Following Ireland's win over Azerbaijan, Lisa Fallon now feels the side are playing like a team that mirrors the philosophy of manager Stephen Kenny, with similarities to the Dundalk side that Kenny managed.
Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, Fallon, while not saying it was the perfect performance in Baku, was still satisfied with the intent the Irish showed on their way to the 3-0 win. After watching Dundalk closely in her time as a coach at Cork during a period in which both clubs were fierce rivals, Fallon can now see the imprint of what Kenny did at the Co Louth club rubbing off on the national side.
Reflecting on a first competitive win for the senior manager, she said: "Ireland looked more like a Stephen Kenny team, like a Dundalk team, a team that found different ways to play in the game, and more importantly found different ways to win the game.
"Dundalk wouldn't always play out; they would play out if you didn't press them, but they would go long, go direct, put crosses in on top of you. They were lethal from set pieces, Ireland looked a bit more like a Stephen Kenny team on Saturday night.
"It's great to have a philosophy of playing, but if you play side to side and triangles in your own half - that's not really creative football - that's just keeping the ball.
"We were a bit more direct the other night and had a bit more purpose to our play. We weren't afraid to play forward earlier and when we got in the attacking position, we were prepared to go for it and take shots on.
"I felt in other games we were trying to score the perfect goal, taking too much out of the ball, taking too many touches, getting into the final third but not necessarily looking for that final shot."
Fallon also was impressed with the mindset ahead of the game, in that the squad were confident they could get that elusive victory.
"The scoreline was comprehensive, it wasn't a perfect performance but not often you get the perfect performance. The most important thing is that you do the right things at the right moments to win the game.
"I felt there was a bit more intent about them the last night, a bit more resilience and a bit more purpose. Sleeves were rolled up to go out and win the game.
"Indeed the narrative beforehand wasn't about looking for a good performance, it was about going out and winning the game. That in itself reframes the mindset going into the game. I think top players need pressure to perform - if you take that pressure away it takes the edge off the performance."
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