'Players were begging to come off' - Ward on Ohio heat
'It has been such a positive camp'
Given the concerns about the conditions, the heavy nature of both defeats and the depleted squad, Ward was asked whether the decision to play two end of season friendlies in the USA was beneficial to the Republic, who face a Nations League play-off against Belgium in October.The former Aston Villa boss was adamant that the camp and the two fixtures against the number one-ranked side in the world have provided valuable learnings for her under-strengthened squad."We've looked at two different systems and ways of playing, we have added a couple of layers to what we are trying to do, and it has been such a positive camp overall," she added."Naturally, these two defeats hurt, but there has to be some reality to this."We played the best in the world, in extreme heat, something I struggled in without even moving, they're in season and we're not, there are many factors, but to still compete across two games, they can take a lot of heart."
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