Pauw hoping to strike right balance against Canada

Vera Pauw says her defensive tactics are a necessity as the Republic of Ireland look to pull off a huge World Cup victory over Canada on Wednesday.

The Girls in Green acquitted themselves well in the group opener against Australia last Thursday, but a 1-0 defeat means there's little room for error if they are to make it to the knockout stages.

They did give the Matildas a couple of scares late on when Katie McCabe and Megan Connolly went close, however for the most part Pauw's charges held firm in a rigid, disciplined 5-4-1 block.

That set-up makes Ireland very hard to break down, but it also means they struggle to get enough bodies into the opposition half to reguarly make chances.

It's a tricky balancing act, a stick-or-twist approach that the manager is still trying to perfect against the better sides.

"The thing is, you do realise that we have to play five at the back, eh?" she said when asked about becoming more expansive .

"That is our biggest problem. Why? Because we have fantastic defenders but they are not the quickest. If you don't have cover, then you will get five or six one-v-ones to the goalkeeper every half. And that is what we're dealing with.

"We're getting there. We're getting better and better and better, and closer and closer and closer, but you need to play to your strengths and not to your weaknesses. We eliminate our weakness.

"But I do agree, we need to create chances, we need to get forward, we need to get in the half of the opponent."

The key to doing that might lie in trusting an effervescent rising talent from the start: Abbie Larkin.

The 18-year-old was bright and confident when she came on, a more assured presence than Marissa Sheva, who worked hard but can be guilty of coughing up cheap possession.

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