Ronan sets building blocks for 2015 qualification

Saturday night’s excellent performance against Olympic champions USA will be the building blocks behind Sue Ronan’s plans for the Republic of Ireland women's team's 2015 World Cup qualification campaign.

Ronan’s side were impressive despite going down 2-0 against the number one ranked women’s teams in the world, who stretched their 20-game unbeaten run in the process.

“They caught us by surprise at the beginning by going 2-4-4 but once we regrouped and changed from 4-4-2 to 4-1-4-1 with Niamh Fahey sitting in front of the back four we were able to cope,” Ronan said.

“Niamh did so well that their captain Abby Wambach, who has been nominated for FIFA Player of the Year, actually went looking for her after the game to get her jersey,” said Ronan.

Arsenal goalkeeper, and Irish captain, Emma Byrne was winning her 93rd cap and one of the Irish stars on show, producing a series of stunning saves in the second half that had Ronan full of praise.

“Emma Byrne is getting better and better and led by example. She produced a string of super saves and even the Americans were full of praise for her performance after the game. She’s been at the top of her game for 17 years and she is still going strong.

“Our back four were very good and the midfield worked hard. We found it difficult to get the ball going in the final third so we weren’t able to threaten them but I was pleased with how we kept possession in the second half,” said Ronan.

Sue Ronan has also pinpointed some areas where she believes that her side can improve on before they begin their 2015 World Cup qualifying campaign.

“One area we have to improve on is power and strength. In the few months we have played the US and France, two of the top teams in the world, and you can see the different between us and these full time professional athletes. Our girls know the level they are at and what they have to aspire to. It’s not going to happen overnight, it’s going to take a few years.”

18-year-old Denise O’Sullivan has shown how the jump from under-age football into the senior squad is possible, and Ronan has admitted that she’ll be taking all players into consideration for the qualification campaign.

“We’ll be looking at everybody over the next few months and hopefully we can find one or two new players who are ready to come into the senior squad,” said Ronan.