Shkoder isn’t exactly a holiday destination in the mould of Milan or Prague or Vienna. Tirana, Albania’s capital city, is two hours away.
Ranked eighth in Trip Advisors “15 Best Things to do in Shkoder” is Ebu Bekr mosque. Your gut would suggest the Republic of Ireland won’t be leaving a five-star review there any time soon.
Awoken at 5am by the locals assembling for prayer, interim manager Eileen Gleeson has stated the Irish are unbothered and remain “super respectful”. It is still far from ideal preparation.
It’d leave you wondering what comes in at 15 on Trip Advisor’s list. Well, surprise, surprise, it’s a car rental service. Perhaps the best thing about the place is the road out of it, though as The Hardy Bucks’ French Toast O’Toole says, you have to use that road to get back into it too.
But this is far from a holiday anyway for this group. Their unbroken focus says it all about a squad that has sauntered through this Nations’ League group. A win tomorrow night may even guarantee top spot with two games to go.
Poster girl Katie McCabe will miss the Ballon D’Or awards ceremony to pull on the green shirt, a further statement that Ireland will not take the Albanian challenge lightly, even off the back of Friday’s 5-1 victory in Tallaght.
Gleeson claims this group drive themselves. There is no carrot and stick approach, no gentle prod in the back. She is simply in charge of a high-performance environment founded on self improvement:
"We don't have to do too much to motivate the girls. They’re very motivated, we want to get the win tomorrow. We want to have a good performance from the start to the finish to the game.
"We want them to play with freedom, we want them to take risks and not be afraid to take the risk when it’s on.
"So, if there’s a little bit of caution, we’re just saying, ‘be brave, go for it. It’s your game, take it to the opposition and be brave in the moments and don’t be overly concerned about making a mistake. Just let it happen and then we’ll see the performances and, eventually, we’ll see the learning then’.
“We want to get three points, we want to top the group for the UEFA Nations League, we want to get to the Euro 2025 qualification.
“It’s not too much that you need to do to drive that message with the girls. We just have to help them to put that into action.
You get the impression this group recognises the talent and potential that is there in abundance. All the boxes are being ticked, and with 12 goals scored in three games, Gleeson now has a fully fit squad to choose from too. Not exactly music to Albanian ears.
But Gleeson and her troops won’t be hugely concerned. It feels as though this squad are building towards more. The Republic of Ireland believe they will be in Switzerland in two years' time, and the way things stand, you wouldn’t bet against Eileen Gleeson being there with them.
