BLESSING IN DISGUISE
Reality check against Wales will stand to Gleeson’s team
AS the post-mortem into her first defeat as Ireland manager drew to a close last Tuesday night, Eileen Gleeson was asked about the Euro 2025 qualifying draw which will take place in Nyon, Switzerland in two days’ time.
‘We can’t wait for the draw. It will be great to know where we are going,’ she said, smiling.
Given Ireland’s place in the pecking order, Gleeson stopped short of being critical of how UEFA have handled the whole qualification process. Others can speak from a stronger position. Earlier this week, England manager Sabrina Wiegman voiced her frustration that they will only know the identity of the three teams they face in the qualifiers a month before the opening game. And she isn’t the only one upset by that. It shows that there is still a lot of work to do in the women’s game.
And it also means that there will be a rushed feel to the opening two games of the qualifying campaign that would never happen in the men’s game. And if the draw does throw up a Spain or a England in the first game, the FAI marketing department might have to go into overdrive to get it out there that Aitana Bonmati or Mary Earps might be gracing the Aviva Stadium.
As terrifying as the prospect of facing the world or European champions may be, the message coming from the Irish squad in the past 10 days is that this is where they want to be. And as Katie McCabe pointed out prior to the Wales friendly, the team didn’t look out of place against Italy, who are ranked 10 places above them.
Maybe not, but the disappointing display against Wales last Tuesday has pierced somewhat the optimism that had previously built up around the team. It was the first wobble that the side had experienced since Gleeson took interim charge back in September. And after the free-scoring exploits of the Nations League, where the team found the net 20 times across six games, they have failed to score in the last two. Granted, only a marginal offside call denied Leanne Kiernan a goal against Italy when she finished a wonderfully-worked counter-attacking move. And unlike in the previous regime, the team are creating chances. Despite how poorly they played last Tuesday, they were unlucky not to score an undeserved equaliser as early as the 16th minute when Olivia Clark denied Amber Barrett.
Even allowing for Barrett’s chance, Ireland could have just as easily been 40 down by half-time, such was the series of errors that were littering their game.
Perhaps, the most concerning aspect of the friendly defeat was how Ireland were bullied and outfought by their Celtic cousins. With McCabe usually setting the tone, this Irish team have always prided themselves on their physicality but it was their Welsh counterparts who showed the stomach for battle in Tallaght.
Ireland looked more disjointed and ragged than they ever have under Gleeson. The fluid 4-2-3-1 formation didn’t seem to work with players appearing confused. But even when they managed to string a few passes together, there was a lack of sharpness.
There are caveats. The injuries to Denise O’Sullivan and Sinead Farrelly robbed Gleeson of two of her genuine world-class talents while the third in McCabe had poor showings in both Florence and Tallaght, considering the ridiculously high standard she has set with Ireland and Arsenal. And it shows again that if the captain is below par, the team tend to struggle.
Niamh Fahey, who was typically composure personified in Italy, had to withdraw just before kickoff with a quad injury and the defence never really settled until Louise Quinn came on at half-time to calm heads and give some certainty down the centre.
However, given that Fahey and Quinn are now well into the veteran stages of their career, the decision not to play Aoife Mannion for at least a half seems odd or to bring Jess Stapleton, who was one of the few players to emerge with credit against Wales, back into central defence.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom against Wales. Jess Ziu added to her burgeoning reputation and she is the sort of exciting player who always tries to make things happen.
Emily Murphy showed some flashes while she came off the bench and Ireland steadied in the second-half, helped by the appearance of Quinn and reverting to the tried and trusted three central defenders that was a consistent feature of Vera Pauw’s tenure.
Gleeson and her team had plenty of credit in the bank following the Nations League campaign and the encouraging performance in Florence. The head coach and her backroom team of Rhys Carr, Colin Healy and Emma Byrne will digest what exactly went wrong in the first-half against Wales – and why the players seemed so hesitant and confused in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
No matter who the draw throws up in Switzerland on Tuesday, Ireland’s excellent campaign last autumn means that they are guaranteed a play-off place for Euro 2025. Even if they finish bottom of their group, the Girls in Green will meet a team from League C in a two-legged play-off semi-final.
Get past that, which they would, and they would likely face a League B team in a two-legged play-off final for a place a Euro 2025. That could well be Wales. By that point, Gleeson and her team should have absorbed all the harsh lessons of last Tuesday.
The first wobble of Gleeson’s tenure may turn out to be a good thing in the long run.
Gleeson and her team will have absorbed the harsh lessons of last Tuesday