Gleeson turns to old faces in search for new solutions

The Republic of Ireland took in one of Taylor Swift’s Dublin gigs last weekend to help them shake off the cobwebs and build up morale. No harm to lose yourself in the American megastar’s litany of hits ahead of another daunting Euro 2025 qualification window.

Head coach Eileen Gleeson has leaned on experience in search of attacking answers as her side look to end the campaign with some points on the board. Galway United’s 33-year-old versatile midfielder Julie Ann-Russell makes the squad for the first time in four years, while speedy winger Marissa Sheva comes in from the cold having been completely overlooked since last summer’s World Cup.

The suspended Katie McCabe will miss the trip to face England on Friday, 12 July, and with Heather Payne (achilles) and first-choice striker Kyra Carusa (torn hamstring) definitely out, it’s hard to see where the goals are going to come from.

Ireland have failed to hit the net in their last six matches; the 6-1 win against Northern Ireland before Christmas was the last time they made hay – McCabe, Payne and Carusa all scored at Windsor Park that night.

They’ve lost all four of their Euro qualifiers to date and have already been relegated back to League B for next year’s UEFA Nations League, but Gleeson’s charges are guaranteed a place in the autumn’s two-legged play-offs, and will be seeded for the semi-finals where they’ll face a League C team.

They must avoid two heavy defeats against England and France this month to ensure their overall rankings are strong enough to keep hold of a seeded place for the play-off final, should they get there.

It’s a typically convoluted UEFA system that will, mercifully, become clearer once the qualifying group stages are done and dusted. The play-off draw is scheduled to take place on Friday 19 July, but in short, Ireland must avoid being the worst-ranked team from League A, with only Poland currently below them on goal difference.

They play England at Carrow Road and then square up to France at Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, a historic first fixture at the venue. A good crowd is anticipated, and the novelty of the occasion should lend itself to a carnival atmosphere, but these are no dead rubbers: two heavy defeats could have considerable ramifications.

Reflecting on the current rankings situation, Gleeson said the matches are “huge, because we all know we’re in a direct race with Poland for the final seeded place.

“It will be down to goal difference and of course, points first of all. That has to factor into how we approach the games. We’re on zero, they’re on zero. They have -10, we have -7. If we can get a point, a win, of course it’s huge. We’re well aware of the position we’re in.”

Reliably resolute but toothless in the final third, finding a way to hurt these elite teams is a puzzle Gleeson is still trying to solve.

“Kyra is a huge loss to us,” she admitted. “Obviously she’s a big presence around the camp and within the team and she’s a starter, and a consistent starter. So yeah, a huge loss.

“It’s a huge challenge but we’ve got other players in the squad now that we have to look to with Amber (Barrett), Leanne (Kiernan), Emily Murphy, we have Marissa back in. We have to look at other options. This is football, it is dynamic and the risk is always that the players are going to get injured and it’s always the fear. Now Kyra is out but we have to look to the squad.”

“We need to keep progressing, building that and then manage the game out.”

Russell’s inclusion was particularly surprising. The 33-year-old has 60 caps to her name and has been excellent for SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division high-flyers Galway United this year, but it’s a move away from Gleeson’s tendency to give the most promising young players from the league a taste of camp.

Ireland’s involvement in the upcoming UEFA Women’s Under-19 European Championships likely influenced the decision to give Russell an opportunity, and – given her vast experience – she may have a genuine chance of getting minutes this month.

“I’ve known Julie a very long time,” Gleeson added. “She’s a very experienced player, 60 caps. Of course she had a baby, who is now one. She’s returned to play with Galway, we’re actively watching the League of Ireland games and Julie is doing really well with Galway.

“She’s super fit, we know that she’s a phenomenal worker without the ball, her work-rate is excellent, she brings experience. And then on the ball, she likes to dribble. We feel she can really add to the squad with experience and with the type of player that she is.”

Russell and Sheva are another couple of hard-running worker bees which, realistically, Ireland need as they prepare to face two teams who will dominate possession.

It’s unlikely there’ll be a dramatic shift in approach from Ireland, though Gleeson did highlight a desire to avoid playing too deep.

“We want to get to a position where we can be higher up the pitch, competing and staying up in presses,” she said.

“Against Sweden we did well for 30 minutes but then it starts to separate in terms of key performance indicators. It shows where we’re at and how long we can go toe to toe with these top level teams.

“We need to keep progressing, building that and then manage the game out.”