Jess Ziu is an ardent student of the game.
The 21-year-old West Ham midfielder doesn't switch off from football once training ends. Instead she logs on to Hudl, the video analysis tool that gives coaches and players an eagle’s eye view of the action to help them dissect shape and patterns of play.
All of Eileen Gleeson’s Republic of Ireland squad have access to the software, but it’s unlikely many embrace it as diligently as Ziu. She is a deep thinker when it comes to tactics and her own performances, capable of articulating where, when and why the balance of a game has shifted.
Having missed April’s Euro 2025 qualifier defeats to France and England with a hamstring issue, the Dubliner returns for Friday’s Aviva Stadium showdown against Sweden, armed with a different perspective and desperate to get back in the thick of the action.
"As soon as a game is posted on Hudl, I’m on it like a light," she says.
"I think it’s quite important to look at your game when you’re not on the pitch, it’s important to analyse it off the pitch too. That’s how you’ll improve. We all do that on the team. I think it’ll help us all grow.
"I’m a bit of a weirdo, I like to break the games down and look at my clips one by one.
"The France game I travelled with the team, I was in the stands. It was nice to get a different perspective of the game because when you’re on the pitch, or the bench, it’s different to being in the stands.
"I thought the girls played a really good game. We were up against one of the best teams in the world. The last few minutes we could have actually nicked something which is really positive. It was the same with England at home. It’s football, if you don’t take your chances you’re not going to get results."
"This time we're going to be hoping for more than just a draw."
Ziu was missed in April. She had been excellent in the March friendlies against Italy and Wales – hard working, technically impressive and intelligent in possession. She will help fill the void left by the injured Heather Payne against Sweden, as the Girls in Green search for their first points in qualification.
"I think to a lot of people we’re the underdogs going into this game," adds Ziu.
"They’re sixth in the world, we know they had a narrow defeat to France, and they drew against England. We know how good they are. We’re just going to focus on ourselves and our game plan.
"We got a result against them before (the 1-1 draw in Gothenburg during World Cup qualifying). This time we’re going to be hoping for more than just a draw.
"I don’t think we’ll have a lot of pressure and we’ll have the home fans behind us too. Sweden are coming to our home. I hope we can make the Aviva an awful place for other national teams to come and play in."
Ziu endured a nightmare 17 months after suffering an ACL injury that deprived her of the opportunity to go to last summer’s World Cup in Australia.
She’s feeling "refreshed" and strong now, thriving under the guidance of head coach Gleeson.
"I think Eileen is amazing, I absolutely working underneath her," says Ziu.
"We’ve got so much freedom. It’s not just Eileen, all the other staff too are an absolute joy to work with.
"The atmosphere and the vibe is always great in camp, seeing all the staff and all the girls. You know you play against all these girls weekly; it’s nice to come in and get to play with them.
"Eileen wants us to speak up a lot more instead of just her voice the whole time. She will take people’s opinions on board and she’ll listen to what you have to say."
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