Ireland's interim boss, Eileen Gleeson, has claimed that she sees her future as part of the Ireland team.
The Girls in Green and Gleeson are currently preparing for a Friday night fixture against Hungary in the Nations League. This game is essentially a dead rubber after Ireland's four wins out of four with 13 goals scored and just one conceded in this campaign. Gleeson's new Ireland have already made it out of League B in the Nations League and will play in League A next year because of these stats.
There was a time when the mood in the Ireland camp was less than pleasant, and some put that down to former manager Vera Pauw's strict methods.
Several players have remarked that the energy in the current Ireland squad is on a different level without naming Pauw directly.
Kyra Carusa, Ireland's scoring phenom, spoke about his energy and claimed that it's spread because of the unity of players in the squad.
"I feel like that energy is contagious and it catches on quite quickly, especially amongst a squad that is as tight as we are and as on the same page as we are," said the 28-year-old on Thursday.
🗣️ "We want to be better."
Eileen Gleeson tells @ashoreilly how she views her future with the Irish squad ahead of their Nations League game against Hungary in Tallaght tomorrow.
⚽ on OTB w/ @williamhillire pic.twitter.com/u69odXrksX— Off The Ball (@offtheball) November 30, 2023
Gleeson has praised the likes of Carusa and the other Ireland players for buying into the new upbeat environment post Pauw. The Dubliner, who has refuted calls to take the Ireland job full-time, admitted that she did love the Ireland team and that regardless of what happens, she would always be part of the new energized Ireland team.
"I see my future with this team; I'll always be part of this team. I love this team, and Ireland and Irish football," she added.
"I’ll always be part of this team. As Kyra said, we have a super positive environment, the girls have been amazing since I came in, there was a lot of change, a lot of transition, we really hit the ground running, and we as a staff have been trying to create an environment where we could prove them right."
Even though Ireland has made it out of the group, Gleeson has also asked for Ireland players to go up another level as she believes it's needed to compete with the best.
"We wanted to top the group; we’ve done that. We’ve got promotion to League A, but it’s not any complacency; we want to be better, so that’s what we’re driving now," she added.
Ireland's game starts at 7.30
MATCH DETAILSUEFA Nations LeagueIreland v HungaryFriday, December 1Tallaght StadiumKO 19:30LIVE on RTÉ2
IRELAND WNT SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Sinead Farrelly (NJ/NY Gotham), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham United)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Freya Healy (Peamount United), Abbie Larkin (Glasgow City), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC), Ellen Dolan (Peamount United)
