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Louise Quinn believes that Ireland will need to be in their prime for a chance to win their crucial Euro 2022 qualifier against Germany on Tuesday.
Ireland’s central midfielder feels the team needs to put in a “ten out of ten” performance just to have a glimmer of hope to turn around the second-placed in the world at Tallaght Stadium in their final standings.
Vera Pauw’s team ranks second in Group I ahead of the final round of games, but know that anything other than a win will likely see them lose at that runner-up position with Ukraine lurking a point in third. place.
Ireland’s group rivals face an easy test at home against Montenegro in their final match and will likely overtake Pauw’s side to claim the play-off berth unless Ireland registers an unlikely win against the Germans.
Former Arsenal defender Quinn, who now practices his trade in Italy with Fiorentina, said the team has overcome the disappointing loss to Ukraine in Kiev and said the mood is good after a week together at the Dublin base of the team.
“It’s been a really nice setup, luckily we’ve had a lot of time to come together as a group,” Quinn said, speaking to the media Sunday morning.
“[The Ukraine defeat] It was very, very difficult to accept, but at the end of the day, that’s football. For me, we actually played a very, very good game and things just didn’t … we just didn’t love it.
“Actually, it was good to be together and play a little football without thinking about it from the beginning. [about] the tactics.
“We were getting into the flow of playing together again, fixing things. The mood is really very relaxed and for me, this is exactly how you want it to be: relaxed, enjoying football and then just taking it all in.”
It has been a longer camp than the team is more used to, as Ireland only has one game in this international window, which means that their full attention for the past week has been on this game.
The coach has been able to allow her team to relax into the week and has enjoyed more time than usual working with the players to prepare their minds for the challenge, while also ensuring that by the start of Tuesday, the team will know exactly what. they are expected from a tactical perspective.
And Quinn believes the overtime together has ensured a more relaxed mindset at camp and feels momentum is building at the right pace to be ready to meet the challenge head-on when the sides meet.
“Tactically, we have a lot to think about and do, but essentially, we know what our job is, we know what outcome we need to make this happen,” Quinn said.
“What I’m really enjoying is everyone being relaxed, taking in the information. In training, it’s been the best football in some of the games we’ve played in a long time. The mood is really high right now.
“It’s been building really well. We had a really very positive session yesterday where we were starting with something and improving and understanding what we had to do in the space of what it was, 30, 45 minutes, an hour. , It was incredible.
“We started off and thought, ‘okay, let’s find out what we’re trying to do here.’ At the end of the session, we said, ‘okay, we’ve got the hang of that.’ fix it.
“Yesterday was a really standout day for me too. Things have literally been building up really well. Having more time has given people a chance to stamp their authority and show what we’re really made of.
“Just to have that preparation. It’s the same with any international team, you have so little time and we just want to be able to grab the ball, play forward and get on the pitch and do all of that. For me, the momentum is building really well.” .
Ireland’s opponents on Tuesday night have been virtually flawless throughout the campaign with seven wins out of seven, scoring 46 goals and yet to be conceded.
And if Ireland is to come through with the impact of the season, they will have to do what no other team has accomplished throughout the season and score a goal against the stingy defense of this German side.
Quinn maintains a realistic approach at all times, and having played for a top team like Arsenal for so long, he knows exactly what to expect on Tuesday.
“We have been very, very real and realistic about what we have to do and obviously the opponent that we are up against, cannot be hidden and is pointless.
“We know that Germany is going to have a lot of ball possession, that’s how they play against most teams. So, for us, it’s just finding an approach to the game that works for us.”
The team has been very open all week about their hopes and aspirations for the game and is drawing inspiration from all sectors, be it the recent improbable results in European football or the various surprises in this year’s Gaelic championship.
Quinn may be looking for more objective reasons to build confidence coming into the game and need look no further than the recent clash between the two sides, where Ireland kept the Germans scoreless in the second half, despite starting off badly and meeting with a 3-0. down at the break.
“The fact that we only played them a couple of months ago definitely gives us a better understanding of how they play, and we’re in a better place now as that was our first comeback camp. They were all all over the place in terms of being. back to their clubs and all the Covid stuff, so for me we’re definitely in a better position.
“That second half was a massive learning journey for us and just to see us down 3-0 at halftime we really figured out how to fix it.
“It wasn’t just that Vera came out with her tactics and ideas, but the players themselves were talking to each other, we were trying to figure things out and it was actually a tough game, difficult, but really beneficial for us too.”
And looking up to the challenge of surprising one of the game’s world powers, Quinn knows that her team must have their “best game,” but she is also encouraged by the fact that the team can determine their own destiny, while they They have created opportunities in all the games they have played during the campaign.
“We have to have our best game, there is no question,” Quinn said.
“Even if they have already qualified, they are still by far one of the strongest teams in the world, so we know we have to have a 10 out of 10 game.
“We know it’s still in our own hands, yes, against a very tough opponent, but it’s still in our hands to get that place in the play-offs as well.
“But it’s absolutely possible because of the talent we have, the strength of the set pieces and the defense, and to keep creating those opportunities.
“I think we’ve done it in every game we’ve played. We’ve created some very, very good opportunities from set pieces and open play, so for us it’s just that you have to take advantage of them.
“So we have to go out, enjoy our football, give everything we have and do a performance that we can do.
“Even looking back at the last Germany game, we created opportunities, we also made quite a few set pieces, a lot of corners, so we have to take advantage of that and be safe behind and clean up some of those mistakes from our first game.”
Follow Republic of Ireland v Germany via our live blog on RTÉ.ie / sport or the RTÉ News app or watch live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
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