McCabe may be kept in reserve as Ireland monitor calf issue

Katie McCabe has been nursing a calf problem for a few months, influencing the decision of Ireland manager Carla Ward to keep her on the bench for the April visit to Greece.

NATIONS LEAGUE CLASH: Ireland’s European queen Katie McCabe could be kept in reserve during Ireland’s must-win penultimate Nations League clash in Turkey (6pm, Irish time). Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Ireland’s European queen Katie McCabe could be kept in reserve during Ireland’s must-win penultimate Nations League clash in Turkey (6pm, Irish time).

It’s certain that the captain – fresh from helping Arsenal win the Champions League on Saturday – will win her 97th cap but it could be as a substitute.

McCabe has been nursing a calf problem for a few months, influencing the decision of Ireland manager Carla Ward to keep her on the bench for the April visit to Greece.

With that game scoreless at the break, the trump card was mobilised at the break and McCabe inspired the Girls in Green to a 4-0 victory.

Ward now faces a dilemma in managing the game-time of McCabe over the next five days.

It isn’t so much a concern about the aftereffects of the partying McCabe and her Gunners teammates have indulged in since beating Barcelona in Bilbao but the risk of aggravating a lingering injury that flares up in spells of fatigue.

Six points are essential from the concluding double-header against the Turks and Slovenia but Tuesday’s second leg Pairc Uí Chaoímh may require a deluge of goals to usurp the Slovenians for top spot.

A presumption that Ireland would replicate their last tenancy in League B strolling to top spot and promotion was mothballed by a 4-0 thumping against the pool leaders in February.

Various permutations are still possible. Were Greece, sunken at the bottom without a point, to somehow halt the Slovenian gallop in the match kicking off an hour earlier Ljubljana, two wins for Ireland would leapfrog them to the summit.

Automatic promotion to League A could also enable them to dodge the playoff series in the Autunm.

Still, Ireland also cannot afford to be complacent.

Ward’s first match at the helm was a forgettable narrow 1-0 win over the Turks at Tallaght, a match in which the visitors spurned a late chance to snaffle a draw.

They’ve since beaten Greece to reside in third spot and will fancy taking a bigger scalp against an Ireland team still reliant on McCabe to weave her magic. The warm conditions will be in their favour.

Denise O’Sullivan, as she was the last time out at home to Greece when McCabe was suspended, will be the other creative force through which Ireland can produce the performance to avoid a second hiccup in the campaign.

“It’s difficult when players first come in to new staff, system and way of doing things," noted Ward about her experience so far, entailing just two full camps in February and April.

“The players have reacted brilliantly but there’s an understanding that we’re at the business end. Hopefully these two games will get us where we want to be.

“First things first, we’ve to win tomorrow night to set up the final game against Slovenia in Cork.

“Hopefully Greece takes something off Slovenia in the other game. If not, it sets up for the first bite of the cherry on Tuesday where we’d have to beat Slovenia by head to win the head-to-head.

“Failing that, if we finish second we’ll have a second bite in the October playoff. We’d have to get the job done then.” 

Ending up in League A smooths the path for Ireland to a second successive World Cup in 2027. Should they gain promotion, either after Tuesday or via the playoffs, then they would be guaranteed entry into a convoluted playoff series towards reaching Brazil.

That showpiece will feature 32 teams but the next event, likely to be hosted by the UK nations, is to be expanded to 48 nations.