Jess Ziu driven by deep hunger to hit the next level

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