With the World Cup fast approaching, action in Northern Irelands Womens Premiership and the Republic of Irelands Womens Premier Division has been put on hold for a short while, with players in the latter temporarily departing their clubs to link up with the national squad ahead of the trip to Australia and New Zealand. However, that doesnt mean that the football has stopped altogether, as a new All-Island Cup has been taking place during the last few weekends, which has seen clubs from all corners of Ireland face off against each other to crown the best team on the island.
It has also allowed for some of the strongest sides in the two countries to lock horns in mouthwatering encounters. One of the fixtures that attracted a great deal of attention was Shamrock Rovers Womens??trip to Belfast to face Glentoran Women (with the game held at Harland and Wolff Welders Branchflower Stadium), due to both having strong campaigns and being in with a chance of lifting their respective league trophies later this year.
As things turned out, it was Shamrock Rovers who took the win, with them managing to contain Glentoran for large parts of the game and then build on that with their own tactics, and, even though a win for Wexford Youths Women meant that the South Dublin side were unable to progress to the semi-finals despite the victory, they do still deserve credit for the way that they went about securing the three points. With that in mind, this tactical analysis will take a closer look at how they got their game plan right and why they managed to keep their opponents under wraps during the clash.
Lineups
Glentoran Women made two changes from their 5-0 win at Peamount United Women last time out, with both enforced due to Northern Ireland winger Caragh Hamilton moving to Lewes Women in the week and midfielder Nadene Caldwell picking up a knock. Sam Kelly partnered with Joely Andrews in the inverted forward positions, whilst centre-back Jenna McKearney was drafted into the back three. Emily Wilson moved to the right wing-back role to replace Hamilton, whilst Emma McMaster switched to central midfield to accommodate the inclusion of McKearney.
Shamrock Rovers Women also made changes from their last outing, a 5-3 defeat at Wexford. Goalkeeper Summer Lawless, defender Chloe McCarthy, midfielder Jaime Thompson and forward Lauren Kelly all dropped to the bench, with head coach Collie ONeill opting to rotate his squad. Savannah McCarthy switched to centre-back, and Lia OLeary dropped back into her usual left-back role, whilst regular stopper Amanda Budden, midfielder Melissa OKane and forwards Alannah McEvoy and Stephanie Zambra all came in.
![Napoli Vs Chelsea [2–3] – Champions League 2025/2026: How Game Management Cost Antonio Conte – Tactical Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Napoli-Vs-Chelsea-20252026-350x250.png "Napoli Vs Chelsea [2–3] – Champions League 2025/2026: How Game Management Cost Antonio Conte – Tactical Analysis 3")
