Ireland's Aoife Mannion has admitted that she is savoring the good times more than the bad, no matter how limited the good times may be.
The Irish defender has had a torrid time with injuries and because of this has had to bide her time with Ireland. Two ACL injuries mean that her 5 Ireland caps should ideally be more. The last ACL injury also meant that she missed Ireland's World Cup squad last summer.
However, there have also been bright moments for Mannion. This year she helped Manchester United's women's team win the Women's FA Cup for the first time and is now back in the Ireland squad for the Swedish double-header.
Mannion, in a reflective mood this week, explained that she is taking in every good moment and savoring them because of her experiences thus far.
"The older I get, the more I realize that moments that fall in your favor are not actually a given," she said.
"When I was younger and good things would happen, I wouldn't really reflect and have a thought that that’s actually quite unique and quite special.
"As I get older, I’m definitely smelling the roses and savoring them. I’m not far enough along the other side of injuries to forget that things can switch very easily. When I get through a game fit, I think, 'Thank you, I am blessed.’
"Football has a funny way of bringing you right back down. It's not something that you need to say to yourself, intellectualize or try and speak to yourself about because a few days later, you do something rubbish in training and you're reminded of how much you need to improve."
Aoife Mannion of Manchester United lines up to shoot at goal during the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Manchester United Women and Aston Villa Women at Leigh Sports Village on December 19, 2021 in Leigh, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)Ireland, under newish boss Eileen Gleeson, had a very successful Nations League campaign last year. The Ireland team topped their Nations League group, and as a result, were promoted to League A.
They are now playing some of the world's best. This includes England, who they already played, and they will now face Sweden back-to-back. The first game will be on Friday, May 31, and the other will be on Tuesday, June 4.
Mannion admits she's cautious but excited to face the Swedish team in the coming days.
"I think it’s going to be a really exciting couple of games," Mannion added.
"We shouldn’t underestimate Sweden, they are a brilliant side with top-drawer players.
"Against France and England, there were really different stories across the same game. We had portions of the game where we really went at them, especially in the second half against England. We felt it was with the impetus trying to chase something, we felt the crowd was behind us.
"Here I am fit, healthy, I'm able to come with a team that is really close-knit, a brilliant group of girls and that is enough for me."
"But the challenge is to see how you pitch yourself against these teams across 90 minutes. What’s sustainable? How much can you really go for it without opening yourself up?"
Ireland's game against Sweden will take place this Friday at the Aviva Stadium and will kick off at 7:30. You can watch the game live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
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