RUESHA LITTLEJOHN IS good to go.
The Republic of Ireland midfielder is keen to focus on The Main Event, rather than dwell on that abandoned warm-up game.
Denise O’Sullivan’s fitness for Thursday’s World Cup opener against Australia [KO 11am Irish time, 8pm local time] is all that matters. Her midfield partner Littlejohn also shipped a “huge challenge, outside the laws of the game,” as described by Vera Pauw, but the Glasgow-born ace assures she’s ready to rock for Ireland’s major tournament debut.
Sydney’s Stadium Australia hosts the highly-anticipated showdown [KO 11am Irish time / 8pm local time], with over 80,000 fans expected to attend.
The Matildas are in fine fettle after recent friendly wins over France and England, with Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr among their abundance of world-class talent.
Littlejohn is confident her side will rise to the occasion, regardless of what happened at Brisbane’s Meakin Park last week. And the “wake-up call” in their Dublin send-off, a 3-0 defeat to Les Blueus.
“I think we all know we can handle ourselves,” the 33-year-old says. “We are a physical enough team. But we’re not a dirty team. We’ll compete against Australia like they’ll compete against us. It’s a football game, played by the rule book. There is going to be VAR there. It’s going to be a clean competitive game of football.
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“It’s important we know our strengths and play to our strengths, obviously we’re playing very tough opposition. We couldn’t have had a worse group probably. We’re playing at a World Cup, there are never going to be easy games but we would like to show what we can do too.
“I think a lot of people probably outside Ireland don’t expect much from us. But at the same time, that is okay. There is pressure on us. It’s our first major tournament. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be difficult. We’re going to ride a few waves, weather a few storms, I’m sure. But we look at the players in this team and we know the quality that we have.”
O’Sullivan, case in point. “Arguably the best midfielder in the world,” as Pauw has repeatedly said, Littlejohn was worried when she went down — a rare occurrence — but she’s confident the “hard nut” can join her in the middle on Thursday, once Pauw sticks with her recent XI.
The Ireland centurion and North Carolina Courage captain is pivotal for this team, at the heart of their best work, mixing fire with ice, and Littlejohn’s insight speaks volume.
“You always know Denise wants the ball. She can get on that half-turn. It’s massive. She probably doesn’t get enough praise for it because she plays out in the States. And a lot of us are probably based around Europe and England. I’m pretty sure if she was playing WSL, she’d be up there with the superstars of the league.
“She’s so technically good and so composed on the ball. For me it’s just when Denise gets on that, dropping in, half turning and opening up the game, that is one of her key strengths. It’s nice knowing that you’re playing alongside her and when she goes into those areas, you’re going to get out of these areas.
“It’s a split second and it’s against high pressure. She’s great at it. It’s like a secret weapon. I’m sure all these teams will be doing analysis and see how good she is. Hopefully she’ll be on it and be ready to go and make a difference.”
After an “absolute write off of a season” as she puts it herself, Littlejohn is hoping to show exactly what she can do too. She’s on the hunt for a new club after her departure from Aston Villa as she looks to extend a colourful career amidst her struggles with Achilles tendinopathy.
The World Cup will also act as a shop window for her personally. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet, I’m very open minded, I’ll just see what happens in this World Cup window and take it from there. In an ideal world, things go well and you have a few more opportunities. We’ll see.”
But it’s all about the team.
Perhaps she could become Ireland’s latest iconic Glaswegian goalscorer first?
“I was just saying up there I don’t think I have scored for Ireland in six years,” Littlejohn grins.
“That’s a long time, I don’t even know what has to happen. A ball might need to smack off me in the box and go in. I’d be delighted either way, it would be handy.”