The vibes across the Republic of Eire camp have been defiantly assured this week as they put together to tackle France of their opening Euro 2025 qualifier.
Herve Renard’s slick, highly effective workforce are ranked third on the planet. They crushed Eire 3-0 in a pre-World Cup pleasant final July, and will likely be overwhelming favourites to get previous them once more when the groups colide in Metz on Friday evening.
And but Denise O’Sullivan cannot look forward to it. The Cork midfielder missed February’s friendlies towards Italy and Wales with a knee damage and her affect on the Stade Saint-Symphorie will likely be completely vital if the Women in Inexperienced are to have any hope of plundering a constructive end result.
Large gamers all the time relish the possibility to check themselves towards the elite; recreation recognises recreation. O’Sullivan has loads of respect for the French, however she holds no concern.
“I feel as an athlete, an expert you wish to be enjoying towards the highest groups on the planet,” she mentioned.
“Now we have now that chance, so I feel we have to take it with each fingers and exit and provides it every thing tomorrow evening and see what occurs.
“We all know how good France are, however we’re not right here to simply make up the numbers. We’re right here to compete and we’re right here to go far and we’re actually trying ahead to it.”
Within the submit mortem of Vera Pauw’s departure as supervisor final August, one factor that cropped up continuously was the gamers’ collective need to play a extra expansive model of soccer.
They racked up the targets, and the wins, throughout a flawless UEFA Nations League marketing campaign however it is a totally different kettle of fish. Eire have not confronted a workforce pretty much as good as France since they performed… effectively, France, final July.
They’re going to should get the steadiness between taking the sport to their hosts when potential, and depriving Renard’s carousel of gifted attackers the house to do injury.
“The previous few years, this workforce has come on in leaps and bounds,” O’Sullivan mirrored. “We’ve that have from the World Cup, enjoying in a significant match and we’ll take that on board.
“However I feel this workforce is unquestionably able to play towards these groups. We went by means of the Nations League and did effectively, however we all know now what we have now forward.
“We nonetheless must be defensively organised, exhausting to beat however use the alternatives after we get the ball. After we get the ball, it’s about what we are able to do from there.
“It is a huge problem and so they’re a very good facet. We’ve to be sensible as effectively about these video games, you recognize?”
So what’s sensible, when it comes to a end result?
“I feel getting a draw can be huge for us,” she added. “That’s positively sensible as one thing we are able to do. We’ve to be switched on for each minute and never change off in any respect.
“For the occasions we do get the ball, we have now to make sure that we do one thing with it since you don’t get many alternatives towards these groups. Hopefully we are able to put one away with the alternatives we get.”
If Eire handle to complete within the prime two of a gaggle that additionally consists of England and Sweden, they’re going to qualify mechanically for the Euros in Switzerland subsequent yr. Nevertheless they’re assured a spot within the play-off semi-finals even when they find yourself all-time low.
A useful comfort prize, however not one which’s attracting O’Sullivan’s gaze.
“I have never even appeared in the direction of the play-off, it’s not even at the back of my thoughts,” she mentioned.
“The mindset going into that is to do effectively in these video games. Each recreation goes to be a last for us. It’s an enormous job. We’re not right here to make up the numbers, we’re right here to do effectively and compete towards these groups.
“It’s an enormous problem however we’re right here to compete and we’re trying ahead to it.”
Watch France v Republic of Eire in Euro 2025 qualifying on Friday from 7.35pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Participant, observe a stay weblog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ Information app and take heed to commentary on 2fm’s Recreation On
Hearken to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
