KOPUN’S JOB MAY DEPEND ON A WIN TONIGHT
‘IDON’T want to wish you good luck for the playoffs yet, because we are still rivals,’ the affable Peter Kopun smiled to his entirely Irish audience near the end of his pre-match press conference. Turns out that tonight’s game is not just about whether Ireland play one or two games next month.
A group of Irish journalists had risked life and limb through the local verdant countryside to reach the Olympic training centre in Samorin to hear Kopun’s thoughts. It was well worth the perils of the hair-raising taxi ride. The Slovakian manager was personable and seemed pleasantly surprised that half a dozen visiting reporters had gone to the effort.
And the 38-year-old was keen to emphasise, through an interpreter, that his perfect Americanised English didn’t seem to need, that he has more at stake in this game than his counterpart.
Kopun’s current contract with the Slovakian FA expires as soon as Martina Martinez blows the final whistle this evening.
The young coach has put together an impressive body of work over the past four years. Progress has been clear in this campaign with draws in both Tallaght and Helsinki. But his future remains uncertain.
‘Officially, my contract is up. After this game, we can talk about this situation,’ Kopun said, knowing that a positive result will be a help in any negotiations. When it is put to him that a win might keep him in the job, he replied smartly: ‘This is the toughest question yet!’
The Slovaks may be quietly confident of spoiling the Irish party. They might be fourth seeds in this group, but they were the strongest from that pot. A clever and physically robust side, as they showed in Dublin, they have some fine players such as captain Dominika Skronvankova.
And, with a bit of luck, they could have came away from both Tallaght and Helsinki with all three points.
We remind Kopun of how well Slovakia played back in November. ‘Thank you for the kind word,’ he retorted politely.
‘We could have won that game and that is why we don’t feel like outsiders in this one.
‘We know you need to win for a higher ranking in the play-offs, but we also have something to play for, so it is going to be a tough game.
‘There are some things tactically that we can take from that game in Tallaght and tweak them, and maybe take them on to the next campaign. We have taken points off Finland and Ireland in this campaign, so we know what we are doing. We can play women’s football.’
The progress that the players have made under this manager has been hidden from view, though. It has yet to capture the public imagination and there has been little local buy-in. Even though tickets for tonight’s encounter are as low as €1, the crowd is unlikely to break 1,000, a far cry from last Thursday’s record attendance.
‘We should distinguish between our performances and the interests of our fans, which is maybe not so great, but we are working on that,’ Kopun admitted.
‘We are working with UEFA on projects to try and improve that. We have hosted tournaments here and people have seen big crowds. Hopefully projects that we have initiated here will help us in that goal.’
And maybe Slovakia can take something from the strides Ireland have made over the past 18 months. Kopun conceded that, when the group was drawn, he expected Sweden and Finland to be the top two.
But he has been surprised by what Vera Pauw’s side have managed to do in this campaign.
‘We knew that this was a tough group. We presumed Sweden and Finland would be the two favourites but Ireland have become the dark horse.
‘I have been completely surprised by what they have done in this group.’
“We also have something to play for”
“Ireland have become the dark horse”
The sense was that Ireland always had the potential. They just needed someone to pull it together.
Kopun would have seen that as Slovakia assistant manager back in 2017 when Ireland struck twice, with both goals coming from Megan Campbell’s missile-like long throws.
Campbell made a successful return to the team last Thursday, so Kopun will have his Slovakian players on their guard this evening.
He was so impressed by what the Drogheda native did in that 2017 match that he now uses footage of Campbell’s long throws at coaching seminars in his own country.
‘It is very hard to defend a throw because you can’t be closer than two metres – she is unique. When I show videos to coaches at seminars, they are shocked what she is capable of.’
We wonder what sort of plan Kopun is devising to take that weapon out of the Irish armoury.
‘I can’t answer that!’ the manager said with a chuckle. But he is likely to have something. His future is riding on this game, after all.