Park your Mick McCarthy comparisons and become Niall Quinn.
The problem with this approach is the opposition expect her to appear at the back post down the home straight. Quinn has a fresh perspective on it, which actually makes the ploy even more damning. Her departure leaves the defence bereft of its leader.
“Like everything, if I’m told to go up there, I’m going to do it. I’m going to give it everything that I have. Unfortunately, you have to do that when we’re chasing a game, it’s not my most favourite thing but I think it was when Izzy [Atkinson] came on the pitch [against Canada] and gave her piece of paper, I was like, ‘Izzy, am I going?’ She was like, ‘Yeah’ and I was like, ‘See yiz girls.’
“I literally turn around and I’m like, ‘See yiz later, I’ve got to go.’”
Go get a goal or create one. The ploy has not paid off in recent months.
“It’s a tough scenario, and again, I’ll absolutely do it and sometimes it’s definitely very effective, but in general, I don’t want to be doing it because we’re chasing a game then.”
Essentially it is a roll of the dice.
Lily Agg has a strong perspective on how difficult it was to adjust to a 4-2-4 system in the second half against Canada.
“It was just chaos, lots was going on,” said Agg. “We needed a goal but I still was in my holding midfield position. We then chucked Lou up top and there was then a large hole at the back, I don’t know; should I be defending? Should I stay up? You just kind of try and figure it out once on there, trying to get stuck in.”
The local media have been tearing strips off Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson for employing the same idea, despite Alanna Kennedy’s goal in the 100th minute against Nigeria.
[ Vera Pauw critical of FAI over contract delay ahead of final World Cup gameOpens in new window ]
“Maybe it is still a part of the game, yeah,” said Quinn. “We saw it in Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final, Jennie Beattie going up top.
“Listen, she used to be a striker but she’s been a defender for a long, long time and she goes up for Arsenal against Wolfsburg and gets her head on the end of one. It can definitely still be a part of the game.
“Maybe more in international football, you have the team that you’re given and you always work around that, and that’s brilliant, but maybe if there’s not as much height up top and you do defensively have that, maybe it’s just something to work to your advantage.
“I think it’s still effective and I think in international football you don’t have much time to come together as a team to be really so tactical and everything that you can bring together as much as you can in club football. I think it’s important to come up with a smart shape, smart set pieces and Plan Bs that really might shake up other teams.”
And what about the ongoing, dragged-out Pauw contract talks?
“I haven’t thought that much forward. I’m wondering what I’m having for lunch later.”
Fair enough.
“We’ve got a large game that Vera’s going to get us prepared for and lead us into. For us, that’s obviously what we’re concentrating on right now.”
Again, fair.
