1. Two contrasting games
The impressive 0-0 draw away to Italy and damning 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Wales were worlds apart.
Ireland’s performance in Florence was largely positive, but a record crowd of 8,218 watched the exact opposite at Tallaght Stadium last night. Eileen Gleeson’s unbeaten record at the helm came to a dismal end as the Girls In Green fell to their first loss in nine games.
Having looked completely at home against Italy — who are 10 places higher in the Fifa World Rankings at 14th — Ireland were so poor against a Welsh side, inferior by eight places but similarly operating in League A of the Nations League through the autumn.
Perhaps they had a point to prove after relegation, with players also looking to impress new head coach Rhian Wilkinson watching from the stands. They were 2-0 up inside 22 minutes and could have been even further ahead, with Ireland in disarray.
Yes, it was a friendly. There was a new Irish formation and chopping and changing owing to injury, but there was no excuse for the basic mistakes or lack of leadership. Ireland put an aggressive press on Italy, but there was no semblance of hunger as they were bullied by Wales.
Italy’s 5-1 defeat to England yesterday was a stark reminder of the challenges that lie ahead in League A of European Championship qualification.
2. Set-up and tactical changes
Gleeson sprung a new formation in Florence, deploying a back four for the first time in nearly 30 games. Ireland played a 4-4-1-1, with Niamh Fahey and Caitlin Hayes the centre-back pairing; Katie McCabe and Heather Payne at left- and right-back respectively; Jessie Stapleton and Megan Connolly in midfield, flanked by Izzy Atkinson and Jess Ziu; and Ruesha Littlejohn playing behind Kyra Carusa up top.
It was largely successful, and all the more impressive given the absences of key players like Denise O’Sullivan, Louise Quinn and Sinéad Farrelly. O’Sullivan is a beating heart of this team and her loss cannot be underestimated, while Farrelly is another experienced midfield option. That department was depleted, with Jamie Finn and Tyler Toland also ruled out with varying degrees of knee injuries.
Amber Barrett and Leanne Kiernan, who impressed off the bench against Italy, were handed starts (ahead of Carusa and Atkinson) against Wales in a fluid 4-3-3. A quad problem saw Fahey withdraw from the XI in the warm-up, so Diane Caldwell was catapulted in.
This was an unsettler, but no excuse for the defence to be as shaky as it was through a chaotic, transitional opening period. Gleeson reverted to the tried-and-tested three/five at the back for the second half, with Louise Quinn returning from a shoulder injury to steady the ship alongside Hayes and midfielder-turned-centre back Connolly. Carusa and debutant Emily Murphy battled gamely in a front two, with Caldwell, Kiernan and Barrett making way.
Gleeson would not lay blame tactically post-match, having spoken at length about Ireland’s evolution earlier in the week. “We talk about fours and fives here, but it’s back to the simple things we didn’t do,” she said.
3. Where will the goals come from?
In both games, Ireland offered very little in attack. They struggled to click in the final third, with the last pass often going astray. The lack of goal threat is a worry.
With McCabe restricted – and admittedly off-colour – at left-back and O’Sullivan nursing a minor knee injury, Ireland lacked a real creative spark. Ziu, in particular, had flashes of brilliance in both games and Barrett and Kiernan did combine for an offside goal in Italy, but other big chances were few and far between across 180-plus minutes of football.
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— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 23, 2024
Borderline offside denies Leanne Kiernan a wonderful team goal
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Their usual set-piece threat was generally absent, aside from a goalmouth scramble from a 16th-minute corner yesterday: first, Littlejohn got in the way of a trademark Hayes header, before Olivia Clarked denied Barrett an equaliser from her follow-up shot.
Carusa and Murphy offered more of an outlet up top off the bench, but the lack of clinical edge is a major concern moving into the upcoming Euro qualifiers.
Albeit against higher-ranked opposition, it’s a huge change from the 20 goals and eight different Irish goalscorers — including McCabe and Carusa with five each — through the Nations League.
4. Winners and losers
Ziu was a winner, impressing through back-to-back starts as she returned from an 17-month international lay-off with an ACL injury. She was named Player of the Match in her first full 90 minutes since September 2022 on a bittersweet night against Wales.
Murphy showed glimpses on her international debut, while Stapleton hardly put a foot wrong through her first two international starts. The West Ham youngster, on loan at Reading, was trusted in midfield despite predominantly playing centre-half. And Hayes continued her bright start to life in the green jersey, keeping her record of playing every minute possible and stepping up with some big moments.
The ‘loser’ title may be harsh, but some players did have a window to forget. McCabe was off-colour in both games and limped off with a quad strain against Wales. Obviously not 100% fit, the Irish captain was uncharacteristically sloppy at times, and her frustration grew as she couldn’t grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
Finn being struck down with an ACL injury was another negative, while it was a tricky double-header for the central defensive veterans; Fahey and Caldwell both fresh injury concerns and Quinn limited to just 45 minutes. Others got far less game time, like Aoife Mannion and Lily Agg, or none at all. Leanne Kiernan will be disappointed to have been denied her first international goal since 2018 by a borderline offside call, but she did look lively.
5. What’s next?
The Euro 2025 qualification draw takes place next Tuesday, with Ireland joining Europe’s elite in League A. The qualifiers then get underway in April, with other windows in June and July.
Ireland are in Pot 4 for the draw. They will be pitted against a heavyweight from Pot 1 — Netherlands, France, Germany or world champions Spain — with European champions England the standout team in Pot 2. Austria, Denmark and Italy join the Lionesses there.
Pot 3 will consist of Nations League play-off winners: Iceland, Belgium, Norway and almost definitely Sweden.
No matter who comes out of the hat, a huge challenge lies ahead. One perhaps even more daunting after the Welsh wake-up call.
