Ireland's Eileen Gleeson has told her players that they need to find the right balancing act in games ahead of the game against Sweden tonight.
The Girls in Green will welcome the Swedes to the Aviva Stadium at 7:30 tonight in a tie that will see Ireland's opponents favoured.
After former Ireland manager Vera Pauw's style of play saw a lot of pragmatism in games, Gleeson has allowed her Ireland players to play with more freedom. However, the Irish team suffered losses to both France and England last month.
The way to play with both pragmatism and dynamism is one that the Irish players will need if they are to conquer the better sides in Europe and around the world.
Gleeson is keen for her squad to balance high-risk and high-reward outcomes in games.
“It is that balancing act,” said Gleeson. “Are you going to go full tilt and chase from the start? Are you going to stay in the game for as long as possible?
“If you look at all of that, the highest risk chances for both France and England are when we push out, and Courtney (Brosnan) has to make a worldie save that’s happened on a break.
“Despite France completely outnumbering us on shots, they weren’t high-risk.
“Longer range, from wide, they weren’t the higher-risk ones. The higher-risk ones were from when we pushed forward, which makes perfect sense if we’re going to get caught on a break.
“It is that balancing act.”
🗣️ 'Denise is still on a modified training programme...'
Eileen Gleeson admits that Denise O'Sullivan is a doubt ahead of tomorrow night's clash with Sweden, but it was expected at this stage. | 🇮🇪
Off The Ball Football w/ @WilliamHillIre. pic.twitter.com/iJMgwcRDqH— Off The Ball (@offtheball) May 30, 2024
Ireland heads into game three with two losses and is currently fifth of the eight teams occupying play-off places. A win against Sweden will give the Irish team a massive boost in their quest for Euro qualification.
Gleeson was asked about a point total in her press conference and admitted that the goal is to qualify, but noted they are taking it game by game.
“What we always talk about is qualification for Euro 2025. We talk about this with the players openly.
“Right now we are focusing on the games in the qualifiers, but we understand the importance of the points; we understand the importance of every single goal conceded and every single goal scored in terms of being seeded in the play-off, if it comes to that.
“So that’s an ongoing conversation. This is a moment in the group qualifiers, but it can’t be viewed as an isolated moment.
“If you are talking about goals conceded and how that might impact you being seeded in a play-off place, then we have to factor that into the approach for the game. It’s all intertwined.
"Obviously, we want points; we want to win the games. If that isn’t the outcome, how do we still use that outcome to get us to the next point and the next step towards Euro 2025 qualification?”
Ireland plays Sweden at 7:30 tonight.
MATCH DETAILS
UEFA EURO 2025 Qualifier
Group A3
Ireland vs. Sweden
Friday, May 31
Aviva Stadium
KO 19:30
LIVE on RTÉ2
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Katalin Kulcsár (Hungary)
Assistant Referee 1: Judit Kulcsár (Hungary)
Assistant Referee 2: Noemi Hegedus-Barath (Hungary)
Fourth Official: Eszter Urban (Hungary)
WNT SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United), Eva Mangan (Cork City), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege)
