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Inside Arsenal's Ibiza holiday as Katie McCabe & teammates pop champagne to celebrate Champions League win

Inside Arsenal's Ibiza holiday as Katie McCabe & teammates pop champagne to celebrate Champions League win

The Irish Sun2 days ago

KATIE McCabe and several of her Arsenal teammates have been toasting their Champions League victory in Ibiza.
It represents a long overdue break for the Ireland captain with Carla Ward having
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Their European campaign went right to the end as they upset holders Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 24
Credit: Getty
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McCabe's girlfriend and teammate Caitlin Foord joined her in leading champagne-filled celebrations
Credit: @teyah.goldie
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Enjoying Ibiza's open-air clubbing hub Ushuaia
Credit: @katie_mccabe11
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Chelsea ace Erin Cuthbert popped up in this snap
Credit: @erincuthbert_
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But Ward has chosen to protect her skipper by giving her a break. She said: 'Katie has played a lot of minutes for club and country.
'She's on the verge of burnout, as are some others. There's going to be conversations. It won't just be Katie that won't be travelling.'
And Ward believes it is a more widespread issue in football.
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She cited her own decision to step away from former club Aston Villa — and England ace Millie Bright's call to
The Ireland boss added: 'It's a difficult one. You've seen it with Millie Bright at England coming out. The mental and physical fatigue is just massive.
'I felt it at Villa. It's the reason I needed a break. It's a tough place to be and I think there's a lot of players close to it.
'They've played a lot of minutes, so we have to protect them. We'll support anybody that needs a break.'
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But Ward is taking a different approach with 'national sweetheart' Louise Quinn.
The retiring centre-back
England's biggest divers of the season crowned... as shocking record revealed
But Ward is trying to twist her arm to join the US tour.
Ward stated: 'I've been trying to convince her. I don't think she'll come.
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'I'm still going to try and convince her. But I think it'll maybe be time for the next generation.
'She's been brilliant. Even in team meetings, she sparks conversation where some of the younger ones don't.
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The Mediterranean island boasts stunningly clear seawater
Credit: @caitlinfoord
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Temperatures in the region have been around the 25 degree mark all week
Credit: @caitlinfoord
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McCabe and her teammates have been savouring its famed seafood
Credit: @caitlinfoord
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Along with endless picturesque views
Credit: @caitlinfoord
'Her message at the end was so important in terms of, 'It's over to you guys, carry the baton'.'
Ireland ran out winners in their last outing thanks to Saoirse Noonan grabbing the only goal of the game.
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And Ward reckons her side are going in the right direction under her stewardship.
She added: 'The way I'd put it would be a Carla Ward team on the ball and an Irish mentality off the ball. That's what we have to build on.'
The Girls in Green will now face a League A promotion/relegation play-off
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Katie, 29, captioned this cute dinner snap 'My date'
Credit: @katie_mccabe11
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Ireland suffer defeat against world number one side Netherlands
Ireland suffer defeat against world number one side Netherlands

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  • The 42

Ireland suffer defeat against world number one side Netherlands

IRELAND SUFFERED a narrow 2-0 defeat against the world number one side Netherlands in Amstelveen this evening. Mark Tumilty's men created several chances against the Olympic gold medallists, but were on the back foot early on when defender Lee Cole had to clear the ball off the line to prevent the opening goal. Ireland then had a period in the ascendancy, with Alistair Empey seeing his goalbound shot blocked. Goalkeeper Jaime Carr was then forced into a good save before Thierry Brinkman thought he had given the Dutch the lead with a reverse stick shot, but it was ruled out after Ireland immediately opted to refer for backstick, which the video umpire agreed with. Advertisement Ireland continued to defend well in the second quarter, and down the other end, Empey won the first penalty corner of the contest, before Luke Madeley's effort on goal was blocked. It was the Dutch who then took the lead through a penalty corner of their own, as Luke Dommershuijzen registered his first senior goal. Some strong Irish defending, including a vital block by Matthew Nelson, ensured their opponents could not double their advantage before half-time. Yet the Netherlands made no mistake with their first chance after the break, as Steijn van Heijningen expertly deflected the ball into the net with a deft touch. Ireland continued to threaten, with the Dutch again keeping them at bay following the concession of another penalty corner, though the Irish defence also had plenty of work to do to prevent their rivals from adding to the scoreline. In the final quarter, Empey won Ireland's third penalty corner of the game, but Cole's resulting effort was saved and cleared. The Dutch saw the game out convincingly and consequently extended their lead at the top of the FIH Pro League table to seven points. The two sides meet again at the same venue tomorrow. The contest gets underway at 7pm Irish time and is available to watch live on the TG4 Player.

3 winners and 3 losers from Ireland's latest international window
3 winners and 3 losers from Ireland's latest international window

The 42

timean hour ago

  • The 42

3 winners and 3 losers from Ireland's latest international window

The winners Ryan Manning Having been largely on the periphery of the team in the Stephen Kenny era, Manning has become an important squad member under Heimir Hallgrímsson. The 28-year-old has 17 caps, six have come in the Icelandic coach's 10 matches in charge, while only five of his appearances under Kenny were in competitive games. What helps the Galway native is his versatility. At club level in recent years, he has generally been deployed as left-back/left-wing-back. In his earlier days at Galway United, however, Manning often played in the attacking midfielder/number 10 role. Against Senegal, Manning played a hybrid of these two positions. He drifted centrally and became an attacking midfielder when Ireland had possession, whereas without the ball, he tucked in on the left wing as Ireland reverted from a 3-4-2-1 to a 4-4-2. The Southampton star impressed, setting up Kasey McAteer's goal with his cross before being replaced by Killian Phillips in the 67th minute. He didn't start the Luxembourg encounter, but ended up enjoying more game time than he did against Senegal. The former QPR player was needed at left-back as early as the 21st minute, replacing the injured Robbie Brady. He proceeded to produce a solid performance, proving he can be relied upon to cover more than one position. Kasey McAteer McAteer went into this camp with just four substitute appearances to his name for Ireland. The Leicester star impressed on his full debut against Senegal, scoring Ireland's goal with a well-taken finish and producing a player-of-the-match performance. The 23-year-old winger was rewarded with a second consecutive start against Luxembourg, and struggled to have the same impact as part of a lacklustre Irish attack before being replaced by Matt Doherty in the 76th minute. You suspect alternative options in attack, like Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene, are still probably ahead of McAteer in the pecking order, but as Hallgrímsson said of the latter, he has 'created a bit of a stir' after Friday's performance. Having looked very much like a peripheral squad member before this window, it is now not inconceivable that he could play a major role in the upcoming vital World Cup qualifiers, particularly if Ogbene has not fully recovered by then. The 28-year-old Ipswich winger has not played since rupturing his achilles tendon last October, but is reportedly targeting a comeback in time for Ireland's September fixtures. Max O'Leary Over six years on from his first call-up, O'Leary finally made his Ireland debut on Tuesday away to Luxembourg. Advertisement And he was one of the few players for the visitors to emerge from the dour 0-0 draw with his reputation enhanced. The 28-year-old made a couple of decent saves and did very little wrong over the 90 minutes. Naturally, Caoimhín Kelleher will remain Ireland's first-choice goalkeeper following his €21 million move to Brentford. But O'Leary, who played every minute of action for Bristol City in the Championship this season, is a fine alternative. The Bath-born stopper, who qualifies through a Kerry-born grandfather, proved he has the ability and temperament to step up if required. The losers Evan Ferguson Appropriately enough, a largely forgettable season for Evan Ferguson ended in disappointingly tame fashion. The Brighton striker struggled to have much impact, even when starting against a side 31 places below Ireland in the Fifa rankings. He did not fare much better against Senegal, although by the time the Meath native was introduced in the 58th minute of that game, the momentum had swung firmly in the visitors' favour, so it was a difficult situation to be thrust into. It's worth remembering that Ferguson is still only 20. The youngster showed what he is capable of in the last window, finishing clinically from a Finn Azaz pass to draw Ireland level in the home game with Bulgaria. Players his age invariably have spells of inconsistency, and his form was also significantly hampered by a serious injury he suffered. An ankle injury last year led to ligament surgery, ruling him out for six months. It meant he missed the early weeks of the 2024-25 season and was playing catch-up all year in terms of fitness. Having cut an isolated figure in Luxembourg, Ferguson can now at least put a disappointing campaign behind him and get some much-needed rest ahead of what is likely to be a big season for him. Sky Sports News have reported that Brighton recently put in a £34 million bid for Olympiacos centre-forward Charalampos Kostoulas. If that deal goes through, it will increase the uncertainty around the youngster's Seagulls future. But despite his stop-start season and failed West Ham loan, Ferguson is unlikely to be short of suitors if he is made available by Brighton, with David Moyes' Everton one of the clubs linked with his signature. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's contract expires this summer, so the Toffees could look to the Ireland star as a natural replacement for the England international. Josh Honohan Max O'Leary, Killian Phillips and John Patrick all made their Ireland debuts in this window, but Josh Honohan has been made to wait. The 24-year-old's name in the initial squad announcement drew the most publicity of anyone, due to it still being relatively rare for League of Ireland-based footballers to earn international recognition with the Boys in Green. Some of the shine was taken off a special week for the Carrigaline native owing to manager Stephen Bradley's comments in the build-up. The Hoops boss said Honohan was 'the worst I've seen him' in Rovers' recent 0-0 draw with Galway. Such stinging criticism delivered by a manager to one of his players is rare in football. Honohan diplomatically played down the controversy, admitting he didn't have his 'best game' during the match in question. Perhaps this lack of form was part of the reason why Hallgrímsson opted not to blood the 24-year-old in either of the two end-of-season friendlies. Even with Robbie Brady getting injured early against Luxembourg, the Ireland boss preferred to introduce Manning in the left-back position. Before his criticism, Bradley had repeatedly called on Honohan to get Ireland recognition. Brady, at 33, won't be around forever, and while the fact that the Shamrock Rovers star was called up in the first place is an impressive feat when you consider the full context, perhaps the manager feels he needs more experience around the squad and further time to adapt to the demands of international football. It would therefore be fair to say the former Iceland boss feels Honohan is not quite ready yet to be thrust in at this level, and he has more work to do before becoming an established and trusted team member. Liam Scales On the whole, Scales has enjoyed an encouraging season. The defender played 26 times in the Scottish Premiership for a Celtic side that won the title. Along with Adam Idah and Kelleher, he was also the only Irish player to appear in the Champions League group stages this season. And in total, he played 370 minutes in Europe's premier club competition, more than Idah (338) and Kelleher (360), although he was left on the bench for the Glasgow club's climactic clashes against Bayern Munich. So the former UCD man will perhaps be disappointed that he was limited to only an 85th-minute appearance against Senegal in this window. He looked like an automatic selection earlier in Hallgrímsson's reign, starting four of the Boys in Green's six Nations League group games. Yet the 26-year-old's stock appears to have fallen since a costly red card in the 5-0 defeat to England last November, with that Senegal cameo his only taste of international football in the subsequent period. But more than anything, Scales' absence is a reflection of Ireland's impressive depth at centre-back. Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea and Jake O'Brien all had strong seasons in the Premier League and while the trio don't have Champions League experience, domestically they are playing at a higher level.

Ex-Man United midfielder set to sign for Marseille
Ex-Man United midfielder set to sign for Marseille

The 42

timean hour ago

  • The 42

Ex-Man United midfielder set to sign for Marseille

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