Soccer

Eileen Gleeson challenges Ireland to ‘step up’ against England without Katie McCabe

With McCabe suspended, Denise O’Sullivan returns from injury to lead the side against England at Carrow Road

Denise O'Sullivan returns to the Ireland squad for the Euro 2025 qualifiers against England and France. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Denise O'Sullivan returns to the Ireland squad for the Euro 2025 qualifiers against England and France. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Wed Jul 03 2024 - 16:38

Republic of Ireland manager Eileen Gleeson has challenged her side to “step up” in the absence of captain Katie McCabe for their Euro 2025 away qualifier against England.

The Arsenal player will be serving a one-match suspension for the trip to Carrow Road on July 12th after picking up a second booking in their 1-0 loss to Sweden last month.

North Carolina Courage skipper Denise O’Sullivan returns to Gleeson’s fold after missing the Sweden encounter with a knee injury, and will wear the captain’s armband in McCabe’s absence.

“[McCabe] is the captain. We all know she’s a huge player, but we still have to move forward,” Gleeson told Off the Ball.

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“It’s time for other people to step up, Denise will step into the captain’s role. Of course, we hadn’t got Denise at the last camp.

“[It would] be nice to have both together for the camps, but we’ll miss Katie for the first game and have her back for the second game.”

Liverpool defender Niamh Fahey and Portland Thorns attacker Marissa Sheva also return to Gleeson’s 26-player squad for the trip to Norwich.

Ireland then host France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on July 16th to wrap up the group stage, the first time in 12 years that the team will have played a home fixture outside Dublin.

Over 10,000 tickets have already been sold for the historic fixture in what will be a seventh women’s international in Cork – following five previously in Turners Cross and one in Flower Lodge.

Chloe Mustaki, Tara O’Hanlon, Jamie Finn, Heather Payne and Kyra Carusa are all ruled out with injury, while Galway United’s Julie-Ann Russell, a 60-times capped midfielder who last featured at international level in March 2020, earns a call-up.

Gleeson conceded McCabe’s absence might force her to be creative with her line-up to face England.

She said: “It’s not a position where we’re overloaded in richness, in full back areas, and we’re often having to adapt players into that role and change their role.

“So of course it changes the thinking, but again it’s back to always being adaptable and using the squad you do have available.”

England currently sit third in group A3, level on points with Sweden, who are second with a one-goal difference, so Sarina Wiegman’s side will be looking for a high-scoring victory to give themselves the best chance of securing passage to next summer’s finals with a top-two finish.

Gleeson’s side, who have lost all of their four qualifying matches, have already ruled themselves out of booking a berth through the same route, but picking up points remains valuable come seeding time for autumn’s playoffs to determine the final teams booking trips to Switzerland next summer.

Ireland squad

Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes).

Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Megan Campbell (London City).

Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal)*, Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Jess Ziu (West Ham), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace), Eva Mangan (Cork City), Julie-Ann Russell (Galway United).

Forwards: Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University), Marissa Sheva (Portland Thorns).

*Misses England game through suspension