KATIE McCabe and several of her Arsenal teammates have been toasting their Champions League victory in Ibiza.
It represents a long overdue break for the Ireland captain with Carla Ward having excused her from their upcoming USA camp because she is ‘on the verge of burnout’.
Their European campaign went right to the end as they upset holders Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 24[/caption]
McCabe’s girlfriend and teammate Caitlin Foord joined her in leading champagne-filled celebrations[/caption]
Enjoying Ibiza’s open-air clubbing hub Ushuaia[/caption]
Chelsea ace Erin Cuthbert popped up in this snap[/caption]
Following victory over Slovenia in the Nations League group-stage finale, Ireland travel to Colorado and Cincinnati later this month for two friendlies against Emma Hayes’ team.
But Ward has chosen to protect her skipper by giving her a break. She said: “Katie has played a lot of minutes for club and country.
“She’s on the verge of burnout, as are some others. There’s going to be conversations. It won’t just be Katie that won’t be travelling.”
And Ward believes it is a more widespread issue in football.
She cited her own decision to step away from former club Aston Villa — and England ace Millie Bright’s call to pull out of the recent England squad — due to burnout.
The Ireland boss added: “It’s a difficult one. You’ve seen it with Millie Bright at England coming out. The mental and physical fatigue is just massive.
“I felt it at Villa. It’s the reason I needed a break. It’s a tough place to be and I think there’s a lot of players close to it.
“They’ve played a lot of minutes, so we have to protect them. We’ll support anybody that needs a break.”
But Ward is taking a different approach with ‘national sweetheart’ Louise Quinn.
The retiring centre-back enjoyed her international swansong at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on June 3.
But Ward is trying to twist her arm to join the US tour.
Ward stated: “I’ve been trying to convince her. I don’t think she’ll come.
“I’m still going to try and convince her. But I think it’ll maybe be time for the next generation.
“She’s been brilliant. Even in team meetings, she sparks conversation where some of the younger ones don’t.
The Mediterranean island boasts stunningly clear seawater[/caption]
Temperatures in the region have been around the 25 degree mark all week[/caption]
McCabe and her teammates have been savouring its famed seafood[/caption]
Along with endless picturesque views[/caption]
“Her message at the end was so important in terms of, ‘It’s over to you guys, carry the baton’.”
Ireland ran out winners in their last outing thanks to Saoirse Noonan grabbing the only goal of the game.
And Ward reckons her side are going in the right direction under her stewardship.
She added: “The way I’d put it would be a Carla Ward team on the ball and an Irish mentality off the ball. That’s what we have to build on.”
The Girls in Green will now face a League A promotion/relegation play-off next October against Belgium.
Katie, 29, captioned this cute dinner snap ‘My date’[/caption]
