Ireland play Oman tonight at the Aviva ahead of the opening European Championship qualifier away to Georgia on Sunday and there’ll be a few things to look out for before the serious business starts.
The Martin O’Neill philosophy
O’Neill was hailed from all quarters as some sort of messiah when he was drafted in to replace Giovanni Trapatonni as the manager of the Republic of Ireland. When he appointed Roy Keane as his assistant, Irish fans everywhere were positively giddy at our prospects. His first game in charge resulted in a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Latvia, but since then, another six games have been played and we haven’t won one of them, drawing three and losing three.
True enough, they were pretty meaningless friendlies, but that’s a mindset we need to snap out of for a start as friendlies help with our ranking points (Trap never forgot that) and we need all the help we can get when it comes to the draws for major tournaments.
Have we noticed a definite pattern in our play? You can accept weak results when the bigger picture promises more and there is a definite plan of action. Has Martin O’Neill decided on who his best XI is? With only a few days away from his first competitive match in charge, are the signs there that his philosophy is impacting our style of play? Has everyone bought into it? Lots of questions remain unanswered and tonight might be an indication of whether progress is being made under the celebrated Derry man.
Defence
Shay Given is back in the squad and it must put pressure on our number one, David Forde; frankly, we’re not sure if it’s the best idea in the world to heap pressure on our keeper with only days to go before our first qualifier. On the plus side, Shay Given is a proud Irish man and his experience and know how could be of huge benefit to the less experienced members of the squad.
Our back four will be tested again and again in this group and we will need to settle on a back four we can trust. Seamus Coleman has the right side position sewn up and you can probably put your house on John O’Shea starting in the centre, but who will partner him? Alex Pearce has played the last couple of friendly games and even managed a goal against tonight’s opposition on his debut back in 2012 in a 4-1 win. The captain of a good Reading team in the Championship, he is in with a shout.
Marc Wilson (pic above) is another option to partner O’Shea. Some would prefer him in the left-back position,simply because many believe Stephen Ward isn’t up to the job. He’s been an ever present for Stoke in the Premier League and has earned the right to start alongside O’Shea. Another candidate for the role could be Richard Keogh of Derby County. Keogh made his debut against Georgia in a friendly last year and scored in a 4-0 win. He is the captain of Derby and is in with a decent shout of being involved in the near future.
The left-back position is a problem position for us. Stephen Ward hasn’t nailed down the position and it’s something we need to address sooner rather than later. Wilson is a decent shout, but could be better suited in the middle with O’Shea. Another option worth exploring is that of Robbie Brady. Injured for much of last season, there is no doubting the young Dubliner’s quality and he has played there a lot for his club Hull City.
Darron Gibson
On his day, he’s as good as any midfielder we possess. He’s back in the frame following injury and the word is he will start the game tonight alongside his club mate, James McCarthy. Technically, he is gifted and can spray the ball around beautifully. He’s also got a cannonball shot in his locker too and it will be interesting to see how he thrives (or not) under the watchful eye of Martin O’Neill. With McCarthy providing the muscle, energy and defence in midfield, it could allow Gibson to flourish. Time till tell.
Beating the so-called weaker teams well
Oman are only ranked one place below us in the FIFA rankings, but in reality we should be too strong for them tonight. Ireland need to show ruthlessness with weaker teams. In a tight qualifying group, goals could be the difference and when we come up against the likes of Gibraltar you would hope that we have the necessary tools and nous to put them to the sword.
Let’s hope there’s evident progress tonight and clear signs that the Martin O’Neill/Roy Keane factor is having a positive effect on the Irish squad. The business side of international football is around the corner and we had better be ready.
